An old favorite snack

This is an old friend from long ago eversince I was a child.. Ean ean prawn crackers. It's only available in Penang

My old childhood home

While in Penang, I thought it would be cool to check out the house I grew up in (from infant to about 8 years old.). . . So my husband drove me there. . . And well, this is it. . My old childhood home. . At the T junction of  Jalan Khaw Sim Bee and Jalan Padang Victoria, Georgetown, Penang. It can be a little creepy though as there is a chill in the top floor and some nights, you can here some unknown being or spirit mournfully crying from one end of the road to the other....

Child kidnapped on 27th April

Press Release : 3rd March 2012

We are delighted to tell you that Nayati is back home with us and although it has obviously been a very traumatic time for him he appears at this stage to be in good shape. We cannot begin to say how proud we are of him and the way that he has coped with the events of the past week.

We have been overwhelmed by the support we have received from all our friends here in Kuala Lumpur... and all over the world. We are unable to find the words to express our gratitude but we will never forget what they did for us.

Even more surprising, because it was so unexpected, has been the support of people whom we have never met - and are never likely to meet - in countries as far away as Zambia and the USA, who have offered their time, skills and, in many cases, money, without any expectation of any form of compensation. We are so grateful for their help.

We also appreciate very much the tremendous practical and moral support we have received from the Netherlands Embassy and in particular the Ambassador, Mr Paul Bekkers. With his help we were able to surmount some “interesting” technical problems.

Finally we would like to express our gratitude to the Government of Malaysia, specifically the Royal Malaysian Police. Their number one priority from the start has been the safe return of Nayati and they have been most careful not to do anything that might have jeopardised his safety. We have enjoyed and will continue to enjoy our stay in this wonderful country.

As we are sure you will understand, Nayati’s kidnapping is the subject of an ongoing investigation so we are unfortunately not at liberty to reveal any of the details of the case at this stage.

There will be a press conference on Friday. Details to follow.
Thank you. - Moodliar Family

KUALA LUMPUR (28th April 2012): Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak yesterday made an impassioned plea to the abductors of a 12-year-old schoolboy to release him.

The Dutch national, Nayati Shamelin Moodliar, was on his way to Mont Kiara International School at 7.40am when he was grabbed by two men into a black Proton Gen 2. (hmmm..... as opposed to the report on the poster.... by a white van)

Najib tweeted: “I appeal as a father for Nayati not to be harmed in any way. Spoke directly to police IGP to investigate the matter.”
Nayati’s mother, Janice Smith, 40, said witnesses saw the men grabbing the boy from behind when he was standing at the junction of Jalan Kiara 1 and Jalan Kiara, while waiting for his friends to walk to school together.
She said it was usual for the seventh grade student to walk to school as it was only five minutes away from their home.
The boy’s family lived in one of the luxury condominiums at the area.
The boy’s father, Sham Moodliar, 41, said at the scene yesterday that his family only wanted the boy back.
“I beg the kidnappers to return our son. We won’t press any charges,” he said, adding that closed-circuit television recordings from a nearby condominium had been surren dered to the police.
The father, who works as a senior adviser in a Dutch management consultant company in the city, said there was no ransom demand.
The family was also clueless on the motive of the kidnapping as the couple had no prob lem with anyone. since they moved here eight months ago.
“Please, just drop him somewhere in a safe condition. He would know how to come home. We just want him back.” “If you want something, please contact us. Just do not harm our son.” He said the family could be contacted at 012-3656202.
The victim is the elder of two children.
Kuala Lumpur police chief Datuk Mohmad Salleh confirmed the report.
News of the abduction has gone viral on Twitter and Facebook, alerting the public to look out for Nayati.

(from http://www.nst.com.my)

Tambun biscuits

Had not really had tambun biscuits for quite a while now, so chancing on some at the Chowrasta Market in Penang with my husband, I decided to get some. These biscuits are made from wheat flour, sugar, mung bean, fried shallots, salt and vegetable oil . The taste is slightly crispy like how a pastry would taste like and the inside is salty -sweet of beans and also fried shallots. There are a few reputable brands around and one of the most oldest in Penang since 1856 is the Ghee Hiang company. .

Cheap breakfast

Malaysia is a paradise for food. You can find food almost anywhere. . Today, for breakfast, my husband and I went to the Pelita Nasi Kandar shop in Desa Damai, Bukit Mertajam, but since it was sooo early, no nasi kandar was available. So we settled for just a plate of roti canai each drenched with fish curry, a glass of iced coffee and iced milo. . . The price? Only RM5!!!! If you are really on a tight budget, you can probably make it cheaper by forgoing drinks and opting for sky juice or plain water, I guess. . . Picture: one roti canai and one iced milo. . . Sent from Yahoo! Mail on Android

My mom...

She is better but has a huge ugly blue black bruise on her left arm. This picture is taken at the Bukit Mertajam orthopaedic clinic.

My mother and her accident

This morning I got an sms from my mom. It read:"Good morning! Mommy had a bad motor accident confined 2 bed wiv broken ankle n foot, knee swollen . D other motor frm d opp road bang me head on. He is unconscious n quite bad"
My husband quickly insisted we make the trip to see her in her close friend's home. So we packed up and made the trip.
She then told us she got rammed head on by a young man who was probably high on drugs. And her ankle was fractured.
Anyway it wasn't so bad, syukur alhamdullilah and thank God. Only her leg was really hurt. The rest of her was fine except for bruising around some other areas.
Anyway, to all facebook friends who had share their thoughts and prayers, thank you. Tomorrow, we will be accompanying her to the hospital to see if she needs the plaster cast.

I am soooooo vain... LOL

Just for the fun of it....

If you want one, you can have one done here(click on the link):

http://styleentertainment.timeinc.net/people/makemeastar/

Most beautiful woman 2012 - Beyonce

Beyonce Named People's World's Most Beautiful Woman 2012

New mom Beyonce has yet another honor to celebrate -- the singing superstar has been named the World's Most Beautiful Woman 2012 by People.

"I feel more beautiful than I've ever felt because I've given birth," the 30-year-old, who welcomed daughter Blue Ivy with husband Jay-Z in January, told the mag. "I have never felt so connected, never felt like I had such a purpose on this earth."

Life is good....

 My youngest daughter having a splashing time....

My two older children and me...

Life is good. I have to keep reminding myself that as not to be too whiny or too proud. I have to learn to be grateful for all life and God has blessed me with, the good and the bad...though may the bad always serve to remind me how to be humble and how to improve myself.

In life, we can always look at the glass half full or half empty. If we choose to look at the glass half empty, we will never learn to be grateful for what we have and will always be complaining, whining or cursing life (like a few people I know).

However if and when we choose to look at the glass half full, we will always have much to be grateful for. Of course, life can be better and it probably might be in the future (who knows...).... but.... I am not rich, but I live a comfortable life. I have my husband , my children and step children, all whom are dear to me. I have a lot of wonderful people in my life, including my husband's ex wife and her family who are very much like my own or sometimes even dearer to me then my own... I have my nieces and nephews and so many cousins by marriage that I really haven't remember or memorize everyone.

I have a great career that enables me to have alot of free time, enjoy time with my family as much as I want, a career that allows me to be there for my kids when they need me, take off with family members to anywhere I like without having to ask for leave. My career enables me to still enjoy a reasonably comfortable lifestyle, enjoy free travel vacations in style and help people to enhance their lives. I love my career very much. (Not really promoting my career here right now, but anyone who wants to join me in my career here can do so and sms me at 012 3386033)

Watching all the drama series on TV and such, like Nada Cinta, the Glamorous Imperial Concubine , Empresses in the Palace and all made me even more grateful for my simple average life too. I won't have want to be in their shoes, rich, powerful and privileged but always backstabbing each others, lying, and so on, and for the weaker ones, always being a victim...

I am also thankful for all my clients who supported me in my career, my old friends, school friends, ex colleagues/ colleagues and online friends/ penpals,  a few of them who are quite dear to me...  thank you everyone...

I am a fun lover and I love having fun, enjoying life as it takes me through all it has to give. I am blessed I am reasonably well travelled and I look forward to my upcoming holidays in Tokyo in less then a month's time and in Bangkok in another two months.

Like I said... Life is good, Syukur Alhamdullilah, Thank You, God.... what say you? I just pray life continues to be good and perhaps much more better in the future.......

Positive mental attitude....

Recipes to try: Perfect french fries the McDonald way.....

Perfect French Fries (adapted from David Myers's recipe for "pommes frites")
Ingredients:

• 6 Idaho russet potatoes
• Peanut oil
• Sea salt (Myers prefers Sel Gris, a fine light grey French salt)

Nasi Lemak recipe with Sambal Nasi Lemak and Sambal Udang (Chili prawns)

(Please note that recipe is all supposedly in estimation... to suit your own palate, you should try tasting before adding more salt or sugar etc....)
Nasi Lemak (coconut rice)

4cups rice (I use Thai fragrant rice)
150ml coconut milk
550ml water
3pcs pandan leaves (screwpine leaves)
1” ginger
1 big onion (skinned)

Method
1. Place washed rice, ginger ,onion(cut into 4) and knotted pandan leaves in an electric rice cooker.
2. Pour coconut milk and water over the rice and leave to soak for 30mins (make it more fluffy).
3. Cook the rice.Once “cooking” button auto switched to “keep warm” button. Then fluff the rice with a spoon
4. Serve warm.

Sambal Udang (Chili prawns)

Ingredients
500g prawns (medium)
2 big onions, sliced
2 tbsp tamarind paste, add 6tbsp water, remove seeds, to become tamarind water
2-3 tbsp chilli paste

Blend or pound to paste
1” galangal (blue ginger)
6 cloves garlic
6 shallots

Seasonings
½ tsp salt or taste
2tbsp sugar

Method
1. Heat some oil in a wok, add in pounded shallot paste, stir fried till fragrant.
2. Add in chilli paste, stir fried for a while.
3. Add in shrimps, stir fry till cooked. Add in tamarind water and onion slices, (add more water if too dry), mix well.
3. Add in seasoning and dish out, serve with Nasi Lemak (steamed coconut rice).

Notes: if you did not use homemade chili paste (which cook for long hour), you need to stir fry (step 2) for longer time, maybe not less than 30mins.

Sambal Nasi Lemak/Spicy Chili Sambal for the Nasi Lemak

Ingredients to be blended with a bit of water -
30 dried chili - washed and soaked in hot water until soft
1 inch knob of fresh turmeric, peeled, or 1 tbsp of turmeric powder
10 shallots - peeled and washed
1 1/2 tbsps of toasted belacan/shrimp paste (I used Maggi belacan granules)
Other ingredients -
3 large onions - peeled and sliced thinly
1 tsp salt (or more depending on your taste)
1-2 tbsps sugar
2 tbsps of tamarind paste mixed with 1 cup of water, seeds removed
1 cup oil leftover from frying the ikan bilis/anchovies

Method
1) In a hot wok, pour in the leftover ikan bilis oil.
2) Fry the blended chili paste, stirring often for about 5 minutes.
3) Add in the sliced onions, salt and sugar and lower heat to cook until the onions are soft, about another 5 minutes, If the paste gets too dry, do add in a bit of water first just to get things “moving”
4) Add in the tamarind water, mix thoroughly and adjust taste.
5) Cook a bit longer to your preferred sambal consistency, adding more water or ikan bilis oil, if necessary.

Serve hot or cold with Nasi Lemak.

Happy testing

The story soooo far... the glamorous imperial concubine

At point of posting, am watching until ... EPISODE 42 .. LAST EPISODE!

When Duyun went back to Northern Han to asked for help and troops, he manage to poison Lian Xi who did not trust Duyun at all. The Empress Dowager had tried asking him to take over the crown but he refused. The palace officials had also been pestering both the Empress Dowager and Lian Xi. Lian Xi lay dying and the Empress Dowager dismissed everyone, and saved him by sucking the poison out herself. Empress Dowager might have did it for her own selfish reason. But I believe she accepted Lian Xi as Lian Cheng was always looking out for him, and she remembered Lian Cheng's words of letting bygones be bygones. And also that Northern Han needed a new emperor and only Lian Xi was qualified as he was the last of the Emperor's bloodlines, other then Lian Si of course.

Lian Si came in search of Qiyou but met Duyun who was happy enough to tell her how he killed Qiyou. He then subdued her with some acupuncture points and she became paralysed. He then told her how he had always wanted her but how she refused him and then made her his concubine but promised to make her his empress when he took Chu's throne.

 

With Han and Shu's help, Ma Fuya and her brother reclaimed Chu and killed their uncle. However when Duyun was ready to be crowned, Fuya had a strange visitor from Han, one of the lady in waitings who came in a disguise. Fuya asked her why she was in disguise when it was safe for her to return as Fuya was once again the Princess there and that was when the stories came out, of how the lay in waiting feared Duyun and all Duyun did, including wanting to murder Qiyou and also how he killed Lian Cheng.

 

Fuya then realized the truth . On her brother's coronation day, she sent all the officials away and took it on herself to crown him herself. Duyun asked her where all the officials were but she just told him she wanted to crown him. He knelt before her and she crowned him as she took one of the sharp headpieces from the crown and stabbed him to death. Dying, he still tried to crawl up the steps to the throne.

After killing her brother, Fuya left the palace and Chu and went to the river/countryside where Qiyou died to join him. I think she may have commited suicide there, met Qiyou's spirit and then their spirits live happily there together or.... somehow Qiyou did not die and he waited there for Fuya and they met there and spent the rest of their lives together living a simple life away from the palace life... Hmmmmmmmm  (this story is from my own point of view...unlike the others here, which was taken from point2 e ok..)

 

At point of posting, am watching until ... EPISODE 41

Even Concubine Han died, she was dying anyway from Fuya's poison and before she did she did the decent thing by angering Han Ming to force him to see the real her, that vindictive spiteful her so that he will leave and he said he will wait for her at their village but she would never be there; she acknowledges her own sin in all she has done and then killed herself. I mean why not just tell Han Ming "Dude, I am dying"? Maybe because she knows he will follow her in death. He will know anyway later on since Shu palace has to give her a royal funeral.

Fuya's mom died, and thanks to Nu arguing with Qiyou who pushed away Fuya's mom who fell after being pushed some more by Concubine Han. Nu of course told Fuya Qiyou did it. Yunzhu thought she did it because she couldn't hold on to that foolish old woman. My question is since Concubine Han knows she is dying WHY does she feel the need to push an innocent person to her death? Fuya in her heart knows Qiyou didn't do it. But she told Qiyou she had to leave him, too many people died because of her but mom died because of Qiyou. Sorry Fuya, she died because of you because Han wanted you to leave and I don't know why she pushed your mom frankly. By that time it doesn't serve any purpose. She left for Zhou . Qiyou in turn gave his kingdom to Qiyun and rushed to find her. They reunited, and that was where he died trying to save her from being ambushed by Chu's army since they were passing through.

I mean Qiyou didn't die also because he never got the chance to deliver a monologue that hopefully ends with YOUR BROTHER IS EVIL! So no, he is NOT dead. But I do believe he will be dead later. Fate is cruel to Qiyou. What a poor guy.

Northern Han is faced with succession dilemma, Lian Xi does not want to be Emperor. Empress Dowager asked Nu, now back in Han for his opinion. What more can he say? LET ME BE EMPEROR?

And why would Nu aka Duyun force his sister away from Shu? What good does it serve him? Nothing because this Duyun is a destroyer and a devious coward like that can never govern a country. Fuya is blind to his faults. If he only dies, everyone will be at peace.

Poor Qiyou. Father never loved him, Concubine Mei never treated him like her own, his mom treated him like shit all his life only because she loved him but died before he can feel any love from her, his brother Qixing betrayed him, Fuya abandoned him, even his own life left him, so to speak. Sigh.... Qiyun will probably fare better as emperor since he is the only man abstaining from any matters of the heart in this series.

At point of posting, am watching until ... EPISODE 40

I really don't feel the urge to write for this series anymore because it is going towards insanity, literally and figuratively. It should have ended when Du Fei Hong died because that to me was when the series last achieved some sanity. After that everything else is like defaming both Qiyou and Fuya. Why? Qiyou is a levelheaded reasonable gallant responsible man but episodes 39 and 40 made him into none other than his own father, the way he treats Lian Si and her child (like how his own mother and himself was treated as opposed to Concubine Mei and Qiyun), the way he handles the problems points to a clueless incompetent husband and Emperor, and my impression is his father was better as he was more devious. Qiyou is not devious so everything he die was simply foolish or selfish or just plain dumb. I can't believe this is my Qiyou! NO WAY!!! And Fuya. Oh dear.. Fuya.. someone who is so forgiving and noble, I simply refused she actually attempted to kill Lian Si's baby. I thought "Nahhh... just an act to draw out the real culprit that is her own brother Nu who in her hearts she knows is a bastard" but then it turns out she was suffering from depression or whatever and she actually wanted to kill Lian Si's baby!!

And poor Qiyou though. Imagine deaths of BOTH sons in one episode after the other, both thanks to Nu. I never quite understand why Nu killed Fuya's baby. She was in a cart or whatever on her way to see Northern Han's empress dowager to stop her from fighting in a senseless war (where the cart's wheel was loosened by the driver on the instigation of who else but Lian Si) when the cart overturned, she didn't die, baby ok, went into labour, Yunzhu ran to get water (like where got water in the middle of a very dry looking hill road?) and Nu pressed on her tummy and in the end killed his own nephew. You may wonder why he did that? Well Qiyou did say he will help Fuya to restore Chu BUT Nu will never be emperor as his heart is black and cruel. Whatever the book may say, I believe in this series, Nu did what he did out of pure vindictiveness. He sees the baby as Qiyou's child whom he hates, but not as Fuya's child, whom he supposedly loves. At this point my favourite character is Lian Xi for his unwavering loyalty to his own brother and even if he hates his brother's mother, he never attempted to kill her. Now look at this evil Nu... what a piece of garbage eh? Anyway so baby dies. Lian Si gives birth, but Qiyou refused to name her empress or the child crown prince.

Lian Si's baby dies mysteriously. Fuya wanted to poison the baby by putting something on the cheek or whereever and release the bees which will sting and kill. She couldn't release the bees, she shouldn't do it, threw away the bees container. Let's just guess who released it in the end. Fuya knows it is her brother because she showed him how it is to be done. Now why would Nu kill Lian Si's baby? Simple; he hates Qiyou and he wants Lian Si and Lian Si told him to get lost and he said to himself "I shall have you, even if I have to carry your dead body back to Chu with me". Lian Si was mad with grief and said Fuya did it, Qiyou said he will investigate and Fuya admitted she did what she did and cried to be executed. Qiyou believes Fuya is incapable of anything evil.

And at the beginning Nu tried to accuse Qiyou of killing Fuya's baby!! Why? Because Qiyou wanted to keep his throne and make his ministers happy and he doubted the DNA of the baby. BUT if Qiyou had wanted to do that, he might as well do a huge show of executing Fuya then, why go one big round to that? Fuya didn't believe, or she did, at this point I really didn't care. How could Fuya believe that nonsense? In the end we find out she doesn't believe.

At point of posting, am watching until ... EPISODE 38

This is terrible! TERRIBLE! Where is DNA testing when you need it? Not for another few hundred years!

But first, Fuya knows her mom can't wait anymore, and so she lovingly caresses Qiyou's handsome sleeping face and thought to herself "Qiyou, I am sorry" and to her baby she says "Mommy will have to take you along to the afterworld"

I mean even my sis was shouting "Let the mom die! For god's sake, she is OLD". Fuya is crazy. So she thinks use her life to save mom, but after giving birth to child. Now she wants to kill herself and the child for mom. Insane! But Grandpa Hua knows what is happening, drugged Fuya and in the morning Fuya rushes to her mom and her mom is all ok and she finds out Grandpa Hua came the night before. She and Qiyou rushes out and shouted "Grandpa Hua, Grandpa Hua"  Grandpa Hua was running away, vomiting blood as he thought "Ya Ya, Grandpa Hua wants nothing more than to take care of your child, see him grow up but Grandpa Hua can't do it. I can't let you die, you have always been my favourite, everyone always say I doted on you too much, but I never felt it was ever enough. I wanted to take care of you forever, but since now I can't, and you have Qiyou to take care of you, I am not worried. I can go, in peace..." and then he fell and they saw him and they rushed to him and a whole lot of talking, but surprisingly Fuya doesn't cry like there's no tomorrow. She was to me way too calm when her "father" is dying. And Grandpa Hua died. Fuya being a heavily pregnant woman should have been very emotional, she wasn't, Qiyou who has been with Grandpa Hua for so many years was also way too calm.
Meanwhile Lian Si was so happy she would be giving birth in a month when she stumbled upon Yun Zhu. Yun Zhu cried "What I said is true!! Concubine Ya will be giving birth in a few days!!!" and Lian Si knew she would lose since everyone confirms Fuya's baby will be a son and Qiyou happily decreed that son will be crown prince and Fuya empress a few days later. Lian Si was very upset and then came "He he he he he" which is Concubine Han with her incessant laughing and she said "Why are you so upset? If the baby was conceived in Northern Han then perhaps the father is your brother" and Lian Si said "No, we all know..." and Han says "Yes we all know, but the Shu ministers don't know, more importantly Northern Han does not know.. who is to know who is the father..." and Lian Si took the cue and wrote a letter to her mom.

In Northern Han, Empress Dowager received the letter and was overjoyed to know Fuya is pregnant and the child is Lian Cheng's. She cried "Northern Han has a successor!". Interestingly she didn't look distraught at Lian Cheng's death. She looks too immaculate. She orders for war to get back the child soon to be born. Minister argues how they can be sure the child is Lian Cheng's and everyone pretty much asked the same question until the attending physician's notebook was referred to (the same physician Lian Cheng killed when he told Lian Cheng Fuya was pregnant and Lian Cheng knew the child wasn't his and so he killed the doctor to save Fuya's reputation) and it wrote clearly it was conceived during her time in Northern Han and so everyone was convinced. By the way Empress Dowager herself will lead the army!

Meanwhile Fuya's brother, that dog Nu tried to instigate another minister to overthrow the empress dowager which he flatly refused and Nu poisoned him. When that minister or general did not show up, Nu himself volunteered to go to war and get back the child

Nu himself alone and gloated how this was his opportunity when Lian Xi grabbed his neck and basically kicked him until Nu revealed what was the meeting about and Lian Xi thought "Brother... has a son?". It is more like a statement than a question. But I think in his heart he should know Lian Cheng never slept with Fuya but then at that time only Qiyou, Fuya and Lian Cheng know for sure what was going on. So to Lian Xi this was like taking back what was his brother's. I am touched by Lian Xi's love and loyalty for Lian Cheng and I hope he doesn't die in the process. I want him to live. Somehow I really like Lian Xi. It is Nu I am finding myself hating, apart from "He he he he he" Han.

Shu finds out about Northern Han's impending attack and the Shu army refuses to fight a war for a bastard child that wasn't Qiyou's. Qiyou was so angry he had the minister who dared speak about the gossip arrested. But Fuya knew there must be some mistake and so she proposed to go see Empress Dowager, to speak to her, because she knows the empress dowager is not an unreasonable person. Qiyou flatly refused but will send an envoy. Meanwhile Han Ming is the appointed general.

May I say again I really like the idea of Lian Xi. He reminds me of Qiyun, except more useful than Qiyun. And the difference between Shu and Northern Han cannot be more obvious than that of the soldiers' reaction. When Lian Cheng wanted to attack Shu for Fuya (to be fair not many knew the real reason), no one doubted Lian Cheng. Now when Qiyou wants to defend Shu for Fuya, everyone doubts him. Why be an emperor when nothing ever works out for you? And Lian Si is such a problematic woman, but Fuya should have just visited her and have a heart to heart talk with her. Don't forget, Lian Si blamed Fuya for Lian Cheng's death and now of course because Qiyou so obviously favours Fuya. Fuya should have been even more generous because I don't think Qiyou ever sleep with Lian Si after they returned, he must have been with Fuya every single day.

At point of posting, am watching until ... EPISODE 37

 The Dus die in this episode. Empress Dowager Du dies. But before she does, Qiyou forgives her as he says "Mother, you win! You win!" as Du says "No! I lost and I am happy to lose to you!" and he then begs her to live, to live for him so that he can hold her hands and be a son to her but Du says "You brother is waiting for me. I will go and take care of him as I have for the past 21 years (I think she said that), I have to go..." and dies as Qiyou cried "Mother, mother.. please don't leave me!!".

Doesn't anyone ever learn that by backstabbing Fuya, you're frontstabbing yourself? You know what I mean? Same methods used by that stupid Xiangyun now used by Lian Si. You see, Qiyou wants Fuya as Empress. But Concubine Han disagrees. Why? Because she says "We can't let Fuya control the royal harem. She will be a liability, she will do anything for Qiyou and she will be an obstacle for us". SAY WHAT?! How stupid is that reasoning? No. 1; Fuya has no power. No. 2: Fuya has no backing. No. 3; Fuya has no country. No. 4; Fuya doesn't even have a status. And she is worried that Fuya being so damn loyal will do like what? Jump to her death? Jump in front of Qiyou? She should make Fuya the Empress because innately Fuya is incapable of doing evil. She herself said that episodes ago. Instead she wants Lian Si and guess what? No. 1; Lian Si is the princess of a stronger country, Northern Han. No. 2; Lian Si's mom will protect her. No. 3: Lian Si is devoted to Qiyou. No. 4; Lian Si has a stronger backing. Lian Si will ber her undoing, not Fuya!! She got a taste of her own medicine when later she met with Lian Si and Lian Si bluntly said "Why are you interfering in the royal matters? You're the retired concubine now. Shouldn't you retire to your palace and do something retired concubines do? Don't meddle in this; you won't be able to handle it". Stupid woman. Lian Si is more difficult to control.

And Lian Si is another idiot. She wanted to frame Fuya for poisoning her, and all. Guess what? Qiyou doesn't even believe her. When Lian Si asked Qiyou why she is not the empress? Well no one is. Lian Si is asking why she is same rank as Fuya and Qiyou said "You're very fortunate you're even same rank with Fuya" and when Lian Si said "You want a woman who was conferred a title by your father, and then married my brother and was his favourite concubine to be empress? She is not qualified. She is immoral, dirty!!" which is the same view of the ministers who objected (at the instigation of Concubine Han), and Qiyou was so angry he raised his arm and about to slap her and stopped him and Lian Si shocked said "You want to slap me? Go on! GO ON! Don't forget, I am carrying your child! You want to hurt your child?!" but Qiyou warned her not to do or say anything stupid about Fuya or else...

Funny though. At this very scene, I imagined Lian Cheng, and he would not have any hesitation to slap Lian Si if he was Qiyou, he would in fact fly kick her. I know that is violent behaviour but I do feel Lian Cheng would not have hesitated.

Anyway Fuya doesn't even want to be empress. She wants to save her mom by using her own life in exchange for her mom's, whatever that means. That was why she was experimenting on drugs that can abort a child, something Lian Si used to frame Fuya. Qiyou knows why Fuya did what she did. In Fuya's mind, she wants to give birth and then use her life to save her mom's. She told no one. Qiyun meanwhile agreed with ministers to appoint a crown prince and Qiyou said whoever gives birth to a son first, the child is crown prince and she will be empress. Lian Si is very happy since she thinks she is the first pregnant one but she doesn't know, Fuya got pregnant first since they consummated the relationship in Northern Han and not in Shu or on the way to Shu. Everyone was happy for Fuya thinking she will be empress soon but to Fuya she thinks "I can save mom soon...". She saw Lian Si who just looked away.

Anyway mom knows Nu is her son and he is alive and well. Not much to say there.

Lian Cheng's mom is ruling Nothern Han now and ministers beg her to appoint a new emperor and since Lian Cheng has no sons, it means it will be Lian Xi which she opposes. Lian Xi coolly walks in and says "Even if you want me to be emperor, I have no interest in being one. I am waiting for you to die you evil woman!" and he walks away. Later she walks into I believe Lian Cheng's study room and saw Lian Xi sitting down on the floor by the corner and he was teary eyed and deep in thoughts. What was he thinking? "Brother, how you could be so heartless to die and leave me alone with your empire and that evil old woman? How could you?" and Empress Dowager looks at him and her face softens.

As for Concubine Han who killed Duwan and Du Ruhai, and Qiyou could do nothing about it as she says she did it to secure his future and to prevent that bastard child from coming back and fighting for the throne, and Han Ming was disgusted but did nothing. She is crazy.

At point of posting, am watching until ... EPISODE 36

Qiyou thanks to Han Ming and former Chu general captured Shu city and Qiyou forced Qixing to drink poisoned wine, like Qixing forced him and he said "This time let's see if there's anyone willing to drink this for you" and no one did. Duwan who is due to give birth to a son refused to drink and they ended up blaming one another, and Qiyou sniggered "Shouldn't husbands and wives be more united than this?" and he forced Qixing to drink who kept saying "I will give you back your throne! I will go away! Please let me live!!" but Qiyou refused to listen and then Empress Dowager rushed in and grabbed Qiyou, crying very very hard "He is your brother! How can you kill your brother?! He is your brother!!!!" and Qiyou stared at her who was crying hard and he himself teary eyed said "Mother, I am your son too. Where were you when I was forced to take the poisoned wine? Where were you when I was a prisoner of war? Am I not your son too?" and all she could do was cry.  Anyway she cried, very hard, silent but crying and Qiyou said bitterly "If you won't let him drink this, then... then I shall drink on his behalf" and he drank the wine and Empress Dowager was shocked as she cried "You er, You er, You er" and HE DIDN'T DIE! He cried as he said "Mother, I am not as heartless as you think I am to kill my own brother!" and he ordered Qixing to be demoted to commoner and kicked out of the palace. But what about Duwan eh? Anyway he was leaving when Qixing angrily said "Go to hell you bastard!!!" and picked up a sword and rushed towards Qiyou who was walking away with his back facing Qixing and Qiyou didn't move, just held his sword backwards and Qixing himself ran towards the sword and basically stabbed himself to death. Qiyou was shocked as Qixing fell to the ground, mother rushed to hold him as he vomited blood and said "Mother, I... I shouldn't have been emperor?" and yes it was a question and then he died. Qiyou was crying, so was mother and frankly, didn't pity Qixing. He shouldn't have been a man because he showed none of the courage nor loyalty of one, more so an emperor.

Qiyou went to release Fuya and hugged her, only having eyes for her as Lian Si stood there filled with jealousy. He became emperor. He have Du Ruhai arrested and dragged away as he begged "Spare your nephew! Spare your nephew!!". Fuya is expected to become empress. Han Ming got promoted into some big time general and Concubine Han thinks she can use Lian Si to shake Fuya who then can shake Qiyou.

Qiyou went to see Qiyun and Qiyun said "I buried Qixing at the top of the hill where he used to love playing and running around at..." and Qiyou asked sincerely "Do you hate me for forbidding Qixing to be interred into the Meng Imperial Mausoleum?" and Qiyun said "You're bound by rules, and the advice of your ministers even if you're the emperor. Moreover he never liked the rules and ettiquettes of the royal palace, so I do think he would be better off buried away from the Mausoleum. Finally he can have some peace" and Qiyou looked at Qiyun and said quite sincerely "I killed him..." and Qiyun said "Brother, you didn't. He killed himself, he dug his own grave, it was not your fault" which is true. Anyway Qiyun begged to be given an imperial post because "The court is still dominated by the Dus and Concubine Han" and Qiyou said "So you wish to assist me...Alright, granted". Funny in the end it is the half brother who shows more loyalty than full brother, much like Northern Han.

Fuya finally fetches her mom home but mom is dying from the poison. So.. Han never kept her promise to Fuya that is kill emperor, save your mom. Nobody keeps their words in this series!

Empress Dowager Du is very sick and so she is dying. She asked her faithful bodyguard, Mo Chou  to fetch her some boxes, one contains Qiyou's favourite toy and another the drawing she threw onto the floor when he was little. She cried saying "These are my treasures I protect with my life." but she was crying when Fuya came to visit and assured her Qiyou is coming soon to see her but she laid on her bed, saying "He refuses to see me, because he hates me.. he hates me..." and Fuya assured her he is coming but she said "I am not worried for him. He has you, Fuya and you will take good care of him...". Anyway alone, she is still crying as she said as she clutched the drawing tightly to her chest "With this in my hands, I can die in peace" when Qiyou walked in and commanded "You can't die!" and she looked at him and said "You er, my son, how handsome you look in your emperor's robes, how powerful, just as I always imagined how you will look" and Qiyou said bitterly "I thought you never wanted to see me in these...I am sorry to disappoint you mother" and Du said "You have never disappointed me. You have rose to the occasion just as I expected...but the seat of the throne is never easy, never easy. I hope you can understand my intentions now" as Qiyou said "Your intentions?!" as she said "Yes, I have carefully planned for you, to make sure you suffer, to learn the deceptions of the imperial court, to understand and to be ruthless even to your own family, to be hardened in your resolve. Your father never wanted you to become emperor. He made you a crown prince just so he can buy time and then give the throne to Concubine Mei's son. I saw that from the beginning. You were in danger..but I never expected to see brother killing brother in the end.. I never expected that..."

From what Du said, my take is she loved him the most. First she resented the fact Mei raised him and her own son loved Mei more. But she treated him coldly because she knows from a young age Qiyou is a capable boy and meant for greater things. She also knows her husband loves Qiyun more than Qiyou, has plans for Qiyun to be Emperor and is ruthless enough to get rid of Qiyou in favour of Qiyun. Qixing is different. He is young, no courage and won't be good for greater things so father will let him live. Qiyou however is too smart for his own good and his father will probably kill him. Which is why Du decided to make life so hard for Qiyou, make him so discouraged, opposed him in every way and making all obstacles so that she can kill that ambition of him to be emperor. Because she loved him the most, she wanted him to live and by living means living an ordinary life and that would be to take him out of the race to be emperor. Which is why she treated him so coldly. She wanted him to feel hopeless and therefore have no ambition.

Anyway she cried as she said she can be in peace since Fuya will take care of him and she can go in peace and Qiyou raised his voice as he said "You still love Qixing the most! Because you rather follow him to death than to fight for your live and stay with me!"

In his own way he may resent his mother but he has always yearned for her love and when he kinda realised what she did for him (which until now I still can't reconcile her behaviour although I kinda understand), he went to her, and cried "Mother, please don't leave me alone. Please don't leave me, fight to live! Mother!" and she cried "My dear son, You er, I can't fight my destiny. If it is meant to be, it is meant to be" but Qiyou refused to give up as he cried "Mother, please don't leave me!"

As for Du Ruhai, he got killed by Concubine Han who also refused to let Duwan give birth and so killed her as well. Du Ruhai to his credit cried before he died "The emperor would never be so heartless! It is you! You evil woman! You bitch!!!". Which is good since he knows Qiyou would never have ordered for him and Duwan to be killed. Duwan to her credit begged not for her own life but that of her unborn child. She died anyway.

At point of posting, am watching until ... EPISODE 35

The recap on Lian Cheng and Fuya and since they had so little scenes together, believe me when I said you would have seen those scenes a million of times since well, since all other recaps. Anyway interestingly Fuya after scolded by Lian Si said "He ruined my country, killed my father..." and Lian Si said "But he did all he could for you, he loved you, he died for you, you still hate him?". Well dying for her doesn't exonerate him from his sins but Fuya said "I neither loved him nor hated him..." which is a strange statement band then she said "Lian Cheng, at least you have your release. What about me?" which is true. 2 suffering souls, so alike, so apart. But her true feelings are revealed as she said "Lian Cheng, I hope in our next life we will not be born into royal families. And I hope we shall meet again..." which shocked Qiyou who looked at her wide eyed since I suppose he might be asking hey! what about our 10 lifetimes together huh? Yeap, Fuya basically said to Lian Cheng she doesn't hate him, but she doesn't love him but not because she can't but because of the circumstances rendering such love obsolete. So she wishes that in their next lifetime they be ordinary folks and she hopes to see him again and in that lies the promise of Fuya to Lian Cheng; I will love you if we meet again. So deep down she loves him.

Empress Dowager Du looked sickly, missing Qiyou and she has lost her power, now her court is dominated by her niece and her brother. When Qiyou came home, he was placed under house arrest in a really horrible looking place and Lian Si of course wasn't pleased. And she is still wearing her fur coat. This is what I hate about this series; the inconsistencies. Surely now in Spring time Shu, that fur will be useless? Why is she still wearing it?! Anyway Du went to see her son when she found out what happened. Qixing still fears his mom but his wife, whose name escapes me right now doesn't. Her power no more and she laid in bed, coughing and grumbling as her trusted white haired bodyguard, Ma Chou said she will send for an imperial physician but Du coughed some more as she said bitterly "I am not sick. I am just pissed off. I spent my entire life fighting the royal harem, to fight my way to the top to control them, put my son on the throne so that we can be safe and in the end it would be my unfilial son betraying me! Of course my brother would help his own daughter instead of his sister but my son, my useless son..." and basically she is so angry she could have vomit blood.

Meanwhile poor Qiyou locked up but he has loyal followers such as the old minister whose name I forgot and he advised Qixing to let Qiyou go since imprisoning the Emperor Han Cheng is a sin! Against all confucian teaching and all that stuff but Qixing was so angry he ordered him to be executed and the minister so angry he said "YOU! YOU UNGRATEFUL IMBECILE!! WHY HAVE I TAUGHT SUCH A HEARTLESS IMBECILE? I...I..." and dramatically he ran to a nearby err bronze urn or whatever and hit his head and died. Qiyou was very upset. Then Qixing and wife came and ordered Qiyou to drink wine, threatening if he doesn't, Fuya will drink. You see, poisoned wine. Qiyou had no choice but his faithful servant Hiao Xin Gan then immediately said "Empress Dowager Du!!" and when everyone looked where he was pointing, he grabbed the wine, drank it and fell to his knees and said "I... I always wanted to try the royal wine.. thank you for the wine your majesty" and Qixing angrily said "You dog! You dare to drink! Well you can have your servants dying for you..." when wife said "We haven't toasted dear brother about his wedding with Pan Yu..." and so again he was forced to drink when Fuya pushed the wine cup away and said "You dare to ask us all to drink this wine? Do you not know who that is? Princess Lian Si, princess of Northern Han! If she dies, Northern Han will raise an army and march towards Shu. Is that what you want?" and Lian Si taking the cue said "Yes! My mother is the great Empress Dowager who will crush you all to death if she knows I am being bullied!!" and so Qixing being the coward that he is ordered Qiyou to be imprisoned in that dingy place, FOREVER!

 He laid dying in Qiyou's arms, which took quite a long time so the poison must be slow in effect. Anyway Qiyou cried as Xiao Xin Gan said "Don't be sad, I don't deserve your tears, I am only a lowly servant.." and Qiyou cried said "I never thought of you as a servant, you're my brother" and eunuch cried "Your brother? I am your brother? Then my life has not been wasted. Please listen... they will eventually kill all of you unless you become emperor. You.. must.. become.. emperor..." and he died. I tell you I damn well cried!! I mean the last sentence was so true. Fuya said "Qiyou, you must escape. Save yourself" and Qiyou said "No.." and Lian Si said "She is right. You must escape, you can do it. Then think of ways to come back and rescue us" but Qiyou said "No. I will stay. And I will take back what is rightfully mine!" and he said it with such determination you know he will kill Qixing for it!

Concubine Han was laughing happily as she said "Stupid boy. Doesn't he know his brother's temperament? If he let his brother alone, he would have happily lived peacefully right next to this stupid boy emperor but when pushed, Qiyou will fight back! Stupid boy!" and cue "HA HA HA HA". But Han Ming just looked at her like she's mad. And then a manly voice said "You know me so well Concubine Han!" and it was Qiyou who had escaped and he said "I came here to ask for your help" and she said "Why would you think I will help you? What do I have to gain from that?" and he  said "because you are greedy for power"

(taken from Point 2 Entertainment....)

Unfair price shop...

The bookshop I hate to go in the most..
Anyone who knows me knows I love bookshops until I came across this bookshop, that is. I think they sell the most unreasonably priced items. Example, this metal pencil box from China is priced at RM16.00. Can you believe it? I can find similar pencil cases for 1/2 or even 1/3 the price in other shops.

Maybe they are trying to emulate Kinokuniya or even CZiplee prices but they forget they are selling copies or china made items whereas Kinokuniya and Cziplee shops sell high quality imported items from Japan, UK or USA.

Cheapest Place to buy souvenirs to Tokyo...

Dedicated to all my co travellers and others visiting Tokyo....... this blog of mine is where to find the cheapest souvenirs..... (as per research......)



Don Quixote
Another "everything store", but decidedly downmarket from Tokyu Hands and Loft, at Don Quixote it’s pile ’em high, sell ’em cheap taken to the extreme. The aisles and shelves are cluttered, disorganized and disorientating, but you’ll find everything from snacks to washing machines. There’s even a curtained off “adults only” section for naughtier tastes!
Address: 1-16-5 Kabuki-cho, Shinjuku-ku
Telephone: (03)5291-9211
Website: www.donki.com

A note to everyone......

Subject: FRIENDS

... TODAY IS THE OLDEST YOU'VE EVER BEEN, YET THE YOUNGEST YOU'LL EVER BE, SO ENJOY THIS DAY WHILE IT LASTS.

~Your Kids are becoming you......but your grandchildren are Perfect!

~Going Out is good.. Coming Home is better!

~You Forget names .... But it's OK because other people forgot they even knew you!!!

~You realize you're never going to be really good at anything ....especially Golf.

~The things you used to care to do, you no longer care to do, but you
really do care that you don't care to do them anymore.

~You sleep better on a lounge chair with the TV blaring than in bed.
It's Called "pre-sleep".

~You miss the days when everything worked with just an "ON" and "OFF" Switch..

~You tend to use more 4 letter words ... "what?"..."when?"... ???

~Now that you can afford expensive jewelry, it's not safe to wear it anywhere.

~You notice everything they sell in stores is "sleeveless"?!!!

~What used to be freckles are now liver spots.

~Everybody Whispers.

~You have 3 sizes of clothes in your closet .... 2 of which you will
never wear.

~~~But Old is good in some things: Old songs, Old movies, and best of
all, OLD FRIENDS!!

Tokyo Dome...

Since we are going to be staying at the Tokyo Dome hotel, I decided to research about the surrounding areas as well... Naturally on a holiday, I intend to sleep as little as I can .. You will find me knocked out flat for several hours when I am finally home ... LOL

So here goes.....

According to wikipedia....
Tokyo Dome (東京ドーム Tōkyō Dōmu) is a 55,000-seat (actual capacity of 42,000) baseball stadium located in Bunkyo Ward of Tokyo, Japan. The stadium opened for business on March 17, 1988. It was built on the site of the Velodrome which was next door to the site of the predecessor ballpark, Kōrakuen Stadium. Like Kōrakuen, the Dome hosts the Toei Superheroes live shows of the year.
Tokyo Dome's original nickname was "The Big Egg", with some calling it the "Tokyo Big Egg". Its dome-shaped roof is an air-supported structure, a flexible membrane held up by slightly pressurizing the inside of the stadium.
It is the home field of the Yomiuri Giants baseball team, and has also hosted basketball, American football and association football games, as well as puroresu (pro-wrestling) matches, mixed martial arts events, kickboxing events, monster truck races, and music concerts. It is also the location of the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame which chronicles the history of baseball in Japan.
Under the ground rules set up by the dome, any ball that which hits or is trapped by the hanging items in outfield area's roof will be ruled as home runs. Hitting any other part of the roof will be considered as in-play. In addition, prize money will be given out if any home run hits the advertisement boards in the scoreboard

and on the 'city' itself...Tokyo Dome City (formerly known as Big Egg City prior to January 1, 2000) is an entertainment complex in Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan.
It includes the world's largest roofed baseball stadium known as Tokyo Dome (nicknamed "Big Egg"), an amusement park known as Tokyo Dome City Attractions (formerly Kōrakuen Yūenchi), and Korakuen Hall. In May 2003, a spa resort known as LaQua opened for business near Tokyo Dome City Attractions. It also hosts character shows for the Super Sentai series.
The Tokyo Dome City contains the Tokyo Dome Hotel, a 43-story hotel that is easily visible from the street and from the Tokyo Subway Suidobashi Station, which is only two blocks away.

Seriously I think it is a cool place and I can't wait to be there..... yeee haaaah......
For more info on it, check out their own official website...
http://www.tokyo-dome.co.jp/e/

the story so far.... the Glamorous Imperial Concubine

At point of posting, am watching until ... EPISODE 34

Lian Cheng dies. He thinks he has such a wretched life. Ridden with guilt over what he did, for whatever reason. Forums said in the book he did it because he wanted Fuya to have nowhere to go to but him. Now that is stupid. I like this series' no reason being a reason better. Fuya overheard his conversation with Lian Xi and she knew that weirdo is his brother. She knew he had something to do with the poisons. She was already weak as she fainted earlier and she was pregnant. Lian Cheng was overcome with grief to know that the woman he loves is carrying another man's child and he laughed and yet cried as he said "I am going to be a father..." and Lian Xi looked at him and knew something was not right and he knew as he said "Why do you insist on loving a woman who is carrying another man's child? Her heart is not with you brother! WAKE UP!" but he knew Lian Cheng was beyond help and he said "I am very disappointed in you brother.. you have neglected your kingdom all for a woman who doesn't even love you..why are you so foolish?! I don't care about you any more!" and he walked away. You know, I do like Lian Xi now. At least his head is clear. Lian Cheng rushed to the small space where he was trying to make the plum blossom bloom when he heard someone walking at him and he knew it was Fuya as Fuya pointed a sword at him, crying and asked "You knew those poisons? You poisoned by father, destroyed my country? Why did you do that and yet be so nice to me? WHY?!" and Lian Cheng said without looking back as he put more coal into the heater thing as he said "Wait a while, just a while" and she actually waited!! Cool! And then he looked at her and he said "Yes, I killed your father" and Fuya was so angry she cried "Why? WHY?!" and she lunged at him and he avoided her and then grabbed her from behind as she cried hysterically "Why? WHY?! You promised me, if I hate you, I can kill you, why did you avoid my sword!! Why? Why my country? Why me? WHY?!?!" as she slapped him repeatedly and screamed "WHY? TELL ME WHY?! TELL ME!! WHY WON'T YOU SPEAK? WHY?! EXPLAIN! EXPLAIN TO ME!!!" but he didn't move, he let her slap him and then he said "I was wrong! I did you wrong!" and he grabbed her hand, gave her his amulet and urgently said "Take this and leave Northern Han. Without this, you can't leave" and he took the tip of the sword, placed it near his heart and said "Now, I can die in peace. Kill me. Avenge your father's death. Do it!" as he stood there, spread his arms out and closed his eyes and Fuya cried hard and then she actually wanted to stab him but her 2 maids rushed in and stopped her and then she fainted or something.


From thereon Fuya planned only for Qiyou to escape. Lian Cheng left the palace, went to the river and as he ate the persimmon dessert tears fell from his eyes as he thought "You're a liar Ma Fuya. You said if I am sad eating persimmon dessert will make me happy. You are a liar!" and he still ate, cried silently with Lian Xi standing there, looking at his brother, at lost on what he should do.

Meanwhile remember from last episode Fuya helped tricked Qiyou into sleeping with Lian Si? They did, and in the morning he said to her he will never love her and stupid woman said the same thing Xiangyun probably could never say to Lian Cheng; "It's ok. I don't mind" but she does and the difference between Lian Cheng and Qiyou is Qiyou is a responsible man to the woman he had done wrong so he will be responsible although at that moment he was so angry he told her to get lost.

Xiangyun knew Fuya is pregnant, right after Lian Cheng and Fuya confrontation, he was walking out, stoned and she saw him and stopped him and gladly said "I heard Imperial Concubine Di is pregnant. Congratulations your majesty!" but he ignored her, not a slap, not a push, and he just walked past her as if she never exist and she was stunned. I mean being slapped is better than being totally ignored, at least to her anyway.

Cut the long story short. Xiangyun knew Fuya will go see Qiyou, so she asked Empress Dowager to see Qiyou when the Empress Dowager after receiving 10 trunks of gold and jewelry from Empress Dowager Du decided to let Qiyou go. So she went and saw Fuya and Qiyou embracing one another. And so she ordered for their deaths; Qiyou to be poisoned in prison, Fuya to be burnt alive, because they were insulting the harem for doing what they did. Lian Si naturally begged her mom, saying she was pregnant with Qiyou's child (a bit too soon so I suppose it is a lie) whilst Fuya the empress dowager was reluctant to kill because she did save her life. So in the end Fuya begged Xiangyun the minister to help Qiyou to escape because his daughter, Suyao whom he finally knows died with the wish of Qiyou back in Shu and regretted having written the letter about Fuya still alive which started the war. Xiangyun agrees. And here hate Fuya. She never told the poor man about his daughter and now she is using Suyao's sincerity to her to save Qiyou, How despicable!!

Qiyou drank the poison when he heard Fuya was burnt to death. He didn't die. Lian Si escaped with him and he woke up thinking Fuya has died and Lian Si said "There is still meeeeeeeeeeeeee". Yeah right. Fuya was on her way to be executed when Xiangyun as in Ma Xiangyun stopped her and said "Since we were little, I always lost to you even when I am not weaker than you in anyway. Finally, I am winning today!" but Fuya walked past her, stopped and said "But you can never have what I already have..." and Xiangyun knew as Fuya smiled satisfyingly.

Fuya didn't die (like duh!) because her maid (who escaped with Nu a long time ago and now Lian Si's maid) volunteered to take her place. But of course she couldn't stop her since she was knocked out. Empress Dowager agreed to this arrangement since she does like Fuya. And so the poor maid was burning and Lian Cheng heard what happened, rushed in, stopped by guards but pushed forward and tried to save Fuya but knew he was too late and in grief, fainted. Xiangyun saw everytime and smiled but bitterly because she knew Fuya was right. That was a very sad scene actually. Poor man. He woke up, and in sadness he asked quietly to his mother "Where is she buried?" and apparently she was given a grand funeral. That scene of the burnt body toppling over was kinda gory.

 

Anyway he went there, cried as he said "I am the devil! I am the evil one! I deserve to die! Not you. It should have been me! I killed your father, destroyed your country, I even came between you and Meng Qiyou! I deserve death!" and he cried Fuya Fuya and "I should be in hell with you!" when suddenly Fuya appears at the back and said "No you shouldn't" and he saw her, shocked and then crawled to her (literally crawled!!!) and said "Fuya, have you come to avenge your father's death? Good. Take me with you!" and Fuya said "No I will not" and he said bitterly "I see... I suppose I am not even fit to be dragged to hell with you.." as Fuya said "I am not dead" and Lian Cheng finally touched her from leg to hands and he said "How..." and she explained and he said "Another life to be added to my guilt" as Fuya said "Lian Cheng, I do not wish to live in regrets and hatred. Let all the hatred stop here today" and Lian Cheng said "How can I ever atone for my sins after everything..." and Fuya said "Lian Cheng, you can promise me to be a good emperor to your kingdom then, that way you can atone for your sins" and Lian Cheng looked at her and hugged her deeply as she said "Let me go Lian Cheng, please.." and she didn't say it like angrily but rather like it is time for him to let him go in his heart and let bygones be bygones and he reluctantly did and she left and as she walked away he asked "Fuya, tell me the truth, have you ever loved me?" and Fuya just looked at him, and continued to walk away.

 

Lian Cheng went back to the cold palace and his brother was there when he saw the plum flower twig thing actually bloomed and he was so happy that he rushed out before his brother can stop him. How he knew where she went?! Anyway Lian Si and Fuya and Qiyou were reunited the night before, much to Lian Si's shock and in the morning they were in a cart or whatever when Xiangyun (MA) was there with Nu to kill Qiyou when she wanted to kill Fuya and arrowed the cart and then they rushed out, knowing they were ambushed when Xiangyun saw Lian Cheng riding a horse holding that vase with the plum flower and happily cried "Fuya, wait up! I have something for you!" when another arrow nearly hit Fuya and Lian Cheng rushed foward when Xiangyun aimed another one which Nu pushed away and it was in Fuya's direction when Lian Cheng ran in front and he was hit on his back (it was also poison arrowhead) and Fuya shocked cried and held Lian Cheng as he fell and she tearfully said "Why? WHY ARE YOU SO FOOLISH?!?!" and he said his final words as she held him and he let her see the plum flower "I want to show you there can be true love in Northern Han, there can be spring in Northern Han" and Fuya cried "No.. No... Lian Cheng... " as he breathed his final breath as he handed her the vase and said "There can be spring... in Northern Han" and he closed his eyes and DIED!!!!!!!! Fuya cried very hard, Lian Si in shock ran to his body and shook Lian Cheng as she cried "Brother.. what is this?! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!!!" when Xiangyun rushed down and cried "NO! NO!" and Lian Si ran to her and pushed her as she said "YOU! YOU KILLED BROTHER!!" and Xiang Yun pushed her away and screamed "MA FUYA!! I WILL KILL YOU!!!!!!!" but Qiyou pushed her away and she fell down as she cried "Do you know how many years it took me to be his wife? How long I had to wait to gain his love and you, you MA FUYA just waltzed in and took his heart away!" and Fuya cried "I never intended to do that" and she retorted "And yet you did, without any effort and now me... I am left with nothing! You have destroyed all my chances, you have destroyed my everything!!" and Fuya angrily cried "Even without me, Lian Cheng will never love you! Because you were never sincere in everything you do! You could never have gained his trust because of your personality. You destroyed your own chances, not me! You do not know how to love! How can you expect Lian Cheng to ever love you when all you ever did was lie, trick, deceive him?!" which is true. Queen of Retorts!! Xiangyun in her heart knew Fuya was right. Lian Cheng never trusted her because from day 1 she was lying manipulative bitch. She rushed to Fuya, pushed her away and grabbed Lian Cheng and tenderly touched his face as she cried "No, it's not true. I know how to love and I love you, I have always loved you. Finally..." as she held him close to her; "I could embrace you when I never could.. I will not let you be alone .. I will accompany you...Lian Cheng..." and she pushed the arrow into herself and as she embraced him she died in his arms and Fuya by this time was probably too stunned to react hysterically. Fuya was beside herself in grief as she picked up the plum flower and Qiyou said "We must leave" when she begged "Let me bury them" as Nu said "The people who will bury them is coming soon. Go, go now if not there's no chance!" and Qiyou had to drag her away as Lian Si followed and Nu and Xiangyun's maid ran away and Lian Xi arrived with the ministers all in shock and cried "YOUR MAJESTY!!! YOUR MAJESTY!!!" and Lian Xi looked at his brother's lifeless body and I suppose he shall want revenge. I will too.

Anyway Fuya buried the plum flower and Lian Si cried "Brother, your death was meaningless!! You didn't have to die! I can't even bury you! I can only pay respect to you here!" and she pushed Fuya away and she asked some very valid questions; "Why did you treat my brother that way? You have a good man who was crazy about you but you denied him your heart! You could have made him very happy if you just accepted your destiny but now look what you have caused!! How can you do that to my brother?!" and Qiyou couldn't say anything, Fuya was crying because she knew Lian Si was sorta right except Lian Si didn't know the thing about what happened in Chu, but even without that, Fuya never loved Lian Cheng.

 

At point of posting, am watching until ... EPISODE 32

We are told Lian Cheng actually conspired with Fuya's uncle (he suggested the idea in fact) to drug the father and usurp the throne! Even Xiangyun knows since her father told her. Never knew they had such good relationship. So Xiangyun has leverage against Lian Cheng, threatening him and all. And Lian Cheng feels guilty and all. But before that Xiangyun stupidly orders Nu to poison Qiyou, to drive a wedge between then. Plot failed as poor soldier ate the buns first and died laughing. Fuya refused to believe it was Lian Cheng even when Lian Si who blamed Lian Cheng confronted Liang Cheng and he was upset when he told his sister "Am I that despicable in your eyes?" but Lian Si begged "Brother, let him go. As long as he is here, Concubine Di's heart will never turn to you and his heart will never forget her, neither of us will ever have a chance" and Lian Cheng said "Sister, you will never be happy even if you marry Meng Qiyou" and Lian Si said "But you insisted on Concubine Di too..." and she huffily left as she warned him not to poison Qiyou anymore. Here my sister said a great joke; People keep poisoning other people, Fuya keeps treating them. And I said well, more people poisoning and only one Fuya to treat them. I thought that was very funny, Anyway Fuya walked to Lian Cheng and said "I believe you" and Lian Cheng said to Fuya "How come you're so convinced it wasn't me?" and Fuya said "Because you treat me the best in this world, you will never do anything to hurt me" and Lian Cheng was very upset and sorta first time raised his voice as he said "Don't be fooled by how well I treat you. I may be the one who will hurt you the most!" and he walked away and Fuya looked... no surprise or anything. She looked stoned. Anyway with her maids, I do think she believes it wasn't Lian Cheng because he is not that sort to use such despicable means (she really thinks very highly of him) "but he can't protect Qiyou anymore..." and they had to rescue Qiyou and maid suggested "Empress Dowager? After all you saved her life".

Recap on that. I thought the empress dowager died but she just fainted when Fuya calmly walked in and the other Xiangyun ordered her to be arrested and executed much to the joy of the evil Xiangyun when Fuya calmly said "If you want her to die then kill me" and she said she can cure the empress dowager but requires 7 days and 7 nights where she can't sleep and Fuya volunteered and in the end even the empress dowager began to waver in her resolve to hate Fuya. Fuya wanted to take her gloves on and empress dowager forbade her but she had to to do something, removed the gloves and to her shock she said "How come your hands is covered with scars?" and we found out when Lian Cheng was little with his epileptic attacks, he would bite on her hands until they bled and she let him so that he won't bit his tongue. Fuya said "Does he know?" and she said "I don't want him to feel sad..." and Fuya promptly told Lian Cheng who basically said "She would have used that as an excuse to control me and yet she didn't...how come I don't remember?" and Fuya said "Because you were too young, moreover you misunderstood my meaning. She didn't tell you because she doesn't want you to worry. Lian Cheng, your mother loves you very much" and Lian Cheng said "Impossible. You don't know my mother. She controls my life, she doesn't love me..." but in his heart he knows the truth. Here reminds me the conversation Fuya had with Qiyou I believe an episode ago when she gave him the fur coat made by his mom and these 2 guys' reaction is the same towards their mother. Qiyou and Lian Cheng are actually very much alike, they would have been very best friends if not for Fuya. Lian Cheng walked to his mom, as she slept he removed her gloves and saw her scars as she silently cried. I can't remember what they said to one another but this is sort of like reconciliation. Later Fuya bumped into Lian Xi!! They recognised each other and he said "So you're the imperial concubine Di?" and questioned her on how she got the antidote for Qiyou's poison and she angrily said "Find out yourself!!" when Lian Cheng came and fought Lian Xi off. Do remember she doesn't know Lian Cheng knows Lian Xi. Fuya was worried for Lian Cheng, thinking did Lian Xi poisoned him, etc. I think it was genuine concern. Later that night Lian Xi I think asked Lian Cheng why didn't he just kill off Qiyou or something like that. Lian Cheng said "I believe you could have killed my mother many times if you wanted to, but you didn't. Why? Same reason why I can't kill Meng Qiyou. Because you didn't want me to feel sad, the same way I didn't want Fuya to feel sad"

Poor Lian Cheng.

Anyway back to rescue plan, empress dowager is not an option because in the end she would be loyal to her son, empress is out of the question and so that leaves Lian Si. Lian Si agrees on one condition; she wants Qiyou to feel bound to her for the rest of his life. Which means SEX. I tell you, a prisoner has more SEX than poor Lian Cheng. So Fuya promises to give her that. And I was shouting "LIAN SI!! DON'T BELIEVE FUYA!!" Why? Because Fuya makes promises but she never keeps her promise. Look at minister Xiangyun, still didn't know his daughter is dead, she promised to marry Lian Cheng and yet went to sleep with another man and now she promises Lian Si. I hope she keeps her promise. I sorta like Lian Si. She is forthright even if she is annoying. But Fuya is downright evil I tell you. Why? She is now making decisions for Qiyou!! Did she consult Qiyou? NOPE! So poor Qiyou, again will be duped when Fuya walked in one night in red and said "You promised me a wedding" and Qiyou agreed and we will have to watch on to know what did she do next. Probably drug him. Fuya, the most evil person in this series!!

Back to Lian Cheng and the bombshell. Nu used what he know to his advantage and went to Lian Cheng and revealed it was empress who ordered the poison and so Lian Cheng made him a general. What a dog that Nu is. Lian Cheng rushed to the empress, Xiangyun was busy being happy at the idea of Fuya hating Lian Cheng when Lian Cheng walked in, pushed the maid away and basically slapped her. He said "You think I wouldn't know it was you who ordered Meng Qiyou to be poisoned? You think you can succeed?" and she laughed as he strangled her "I know I am successful! Ma Fuya will hate you! But I also know your biggest secret, my father told me a few days ago how you helped him to poison Ma Fuya's father! What if she knows? Do you think she will ever stay happily with you, ever?" as she bitterly cried and laughed and Lian Cheng was strangling her even more when his eunuch said "Empress!!! Please understand his majesty! He doesn't have any relationship with Imperial Concubine Di!" and Lian Cheng shouted "SHUT UP!!" and he suddenly quite scarily touched Fuya's face rather gently and as he cried (tears were sliding down his cheek-I suppose tears of frustration that he can do nothing to Xiangyun, I mean she is still empress!) "You think you can threaten me? You think I am afraid of you? Fine. Tell her. I dare you..." and he left. Xiangyun cried as the maid said "Empress, your tactic is too dangerous. There wouldn't be any room left for reconciliation with what you said" and Xiangyun said "I am beyond caring any more. I am capable of more destruction. Didn't you hear what that eunuch said? They may be married but they're not in a relationship. Now I know what I must do now. I don't care anymore. I now just want one fact; if I can't have him, no one can"

Which is why I can never pity Xiangyun. She deserves all the slaps and kicks Lian Cheng dished out on her. And I feel she is such an ugly woman. And the actress was terrible and the dubbing was as ugly.

But now Lian Cheng. All these revelations, I know shocking eh? You know what is more shocking? Remember at the very start he has ZERO interest in the throne? So why was he so ambitious to

1. usurp Chu's power by helping the uncle to get the throne
2. got spies in Shu to usurp Shu

WHEN he doesn't even want to be Emperor of Northern Han? I read some translated articles about how screwed up Lian Cheng is, yes I know but it doesn't explain for someone so not interested in the throne to be so ambitious as to plan all these usurpation. So what if he is plainly ambitious and destroy for destroy sake? Ok I understand but he surely would have known killing Fuya's father won't help him to get Fuya since Fuya will be exiled princess and he surely can't marry an exiled princess? I don't get this part. I find it so silly, for such a bombshell to exist, mainly to give Fuya an excuse to hate Lian Cheng, for Lian Cheng to feel guilty enough to Fuya and for us viewers to hate Lian Cheng. Strangely, I don't hate Lian Cheng because I thought the bombshell was just sensational only. I don't hate Qiyou. It is everybody else I hate, right now Fuya because she makes decision affecting other people's life for the rest of their lives and she did it without regrets. And she just effectively put a wedge between Lian Cheng and Lian Si. Way to go Fuya!

Funny thing is, if she had married Lian Cheng and stayed, now she would have the empress dowager's respect and love since she saved her life and brought her son back to her! In Shu, the empress grudgingly respect her but still hate her in her own way. In Chu, if she got the empress dowager's trust, she is basically set for life, since Lian Cheng feels she can do no wrong. I do believe she would be more peaceful and happier in Chu, rather than be with an out of favour Shu prince, who even as emperor will have his hands tied thanks to his more powerful mother and other siblings.

(from point 2 entertainment....)