tamaya, I think the director purposely arranged so, filming technique. I wonder what he was laughing about. Hope he is actually filming at that moment because that means something happy for Chi Yat Bo.



Hope they will end up together happily no matter how. I hope it's better than SITS but ending like SITS is better than them not ending up together.

I'm starting to watch TGC2 although I still can't get over SITS. Anyway, will write my thoughts on it on another day because of the time constraint now.

I think he was laughing because he finally caught sight of Tavia, that is, before he saw Michael with her.

I have just watched it on Youtube, not sure if it is posted here Steven from Super Trio Show in 2002 with Moses and Ada. I dun understand Chinese but it's so funny that Steven had to carry Mimi Chu He looks really young at that time

I have only watched 2 episodes of TGC2 so far, maybe it's too early for me to comment but let me jot down things first and see whether my view will change later when I'm in later episodes.

I have not watched TGC1 so I don't know how it is. But somehow, I feel disappointed with the script... or is it the style of filming? Other than Steven and Wayne and Ha Yu (Steven's mom is quite okay too), the others are like playing around instead of acting. Am I seeing them joking around with friends at home, or are they actually acting? Yeah, it is fine that they exaggerated, but like I always say, exaggerate with style please. Even though it's an exaggerated comedy series, it does not mean what you do is merely move your face as ridiculously as possible. You are a CHARACTER, be an exaggerated CHARACTER, not an exaggerated facial expression.

Okay, enough about my ranting. I hope I don't scare you guys. So far, I sorta prefer Steven's acting in BH than in TGC2, and it probably has to do with his costars not giving enough connection to bring an overall absorbing atmosphere. I'm confused at Steven's character at the moment. At one moment, he seems like a smart playful man who is not only talented but also holds a great value. Another moment, he seems like a useless spoilt rice eater of the family. Perhaps it's due to my bias that I am often more convinced that he is the former. It also doesn't register to me why he, admitting that he has studied a lot of books, failed to know the basic things about rice. He can remember what his father said by first hearing, able to interpret what Wayne said when others can't, how on earth would he never coming across his father mentioning about the 5 basic in his entire life when they are living under the same roof? Perhaps, it is the script problem.

One thing is, Steven looks extremely cute in the series. His charming charisma is still hard to ignore, especially when he wore the official clothes. And he was so real when he pretended to be a ghost and scared them. Although I wonder, how did he keep that much water in his mouth? Am I supposed not to use my brain in order to enjoy this series?

If it wasn't for Steven (and Wayne) whose enjoyable acting made up for the parts, I doubt I would continue with this series.

Yes, i am also from KL. You can ask Victoria Music first and if they can't get it, i'll try to burn one for you. Don't worry about paying me the cd.

To all Tavia fans: Tavia was in KL for the Astro TV Presentation Award. She looks great and she won an award for "My Favourite Character" in Dicey Business/Gambling

Welcome S-Squash, so glad to have you dropped by.
Yes, I've watched that supertrio game show, poor Steven got bullied to carry Mimi. What a trooper!





What can I say, after one has consumed an intense, full course of bursting flavors that not only linger on one's palate, but indelibly lodged in one's taste buds' memory, other dishes would sure to pale in comparison. Especially when the most important ingredient Tavia is missing from the whole recipe. Like a leftover, TGC 2 does not have the oomph to satisfy your now 'spoilt' palate, so I suggest for now, you might as well shelf that show for later viewing. Like you, I was also super annoyed by the 5 stooges' slapstick antics for I dislike beyond stupid & contrived acting. That being said, during my TCG 2 viewing I was in a more indulgent mood than you are now, wanting only to sit back and enjoy a new Steven series. The 1st quarter of TGC2 is meant for brained damaged enjoyment, until it picks up intensity. The good thing about this series is that it builds and builds in intensity and suspense to finally reach a crescendo, exploding very satisfyingly into a climax. Although the ending was iffy for me.

edit:
Btw, Steven has updated his blog.
Behind the scenes of Old Friend Dog Dog.
老友狗狗<原名"好狗出更">花絮
Guess Dogs on the beat has now been changed to Old Friend Dog Dog (transliteration)

Steven has posted some pix from that series, and not to mince words, he looked terribly "uglified". One could almost hear the groans and mourns wafting from his blog readers upon seeing those pix; including myself. lol! I've to say Steven is one 'idol/ming sing' who is not afraid or hesitant to post candid but 'ugly' pictures of himself, (not only this new batch of 'ugly' pictures, but some of his pictures in his yahoo blog are, shall I say, did not do justice to his looks.) or maybe he just couldn't care less about perceptual beauty. Guess he is who he is, ugly or good looking.




http://hk.myblog.yahoo.com/stevenma_blog

3:13 min full-version Sits themesong

I've read about Steven having a sina blog besides yahoo's and tvb's but have never visited it out until now; boy, was I surprised by the # of hits, and though the responses were not as many as in his yahoo, the amt is impressive. For instance, his "Strange" Kei Guai entry received 79,531 hits over a 8-day period. Skimming the supportive responses, Steven is really well loved by his online fans. Some posters complaints Steven's yahoo blog was too jammed packed with responses so she staked out at this blog instead, but I guess other posters also had the same idea too, based on the amt of responses. However, I'm not even sure if Steven reads those messages on his sina blog & tvb blog at all unlike those on his yahoo's.

Steven is online in Yahoo blog. Just posted his 16 year old pix. haha! Cute!

Just saw the blog entry. Look at those large glasses. Very cute!



Hi Akazukin, I just finished watching TGC2, and I think maybe it helped that I watched Steps before coming to this because it's very very different to SITS in every way. I don't usually like slapstick comedy very much, but I have to say that I didn't find TGC2 to be annoying or ridiculous. In the end, I actually really enjoyed it. I do admit that in the beginning, I felt it strange for them to have 5 effeminate buffoons as guards. I thought they were supposed to be gay at first! But then later you realise they're not gay at all. Personally I think they could have brought that fact across (the fact that the 5 guards are dumb) in so many other ways, instead of making them sashay around in that weird, effeminate way in the first episode.

With regards to his ignorance about the basics -- I remember him saying somewhere that he has been away from home since young, to study. (And that's why Chan Sai Mui didn't know who he was when she arrested him for "stealing".) I just took that to mean that he didn't know the folk stories or local wisdom, because he only learnt the classics, etc -- I'm not too conversant with what the imperial examination required, but I suppose that he only knew whatever the scholars used to study in the old days! Plus, he's a young upstart who's inexperienced and sometimes gets ahead of himself, so I understand why he's portrayed this way.



I watched the series with no expectations whatsoever (I admit I was only interested in watching Steven and Wayne together), so I think that helped. I was bowled over with their performances in this series! Wayne was especially good, and Steven is, as you say, very charming!

The water-in-the-mouth issue.... I think you need to switch off your brain at the moment. I promise you that things do improve in the following episodes, so don't give up!

I read in other threads about ppl disliking Yumiko Cheng in her role. I don't think she's bad per se, she does come across as slightly less than convincing in some parts (like you could see through her facial expression that she had dropped out of character for a split second or so in a couple of scenes), but it's also said that she was a newbie at the time. I think she did pretty okay considering this is her first leading role. Her acting was supposed to be over-the-top, and I think she did well in this respect.

tamaya, honeydaisy, I am full aware that TGC2 is a different genre before I start watching it, so I don't have it in my heart to compare the two series at all. In fact, it is good to watch another altogether different genre after that intense heartbreak in SITS. I also know that Tavia is not in it before I start watching, so it's not really the reason why I'm disappointed at some aspects of the series. I watch this series for Steven. Of course, I would perhaps enjoy the series more if Tavia is there, but it would just be exactly the same as I would perhaps enjoy SITS more if Wayne is there. Tavia doesn't always guarantee that I will like the series, even though I will finish it because of her. An example of Tavia's series I didn't really enjoy is The Prince Shadow. Likewise, I'm capable of enjoying series without Tavia given that the script and acting are good.

I guess my disappointment comes because unlike honeydaisy who has no expectation for the series before watching the series, I have some because the preview looked quite good to me. So I had some expectations for the series.

I am in a rather relaxed mood watching TGC2 as I watch it with my family who have split opinions about the series, one liking it and another disliking it. Like I say, I'm not giving up this series because of Steven and Wayne. And like you guys said, I find it gets better after a few episodes. Some of the script started to become more witty (I especially like how the official of the next town commented how come Steven didn't cry even though his dad commited suicide and his mother coughed out blood), though some artistes can improve on their acting.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who found the 5 guards' acting as stupid. I wish they can act more like Wong He's group of friends in A Tough Side of A Lady, who although behaved very crazily, are like a lively characters rather than people playing around on the set. And I thought Johnson Lee is quite an okay actor. He kinda disappointed me in this one. The idea of having 5 non-evil stupid guards who only have greed for money is an okay idea. I just didn't like how they tackled it.

As for Yumiko, I am aware she is a newbie so I have no high expectations for her. I have only seen her in the Beautiful Cooking programme with Tavia and Ella Koon before. And she seems to be quite an okay person. I don't find her annoying in this series as I would with Myolie's acting. But I do have some sympathy for the guy that will marry this character. She convinced me that she meant well for her actions though, which is why I don't find her annoying. There are quite a number of actresses who aren't able to do so to me. I believe they picked Yumiko Cheng because she is a singer (just like Niki Chow in TGC1)? However, if they want to pick a singer background for this character, I'm thinking that Ella may have done better because that girl has a natural talent for comedy. Yumiko has a lot of rooms for improvement to have the right amount of emotion on her facial expression when she is being over-the-top. I always think, an over-the-top action needs an over-the-top emotion to support it. But it's okay since it's her first try.



Good point, I didn't think of that. Didn't really remember he has stayed away so long from home until you mentioned that, although I believe with his brain, he would have no problem doing a little bit study on that before he officially becomes the agriculture official, especially since he seems hardworking enough when it comes to cases.

Steven's and Wayne's chemistry rock! It's those scenes when they were together that get me most absorbed.

tamaya, I think I'm getting used to his curly hair. He doesn't look that bad, although he still looks much better with straight hair. LOL. He also put a pic of him when he was young. Compared to his younger days, I reckon he has gained a lot of manly charms now, don't you think? I guess that comes from both dressing up and confidence.

Title: Strange! 奇怪！
Date: 2009-02-16 03:23

It’s very tiring to be a person, very tiring!
Clearly not wrong, yet have to suffer!
Clearly right, yet have to endure? Strange.
Fine, will treat it as erudition acquired from Teacher Tang’s book,
Or perhaps such is life!
Don’t misunderstand, I’m not depressed; on the contrary, it’s anger!
Mmm! Anger? What use is it?
*I saw the wrong that I knew was right. The more wrong it is, the more right it should be!
This should be the law.
No black, no white! No yin, no yang! These, sided the dividing line, balancing the dividing line from both sides!
Vex! (Fan煩) Teacher’s advice; what I can do, how many of them can be mentioned in the same breath?
Vex! Just that – fan! (Fan, jiu shi fan! 煩，就是煩！)

* The meaning of this sentence baffles me, not sure if I translated its meaning correctly.


Title: As a Youth!
Date: 2009-02-23 13:36

Brothers and sisters, hou ba! Here's a contrast!
I, as a 16 year-old, not too bad, eh?
Shuai enough, tender enough ba? haha!

I guess after reading his aghast fans' candid remarks on his "Dogs" image, he posted the pix below.



To relate to his 16 year-old youth image, I translated the below essay from his book.

Insist on Calling it Angst 强说愁
I have just recently bought a complete record player hi-fi set and have it installed in my bedroom. I have even got hold of a copy of Feima’s (Fat Mama, Maria Cordero) old record album, with the intention of listening to it while I work on my manuscript. With eyes closed, I listen to the songs while mulling over possible subject materials. Suddenly wafted the opening tune of a very familiar old song. Oh yeah, it is called “Perhaps not fated”. It was a song I listened often to when I was a 9th grader selling ice-cream. At that time, I worked in an ice-cream parlor in Causeway Bay from six pm to midnight daily. Every night, I would play this song not just once, but repeatedly.

“也许无缘流泪在眼前没说半句话别早已飘远” My ice-cream parlor’s co-workers asked me why I loved this song so. I said I love its melancholy, that sense of helplessness. As my co-workers were much older than me, they chuckled and said, “Only a 9th grader student, what do you know of sorrows? Or of hardship? Haha!”

So true, now that I think back. I of yesteryear truly had nothing worth grieving over. Perhaps all youths are like this. Whereas in truth, while ensconced in happiness, but had to go looking for fan nao. (worry) It is like when one’s stomach is constantly full, one does not appreciate its sweetness as much. Conversely, a sprinkle of bitterness adds spice to life. Youths do not comprehend the true meaning of angst. To coin faddish catchword, they insist on calling it ‘angst’. I agree! Actually, youths do have their own brand of angst. It is just that in the adults’ eye, teenage angst does not constitute as real angst. But for me, I think a bit of self-pity wallowing is quite acceptable. However, self –pity and self-depravity should not be mentioned in the same breath. In today’s society, youths like to come up with excuses to justify their permissiveness: brawling, truancy, drug indulgence, or self-degradation for money, even self-destruction. All these behaviors and their so-called angst run counter to each other; totally unacceptable.

Reminiscing on each of my maturity stages, it is not hard to see that they were all fraught with obstacles and challenges. The absent angst from yesteryear has finally found me. No need to search, it has already manifested itself at my door. Although I confront it with an optimistic attitude, but if given a choice I would choose to live the carefree and worry free life of yesteryear. But as people grow up so will worries appear; can’t avoid or hide from them.

At this point of my writing, I replay that song again to evoke the sentiment of my so-call angst, to feel if these two kinds of then and now angst transcending over space and time are in anyway similar.

Steven’s图文并谬 pp 84 – 85
Translator: tamaya

How old then? 16 too?



Contrast1:
scruffy Curlylocks

sad Nip Ji Yuen

happy chi yat bo


latest photo 2009/2/23
reposted from Steven's warm house


contrast2 characters' contrast

Those who have not watched Steven speak Hakka yet! Do asap! lol!



edit blog translation (bolded)

Thanks tamaya for posting another translation of Steven's writing and those pictures.

Steven is quite a melancholy when he was a youngster. He was still very cute in his teenage year, but he has much more confidence shine in his eyes now.

And those three pictures, nice depictions of his versatility when tackling those three different characters. Somehow, even though Chi Yat Bo is smiling very happily, there is this look of innocence in him that makes him look pitiful. This is different from the smile he had with his curly hair, which is more cheeky.



Is this one recent? His hair seems longer than Chi Yat Bo.

I haven't seen the Hakka clip yet, as you said, real life often intrudes. Would want to see it though. Can Steven speaks Chiu Chow since he is a Chiu Chow?

Yeah, real life can be a real bummer. Haha! The said pix was taken last Sunday at some function.
No, he can't speak much Chiu Chow, I don't think. And here's the utube evidence of it (at 4:30 min) when he visited his ancestral hometown somewhere in China sometime ago to perform a mini-concert there.

You mean this Why me, pitiful Chi Yat Bo?


vs this cheeky Hakka boy, Whathisname?

Oh my goodness... I haven't seen the curly hair till now, but my goodness.... it's quite atrocious!!! And it's neither long, nor short, and so matted up like he hasn't combed it in 3 years! Whose idea was it to curl his hair??

And more vids to watch, yay! Tamaya, i look forward to your posts all the time, you always give us such wonderful goodies!

Not sure if these have been embedded anywhere on this thread, but here it is, quite an interesting documentary-style TV show on living in Hong Kong in the 60s and 70s, hosted by Steven.

Part 1:


Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7GZBaJ-Heo
Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZPC6gBsaOM

lol, tamaya, I meant this smiling pitiful innocent Chi Yat Bo

versus this smiling cheeky curly-haired man


But hey, of course your most recent comparison make the best extremes, though I think that curly hair Hakka boy in yellow shirt pic is one of the best pic of curly-haired him. Maybe because it didn't look so curly. LOL, what an irony. Is it just me or he looks Korean in that pic?

Finally saw the clip, LMAO, his Hakka doesn't sound a word like Hakka at first, I couldn't even make out his "ai" (which should be "ngai") as "I" until he later translated that to cantonese. But great that he tried that. I'm sure he would have sounded better with more practice. He sounded better in the end of the clip. And I think he looks a lot better in animated clip rather than still photographs with his curly hair. He tanned himself more for that series, didn't he? He surely looks darker there than in SOL.

I didn't know he doesn't know how to speak Teo Chew. I thought he would be able to converse in Teo Chew since he keeps referring himself as a traditional Teo Chew man. Guessed wrong. But gosh, they are a huge bunch of enthusiastic fans. The narrator commented that Steven has bored the crew with his philosophy and sent them all to sleep. LOL, what's wrong with philosophy? It should be interesting.

honeydaisy, in one of his interview, he mentioned that the Producer wanted him to curl his hair. He initially planned to dye his hair.

Akazukin, Oh I got your drift the 1st time around, I just posted the later pix for emphasis, that's all.
btw, Steven has updated his blog, the topic is 我要表揚的演員 his compliment on an unknown, bit actress for her dedication. It's a lengthy post, pix included.

The gist of it: He is praising an unknown, bit actress who is a tvb managed actress. He first noticed her when filming Steps inside the Hei Yong Yong co. set. Even thought she wasn't in the actual filming, she kept her position as the receptionist throughout the whole lengthy shooting. At first, Steven thought she was just an hourly actress, but found out that she was actually a tvb managed actress. He was impressed by her dedication. Together with Wayne, they persuaded the director to have their characters passed through the reception area to get to their respective office for the last 2 scenes. The latter was happy to oblige.

Then in TGC2, she was one of the villagers, and was always on time for work, and even if she did not have a dialogue part in the scenes, she was committed to her character. And in SOL, although she had no scenes with Steven, one night she especially approached him for advice on a scene of hers. Steven was happy to oblige. Steven says he doesn't know her well, but he appreciates this kind of dedicated people.





Yeah, the nostalgia documentary show was interesting. Other tvb stars have also hosted this show, but I've only watched the segment with Steven's as guest star.

To embed youtube vid, (only one per post is allowed)
for e.g. part1 utube:

use the youtube code tag similar to the spoiler or quote code tag
insert vid id# between the tags. for e.g your part1 vid i# are:kZe8Mafj7bw



Steven fans are a tough bunch. Some of them are correcting Steven's typos. Haha!

tamaya, I'm interested on what's your opinion about this girl.

And about Steven's fans, I read some of their messages. A lot of them have really thoughtful messages on life. It's no wonder that they will pick up his typos. LOL. Steven should be proud to have such fans.

I'm trying to watch the documentary clips but with my slow internet, it's so slow.

Tamaya, i think i have seen this girl acted in many series but usually she played very very small roles. It's good to know that Steven values colleagues who are hard working and appreciates them. Could you translate his latest post in his yahoo blog. Thanks a million.

Btw, Astro in Msia will be showing AJCL in March. Calling all Steven's fans who have not watch this series, must not miss this show.

Strawberry67,
I will translate but it is such a lengthy entry. And I would like to know your opinion on her too. Good news on AJCL. It is a really good series.



"I'm interested on what's your opinion about this girl."


So, what's your opinion of her?

Some of Steven fans are quite literary-inclined too. I enjoy reading their reviews and opinions on Steven's series.
Like this one written by 桔子.我是猫 发表于：09-02-06 04:06
http://www.xici.net/b284854/d84596863.htm

关于《碧血盐枭》结局的一点小感~~
on the last episode in Sits



Her critique on Steven's tears in ep 13
I don't agree with her but respect her view on it.


Steven's blog entry
My Commendation on a Thespian
Date: 2009-02-24 16:46.


p/s I don't remember or recognize her at all.

edit: change of opinion
insert blog entry

Steven's blog replies:
2009-02-24 16:00
The date on the photo showed up Steven’s age in relation to his fans.
Responses such as these:
Wow! I wasn’t even born then!
Wow! I was just 2 (or x) years old then…..

Ha ha, I should have photomosiac (note: erased)the date on the photo…
Regret……ing!
Ai, have to admit to it….. (that old age is catching up with him!)




2009-02-24 16:28
I think in response to such comments as limited screen time & publicity.

Actually, I’m happy now. You all don’t have to worry about me.
What I pursue is improvement, boundaryless improvement.
Maybe you all think I’m being too low profile but I prefer it this way!
Acting is an art, so entails lots of energy and time.
As a non-formally trained actor, I need to put in the extra time and efforts.
I know it, so I enjoy doing it. Don’t worry, you’ll see it! (note: his improvement)
Wait for me! Dang ngo!


2009-02-24 19:28
sorry囉，打錯字！改了！
Sorry lo, mistyped, corrected!

I guess Steven's venture on his own into Mainland China entertainment affected him deeply, giving him the motivational drive to improve his own acting skill. But I think he is his worst critic.

Not following this bit of info ... when did Steven venture into mainland China entertainment?

Also, thanks for the tip on how to embed videos; I will try it!

I have exactly the same thoughts with what you wrote, only that I could not have said it better myself.



I also don't have any recollection of her in Steps or in any series.

I think I missed your initial opinion before your revision.

Time constraint, will read and respond to the rest of your posts later.

My initial reaction upon reading the entry was good for her, and that she must be one smart cookie to have gotten Steven's attention, and left it at that.

But have now replaced "smart cookie" with 'one lucky lady' during my translation process.
Also have replaced 'smartness' with 'clueless' because I didn't see any smartness on her part. She sat there doing nothing? For how long? Why not spent that doing-nothing time to observe the ongoing filming, if not to absorb and learn something, at least to pass the time? Her passiveness and dutiful obedience bothered me...shows lack of initiative. That Steven noticed her is nothing of her doing or smartness, it's more because of who Steven is, an observant and empathetic person, therefore she was very lucky that by doing nothing she got noticed. But she was quick to latch onto Steven's goodwill and kind heart - but it's understandable that she would want to hit the iron while it's still hot.



Read the interview excerpt in spoiler.
Coincidentally, Steven 'left' tvb right at the time when Virginia Lok came into power.

post 398


more details:post 446


Eta: The movie that Steven made in China, "Snake Curse" will premiere next March nationwide in China, after finally passing China film censorship and reviews. But the video is available online. (Mandarin)

Links: availability in baidu tudou is blurry and some have already been deleted. So just pick any.
I watched it here:1st part and part 2

The nightclub scene of the incident came on in approximately 50 minutes into the movie (towards the end of 1s part). Yeah, lots of snake shots, and I hate snakes.

Besides the movie, Steven also guest starred in a Mainland series starring Gallen Lo.

I totally agree with you on this. If she's good in acting, tvb would have given her better roles by now but i don't recall seeing her in any big roles. She's just lucky to be noticed by Steven.

Tamaya, thanks for the detailed info on Steven's mainland "expeditions"! Artists work so hard often for little in return -- financially at least. I suppose that's the price one has to pay for fame and the protection of a talent management corporation like TVB. At least the popular have a squillion fans out there supporting them and appreciating their hard work. The less popular ones unfortunately gets the raw end of the deal.... Quite pitiful really, when you think about it.

I can't help but to find an inconsistency between her first "passive cluelessness" and her second "quick and proactive" approach to ask acting tips from him. In any case, I agree with you that it requires luck and Steven's observant and kind-hearted personality.



First time seeing someone liking the ending more than the beginning. Though I enjoy the screentime and the acting from the last episode, I was rather different from what I first preferred.



Here's my response to the critique: The thing is Ji Yuen was not really crying in front of anyone since he was alone in the temple and Tavia was at the other side of the closed door, unable to see his tears. Moreover, he was thinking that he was at the verge of death, he was sick, so someone at that stage probably wouldn't have the energy nor self-collection to worry about the chinese male pride that "men shouldn't shed tears".

On his venture in China: The outer world is a jungle. Those men who made use of his name to get around paying for rent is horrible but is not uncommon in Asian world (doesn't mean such thing doesn't happen in Western world, just usually less). TVB seems to offer a stable and safe career, just that it plays on favouritism too much recently. Since the change in the management when Ms. Lok joined in, people like Carrie Ma and the actress under her care, Jessica Hsuan (who have vowed loyalty to TVB for so many years) left the firm. Though artistes are often overworked in TVB, they have more stable chances than they can find elsewhere in the filming company. High return, high risk; Low return, low risk.



I'm not quite sure of what he meant by that. Such thing sounds like martial arts more than acting skill to me.

tamaya! I watched BOL, . Can I just say I LOVE his clothes in this series, seriously, he was totally handsome/attractive (not to say he wasn't in the other series). Jaw droppingly gorgeous with his suits, and casualwear.

And I liked the series, I must say that his chemistry in Steps with Bernice was a bit better than this movie. Still cute, but there was just more time/room for banter in Steps than in BOL. Anyways, I need to run, don't worry I am writing up my feelings for Suet/Yuen...still writing since it looks like that thread is building so quickly....hopefully I'll put it up by this weekend!

I love his acting here too, very straightforward, very just. I love his glasses too

Going out on a limb and being very batgwa:
I guess once she got over her initial, newbie passive cluelessness, she was greatly encouraged by Steven's notice of her and therefore quick to take advantage of Steven's approachability and caring nature. What novice wouldn't when the handsome male lead showered such attention on oneself. Thus her quick (though not so quick, it was in Sol that she approached him) and proactive (translating the urge for attention to action?) pretext of wanting to redirect and regain Steven's attention on herself again.



As a Steven fan, I totally can see where she's coming from. She likes the ending because Steven owned the last scene with his outstanding performance. 前面的剧情发展非常之纠结,但最后的结局令人大爱,....... 如果说看前面还觉得不甚入戏,那么看最后一集彻底被俘虏了,被致远的眼神、表情俘虏了。The ending was bs to me, but I love the last 2 scenes because finally I got my belated big dose of Steven's acting. Like I said, the progression of the series distressed me, but the last 2 scenes captivated me. One major reason why our perspectives on the series differ so greatly is because our perspectives departed from two disparate points of view, from a Steven fan's pov and from Tavia fan's pov. You've no idea how very 'painful' it was for Steven fans to watch the whole series from beginning to the end: like how this Suet/Yuen fan wrote: "Do you how very painful my heart was at that moment to watch that scene when you wallowed in drunkenness (你自责、你内疚，你用酒精来麻痹你自己，你知道那个时候我有多心痛嘛，应该说你是自食其果吗？但如果你不是那么正直，也就不必那么痛苦了。) If interested, see spoiler for her lengthy analysis.






High 5! My very reply to her comment.



I thought Jessica Hsuan has renewed her tvb management contract, seeing that she is now filming a TVB new series. (what's its name?)

Yeah, I too was puzzled by Steven's comment on those acrobatic stunts. That's what stuntmen are for. Although his foray into Mainland entertainment on his own has caused a detour/setback on his tvb career, I think the 2-3 year break was very beneficial to him as an artiste and a person. Like he said, (recalling from a news report) all artistes (people too) need to be recharged and inspired with new insights, new sceneries & new knowledge, and to see with one's own eyes how very big the world is and to marvel at its gems and life on earth. I think this was when he was asked what he would do if he had the choice not to work for a few years. He said he wants to travel around the world with his camera and a video camera to document life on earth, and to pen several books based on his insights gathered from his travels.

Yoyo, just saw your post. I love his glasses too

Will dig out some BOL screencaps to highlight a smart bespectacled Steven, so unlike his 16 yr-old self.

pix all reposted from steven's warm house
http://www.xici.net/main.htm?url=/b284854/
screencaps a galore


Can't get over how Steven looks so youthful on screen.

Thanks for those pics tamaya! He looks so attractive in BOL, whoever was his wardrobe creator for that was awesome, he looked good in everything, very shuai!

Those glasses *sigh*, and out of all the shows I've seen him so far (modern), I love this cut the best, not his short cropped close cut, or the pics I've seen of his long hair. Just right!

*breaths* Sorry, Steven overload!

PS, I finally posted in SITS, sorry if it's rambling...

I hear you, Yoyo! Gotta run!

The transcript from the People interview with Anna.

Since the interview was transcribed into Mandarin by steven fan, the transcript is not verbatim, I will only paraphrase and not translate it. But the meaning is no way altered.


Extortion
A: As to your deepest impression of losing your temper, was it that one time when you were doing a stage performance?
S: oh, yes!
A: Can you talk about?
S: Sure, but it wasn’t a stage performance, it’s filming a movie.
A: but it became a stage performance.
S: At that time, it wasn’t plain losing my temper. Actually to protect myself, I transformed into a different person. What happened is that I went to a very remote, mountain town to shoot a movie. My whole contract was just to shoot a movie. Who knew, later one night, something wasn’t proper. That was during the on location shoot of a disco scene. Even during the journey to the disco location, I already sensed that something wasn’t quite right. I did say I’m a very sensitive person. I felt that some of the crew were acting strangely. (gugu guai guai) At that time, a female assistant accompanied me. There’s just us two from HK, the rest were from mainland. When we reached the site, something really fishy was going on. Wah, bat dak liu! Hanging all over the place, fluttering in the winds were red helium balloons and a huge banner, “Welcome Ma Chun Wai to tonight’s performance!” My poster was plastered outside and the ticket cost was 129 yuan.

A: Did you think, yee, just filming a scene had to be this real?

S: But that scene wasn’t about the real me, wasn’t about Ma Chun Wai; but about my character in the movie. When I saw it, I knew instantly that they wanted to extort me. But if I were to leave immediately without getting to the bottom of it, then it would be to my disadvantage. So I got inside for makeup and was getting ready to act the scene, and to speak with the director. The producer came and introduced the DJ to me, ha what? Why do I need to know him? The DJ asked me how to introduce me for my entrance onto the stage. I said: Ha? Why do I need an introduction to get on stage? I’m here to make a movie. Did you make a mistake? He said no. And then the producer pulled up someone supposedly the assistant producer, a big, tall, hefty man. Of course, I knew I was being extorted. But I’ve an obstinate temperament. So you think you would extort me, well then I will fight back. So I sat down and said, “I won’t sing. I’m here to make a movie. You’ve made a mistake!” At first I was polite. I said how can you guys be so ridiculous. Then the producer said, “Please help, just go up there and sing 3 songs.”

Wah! 3 songs! I said, “As artistes, our work by nature has to be accounted for. Our work is tied in with a contract and a fixed price. Also we have management. I can’t do this, sorry!” Seeing my inflexibility, he got another big sized assistant producer. He came, rolled up his sleeves, like readying for a fight. He asked, “Are you going to sing or not?” I lifted up my head. I kept my seat. I refused to sing. No! So what now? Then the director and the crew came over and asked what’s going on? At the same time, I asked my assistant to call up the movie lo ban (boss) to come and resolve this predicament. When he was aggressive, the situation was really dangerous for me. Because I didn’t know if he had co-horts around. After that incident, found out that there were around 10 to 20 of his people in the province. After reporting the incident to the police, some co-workers introduced their local friends to me. I’ve never made a movie with a daily escort of two policemen. But I didn’t care. I’m making a movie you can’t extort me. Subsequently, they changed that assistant producer. And finally managed to finish the movie. Actually in between there were some other problems but they didn’t affect me. It had nothing to do with me.

Now that I think back, wah, I was quite brave then. But that’s just my personality. Yes is yes, no is no. Don’t you try to extort me. If you exhort, I will not take it lying down. I asked him, “So, you want to beat me up? Go ahead! Beat me to death, but I still won’t sing. So that’s how it went. Actually, working in mainland does not pose this kind of problems, this was unusual. All my work there went smoothly with no problems and the people I worked with were all very nice. Except for this one time. The way I see it, is that a big tree has many branches, and occasionally will meet some bad apples.

A: I guess in all your years working, this must be you first time or the only time encountering such an incident. I heard from friends incidents like this not only happened in China but also in Malaysia.

S: I’ve never encountered the same in Malaysia. That was my first and only time.

A: Could it be that you are someone who will yield to soft pleading but not to hard force. Say at that time, it was not this humongous big guy but a petite delicate person like Angel in our Macao filmology. (Anna and Steven had previously collaborated in a short filmology on advertising Macao) There she was pleading with you. Like: Please, all the tickets are already sold out. Would you…?

S: In my position, I couldn’t help because this concerns the nature of my work. It would be against the rules. I had a contract with a management company. My company had a cut in my fees. I couldn’t forfeit your fees. If I privately agreed to perform because of your pitiful display, I would have done something wrong, which is to have betrayed my company. Or worse maybe my company might misunderstand and thought that I had collected your fees. I couldn’t do it. If I were freelance, like you say, and had no company backing, if a big, hefty guy approached me, I would definitely not sing. But if like that ‘pitiful’ girl, maybe I might help you out by singing one song, fine. The situation is resolved. So maybe without management contract I might do it, but probably wouldn’t. Because this concerns principles. (ethics)

A: Actually that situation then was quite dangerous. That big guy and his co-horts. And you, all by yourself alone. Also those people were in covert while you’re in overt.

S. Which is why later….sometimes life is like that. Troubles find you even though you didn’t provoke them.

Thank you Tamaya for the translation. Poor Steven, got "played out" by the producers. But he's a main of principal, No means No.

Just saw on Astro this morning, Steven partner with Linda participated in a game show hosted by Do Do Cheng. The game show is something to do with investment. Dogs on The Beat should be airing in March, Astro have shown the clips.

If I'm not mistaken, she is now filming for TVB on a series per series contract
basis. But she is no longer a TVB managed artiste like before. That's also why you hardly see her in TVB anniversary anymore. When she left, it was not long after Carrie Ma left, Jessica said that she left because she can't take the radical change in the management.


Those 2-3 years were spent to gain experiences and insights that he might not have if he had stayed with TVB during those 2-3 years. When losing something, you also gain something else. That's how life is.

Steven does look very sharp in BOL. Thanks for the screencaps. I think he suits this hairstyle.



Our perspective did depart from two different points of view, as I start watching the series as a Tavia's fan and you start watching as a Steven's fan. Since Steven's fans didn't really enjoy the beginning and how the series progressed, it's only natural that they prefer the ending (which has more Steven) than the beginning, as compared to Tavia's fans who have enjoyed the series since the beginning.

However, I don't think our feelings for the ending differs that greatly. You guys love the last episode because we get to see full scale screentime of Steven showing his acting skill. I love the last episode for that too. And surely, the script has a part in allowing Steven to do that. But somehow, I feel it's still a rather choppy from the rest of the earlier episodes. I guess after all the Suet/Yuen heartbreak, I wanted the ending to have more happy scenes of them to make up for the sore feelings I have in all those episodes. But we are faced with further turbulence in their relationship. In the end, my heart couldn't feel resolved because I feel this dying thirst for their happy scenes.

I guess, I had more expectation for the ending because it is supposed to be a closure so everything should fall down perfectly in place in the end (ideally). The beginning is not happy is okay, because it's where the problem started. It's fine as long as it makes the punch. But I was hoping that the ending will not only make a punch, but also a closure, a resolved feeling, and a happy ending (especially after what Suet Yuen had to go through). Of course not everyone will hope for the same ending as I would.

Given that Hin died in episode 23, chances is that Steven will have more screentime to dominate onscreen however the story swings, whether it's on his relationship with Tavia or on his further personal character development. I was hoping they have more full scale of Stevia in episode 24-25 (personal character development wise and romance wise), but they didn't have much scene in episode 24. And episode 25 storyline feels a bit off to me, perhaps because they did everything within one episode.

The ending is okay, but definitely not the best I have seen from TVB. Let's just say the ending could have been better. But I'm glad that they didn't have the ending like Square Peg's.



I love his strong hold onto principles and ethics. His courage in upholding them is very admirable. But men... can they never be able to escape what maybe a woman's trick? No matter if he/she is being offensive or pitiful, if he/she wanted to trick him into performing in order to get around paying rent and earn from the concert tickets, he/she is clearly unconscionably taking advantage of him. Such action, no matter how wallpapered, does not deserve to have him to sing for them. The thing is, if he sang one song for the 'pitiful' girl, he is not helping her, he is letting her taking advantage of him. If he wants to sing, the only reason he should sing is for the audiences that have bought their tickets with real money.

Haha that is so funny. A woman's guiles are a man's downfall ... seen this happen many times in history, right? But I like to think that just goes to show what a gentleman he is!

Ehh.... sorry to say... Steven does look like a gentleman (from onscreen and offscreen impression of how he usually behaves), but I don't think being soft on an unconscionable 'pitiful' girl is a gentleman's act because brawny men of no brainer often fell for the trick too (as we seen in history, TV series, or everyday life). That's just a weakness of men. If he doesn't fall for it, it won't make him less gentleman in my eyes. It will actually make me respect him more being able to see through the skin and differentiate black from white.

I am currently up to episode 12 in TGC2, and I have to say, in the series, I wish Steven would marry Wayne instead. I mean, the two of them are like soulmates. They have so much chemistry with each other. When they look at each other, it just feels like they understand each other. And after all, won't Wayne's character be a good wife candidate if he were a female? He can pass as the most important person in Steven's character's life. Respect, understanding, support, care, friendship, they have it all, now if only he were a girl...

Your post made me laugh aloud. If I were drinking coffee I would be spurting coffee all over my keyboard.
The drawing below is for you!


eta: Remember how you pooh-pooh the 'gayness' between them? Now you actually want them married. What a switcheroo. Haha! Honestly, the chemistry between them was so palpable! And it only gets better and more intense. I just love how Wong Sheung tricked (pig eats the tiger "ban chu sek lo fu")the perpetrator in Ep 7 stage show to solve the case. A heads up for you - epi 18 is, like one GC2 fan called it, the Holy mother of all episodes!

Strawberry67


Thanks for the news, Strawberry67:
That’s good news for sure. But it means no Sits broadcast in HK then.



Btw, Steven’s blog photo of himself as a16-years-old got onto a popular Chinese online news ent163网易. Guess it must be deemed news ‘worthy’ enough to get a spot on it. Haha!
http://ent.163.com/09/0225/15/530R7JHE00031H2L.html




Oh I didn't know that. I mistook the ‘contract’ in her blog message explaining her absence from the 2009 tvb calendar photoshoot to mean tvb management contract. Ok, thanks!

Steven does look very sharp in BOL. Thanks for the screencaps. I think he suits this hairstyle.
I think generally western suits tend to look better on Caucasian males than on their Chinese counterparts. The suit just doesn’t seem to hang as well on Steven, maybe because of his slim frame? He looks best in a Chinese high collar jacket.


although he did look good in this:


While I’m at it, there’s a slight resemblance to Leon Lai – maybe his posture.




Haha! I knew you would bite…
Please ease your mind on what appears to be Steven’s chauvinistic double standard. I’ve heard how Steven said it. It’s all in the tone, like how one sometimes double talk just to be polite, like apparently conceding a point but not really? Listening to him, I got that very impression that he was doing just that, “like yeah maybe but really wouldn’t BECAUSE”. This being a live radio interview eliciting spontaneous, unrehearsed response from him, he had to be careful with his spoken words. They had just finished talking at length an incident that involved Angel. That might have tempered his answer somewhat. That perhaps he would at least consider relenting to a soft touch plea over a hard knock demand was as I see it just a polite concession that was instantly discarded in the same breath when he ended his statement with “ but basically, I won’t because it affects my principles/ethics. So I really don't think Steven would give in to a more feminine plea or to womanly guiles if his principles are so compromised. 我或者会，但是基本上都不会，因为这是我 原则的问题。




Yes, yes, yes to all that you have written.

But know this, Steven fans and Tavia fans not only departed from different pov origins but also traveled different journeys to the same destination. Whereas Tavia fans’ journey was taken inside a luxurious Orient Express, whereby throughout the ride they wined and dined in a resplendent setting, passing through beautiful and interesting sites and sceneries, and accompanied with two good-looking, superior males to boot. But for Steven fans, their journey was more was like taken in a pioneer caravan traveling over wide stretches of barren and dangerous landscape; food and water were scarce as well as uplifting and beautiful sceneries, not to mention traveling discomfort and the occasional panic and anguish attacks.

So the mindsets of these two kinds of travelers naturally were different, to say the least, when they finally arrived at the same destination. So, replete with the goodness of life during their pampered journey, Tavia fans found the offerings of the destination lacking. Whereas, poor Steven fans made almost insane by their journey of angst that they were just grateful to finally reach the end of their journey in one piece. Go ask Yoyo, only a Steven fan newbie, but already inflicted with the onset of insanity that she had to roll off the wagon. Haha! So, having ‘suffered’ so much, the destination with its generous and ample offering of luscious Ji Yuen was more than like an oasis to them. So what if the ending was lacking and it was, it quenched their hunger and their thirst, and that’s that. Steven fans wanted everything, well most everything that you have so written, but we were just too weary to even demand more, our initial expectation and anticipation being already dashed by our harsh journey, we were just grateful to have some anything Steven. Of course, I can’t say for all Steven fans but my scenario holds true for most Steven fans, from reading their comments. What say you, Yoyo? And then there are the more reserved fans like strawberry67 and honeydaisy.

And I have to retract what I said about wanting Ji Yuen to die, I really didn’t. I must be insane when I wrote that. Maybe still am.

Edited to add:

And I missed Steven's reply to his typo.

2009-02-24 19:28
sorry囉，打錯字！改了！
Sorry lo, mistyped, now corrected!

-------------------------------------------
If interested, Steven baidu monthly newsletter on SOL section.
Will translate on Dogs section if have the time.
Click pix to enlarge



To read the complete newsletter: baidu steven

Feb. 27 2009
Steven Ma’s Wish for Good Health
Written to Life will not start production until March, so on a friend’s invitation, Steven Ma visited Taipo Lam Tsuen Wishing Trees to make a wish. Thereafter, he went to check out the Yacca trees park, and to taste the authentic Hakka stewed pork dish. Although it was just a half day excursion, Ma zai had had a good time. When Ma Zai arrived at the wishing tree to throw his wish disc (bo dip), he knew beforehand the belief that for a wish to come true, the disc must hang from the topmost tip of the tree. Ma Zai wrote down his wish onto the wish disc, then threw it with utmost sincerity onto the tree top. When it snagged the topmost tip of the tree, Ma zai was extremely happy. When asked what his wish was, Ma Zai smiled and said: "Most important is good health, only then can you do what you wish." He was most happy that at first try, it snagged the topmost tip of the tree. A good omen indeed!

Ma Zai is contented with life these past years. “I’m very contented. Besides playing some ball games, I read and wrote. My days were spent happily.” Lately Ma Zai has been doing some research work, so as to do a good job in portraying his character, Po Songling. Although next month will his 4th time shaving his head, he didn’t mind. He feels that after shaving, his hair comes back even thicker; and luck, better; or so Ma Zai professes.







Translated by: Tamaya
Reposted from: http://www.xici.net/b284854/d85809039.htm
Source: http://www.singpao.com/NewsArticle.aspx?Me...185&Lang=sc

Webmasters of Steven Baidu wrote these articles in their February Baidu newsletter to welcome Gong Zai in his upcoming "Dogs" series.
Click image to enlarge
paraphraser: Tamaya

Gong Zai, Nei Hou Ma?
Seems so long since Gong Zai’s last mention, as SITS broadcast and SOL production claimed our attention. Neglected, Gong Zai with his dangling, gold chains and flip-flops was happy to play by him, showing not a hint of jealousy, with his ever loyal canine buddy as his companion.

Gong Zai (I’ll use his mother’s nickname for him) is really an oddity among Ma Zai’s previous personas, as far as characteristics are concerned: genteel, scholarly, graceful, refined, etc etc. All these adjectives have nothing whatsoever to do with him. Our Gong Zai passes the days happily walking the dog, reading some porno magazines, or singing some porno jingles. The days passed happily enough for him. Look at Ji Yuen in SITS; getting a smile from him is like pulling out his teeth. What do you say, is it better to be some superior being laden with a heavy burden or a lowly peon who is carefree?

And so Gong Zai dilly dallying his days away; dallying, dallying, dilly-dallying and before I knew it, the next series coming up is Gong Zai’s big show. However, when this Gong Zai, decked in all his finery made his entrance, he stunned all brothers and sisters. Even comrade Ma Chun Wai could not bear to look into the mirror himself. Nonetheless, I strongly believe that Gong Zai is a very, very lovable child!
Penned by: 端着茶跑

------------------------
He does not have a handsome appearance, but he dares to decorate himself with dangling, flashy chains. He possesses no big ambition but is happy dilly dallying his days away. Although he is no gentleman, he sees himself as decent. Although he has no lofty aspirations and great ideals, he possesses the spirit of a grass root.

Gong Zai, Nei Hou Ma? How are you?
Your elder sister is so gracious and elegant so why are you like this? How come you are such a tyrant in your village? What? Nobody dares voice their anger at you? Did your mommy ever pull your ear? How deep is your friendship now with your doggie? Are you on good terms with your cousin? How did you fall for that ‘tomboy” girl? Also, we are very curious on how you, how you lost your virginity…??

Anyway, with all these concerns, I believe Gong Zai is an unusual character who will sure to give us a pleasant surprise!

penned by: 采苕

Source: Mingpao, Takungpao
Translated by: aZnangel @ http://asianuniverse.net/forums/

Steven Ma 4th time shaving head, the more the luckier

Steven Ma will start shooting for TVB new series "Pu Song Ling Biography" (蒲松齡傳) and is now currently enjoying a small vacation. Yesterday he and a friend went to a Wishing Tree in Tai Po to make a wish and then ate authentic Hakka pork. He only spent a half day trip and was already very happy.

It has been known that if you toss the wishing disc high enough for it to land on top of the tree, the wish will come true. After Steven wrote down his wish down, he first went to the wishing tree to carefully study it before throwing it. He ended up making a successful throw with the wishing disc landing on the top of the tree, he was very pleased with the results. Seeing the disc up so high on the tree, asked Steven what he wrote down as a wish? He smiled: "The most important is to wish for good health, so can do whatever I want. The most exciting thing is that the throw was successful landing on the very top on the first try, so lucky! Having an authentic meal is never bad!"

Since Steven had been aware that acting is a pleasure, he has been actively practicing his Badminton skills, he felt that life is very siginicant: "actually I am currently quite happy, besides being able to play ball and reading articles, I am comfortable, spending my days happily." Recently Steven has been working hard in preparing for the "Po Song Ling" role. Although, next month he will be shaving his head for the 4th time, but he does not mind, he only felt that the more head shaving the faster the hair will grow more dense, the more luck will come to him. This is Steven's head shaving experiences!

Lol! I knew I would get lambasted for the "gentleman" remark, but never mind. That's why I said I like to think he's being a gentleman ... I'm just fooling myself, because you are right, common sense would tell me it wouldn't make him a gentleman, it would make him a fool! I doubt that would ever happen though, I can see very clearly indeed that Steven is no fool. He is a very smart man indeed. The more I read about him, the more I see this. For instance, I think he manages his PR extremely well. I see this in the way he does his interviews, and the kinds of things he writes in his blog (thanks to Tamaya's translations!). Despite the hardships he's been through, I think he's weathered it well and learnt how to handle things better. As Tamaya mentioned...


Totally agree!! I think he was being very clever with his answer here. He seems to be conceding ("Yeah maybe...", and then he throws in that last curve ball ("... not!")

BTW, love that drawing of Tse Wong Sheung & Tai Chung Man, Tamaya!!! So cute!



Tamaya, you are too observant!! I thought I would just fade off into the corner for this particular discussion and no one would notice. Actually, I've been quiet on this topic because when I started watching SITS, I was neither a Tavia fan, nor a Steven fan. It was only after I started watching this series that I sat up and took notice of the both of them.

But since I've been called up by the teacher (hehe), maybe I'll say what I think. I would consider myself a neutral observer because I started watching SITS without any expectations. So I simply let myself be carried by the storyline, without wanting or expecting a particular outcome. I enjoyed every step of the journey; I appreciated the dilemmas faced by Sing Suet, caught between duty/love/obligation, and I remember thinking this a lot: "Gosh, how in the world is she ever going to choose??" It was like an emotional tug-of-war: it seemed to me that for each touching scene between Ji Yuen & Sing Suet, there would be something equally emotional for Teng Hin & Sing Suet.

I think I can understand why they limited the Stevia moments, even to the last moment. The less you have of something you want, the more you yearn for it. In that way, I think the writers were being quite crafty indeed ... they drew it out to the fullest, made sure you really felt the pain and yearning. I have some minor issues with the way they handled the ending of SITS, but I didn't have any problems with the ending per se. I can't say that I analysed it very deeply, but I did feel like there was a resolution in the love story. The looks on their faces was enough for me. To me, this was the beginning of a happy ending. They finally found each other! Sing Suet's face, soft and forgiving in the light of the bonfire, told me that she still loves him and that she has forgiven him. Ji Yuen, tears and relief in his eyes, is choked up with emotion at having found his one true love who has finally forgiven him.

Naive? Over-simplified? Maybe! That's why I like these sort of open-ended endings. You can read it however you want! And of course, it gives the fans the opportunity to discuss it to death.

Tamaya, thanks for the pics. Very cute indeed!

Haha... I didn't literally "pooh-pooh" the 'gayness' between them. I just said I didn't think they were like gays towards each other. And it was because.... I haven't watched TGC2 yet at that time. LOL. But nahhh, I still think they have this very cool brotherhood together. They haven't looked like they love each other romantically... yet. I just wished they would in TGC2 ... Because, there seems to be no one who can match him better than Wayne... that I wish his character would marry Wayne's character instead. And he does in some sense (up to episode 12) seem to have better 'chemistry' with Wayne than Yumiko. Their chemistry is hard to ignore. And their characters have this connection with each other that no one else can understand except the two of them. Finally caught up to episode 18, and my imagination runs wild when I watch Steven smilingly reading a letter from Wayne. He missed him so much!



Haha... you knew me too well.
Perhaps the meaning is lost in the absence of intonation. Hearing your explanation pleased me somehow, certainly hope it's true and when/if he encounters such a situation (hopefully he will not), he will hold strong to his principle over the feminine plea/womanly guiles.



My turn to laugh out loud reading this. A very fitting description for the different journey we went through, although being a fussy passenger I am, I have to say the beautiful blissful sceneries are hard to come by in the journey and they are often very brief. It is mostly interesting sites, which often passed too fast when it came to let us even fully enjoy it, with the exception of few occasions.

Thanks for the news translation. The two articles confused me as to what wish he made. The first article seemed to imply that he didn't want to tell what he wished and diplomatically said that good health is important to make him realise his wish while the second one expressed that he wished for good health. But great to know that it landed at the top with his first try, it must mean a very good thing. Wish him all the best.

Dogs seem like a very interesting series and the casts seem good (except LC for me). This could be another breakthrough role for Steven because it's very different from the role he played in the past. I'm sure that with his charisma, he will make such character lovable and charming. Charming bad boy. The hair... is not a problem. But why, why, why the female lead has to be LC again? I'm surreally wishing someone would give me a LC-cut-out version of this series.

As for the SOL entry, the writer compared SOL to Cuckoo. I think it would have been very similar if Chilam actually accepted the role, but we won't know who would have acted as Chi Yat Bo. But I think it will be an interesting turn to see Chilam as Michael's character and Steven as Chi Yat Bo, a switch from the characters in Cuckoo. But I think Charmaine is luckier than Tavia, because no matter which guy he ended up, it will still be a great choice. From the short clip I saw, Steven was very cute in Cuckoo. But with SOL, I hope Tavia will end up with Steven in the end. Michael had Mandy Cho and it's clear that I'm biased towards Stevia.

The writer made a conclusion so fast that Tavia in SOL is going to be like Charmaine who knows whom she loves most. And I certainly hope it's not going to be like SITS where she doesn't know how to choose both guys. And just don't let the ending be like Cuckoo. Does TVB even think that Stevia's fans can take three heartbreaking endings from them?

Seem like SOL storyline changed a lot since it was first time written for Sales Presentation booklet.

By the way, saw this pic from baidu.

Don't know whether you guys have seen it, tamaya probably had seen it before.
Moses, Steven, Tavia at the sina awards. What's up with Tavia behaving very maturely next to Steven?

tamaya, I actually like to see HK artistes wearing Western office suits. I think most of them look very suave in it, Steven included of course. But with the Chinese university student suit, not everyone looks good in it. Steven is one of the few that looks good in it. Steven is also one of the few that looks good in Ching costume.

Now that you posted his Leon-Lai-look-alike pic, I finally get where the idea comes from. But their styles are still very different. I'm glad he broke through that look-alike image, because he has so much more to be appreciated for his unique self. Besides, I believe no one likes to be a shadow of another person. Tavia worked hard to wash herself from the image of Maggie-Cheung-look-alike. Leon Lai also looked like the young Michael Miu from a few angles. But to be honest, I actually like Steven and the young Michael Miu more than Leon Lai. I think it has to do with the aura they carry themselves.



honeydaisy, I hope you don't really found it as a verbal attack, it was meant to be a discussion.



This is exactly how I interpret the ending too, and from Ji Yuen's tears I can feel he had gone through a lot searching for her and so there is a tint of accomplishment in his smile (my interpretation).

I guess you are right with the writer making people yearn more by giving less, because up til now, I still crave for their happy scenes. Somehow I feel there are not enough of their scenes even though they have considerably many as compared to some other series. But the heartbreaking scenes just make me crave for happy scenes and there is definitely not enough of happy scenes.

Yet??..lol! He missed him so much! lol! Nah, I too insist it’s just cool brotherhood between them. But just for fun, don’t forget to read the lengthy manifesto by an eloquent writer evincing their ‘gay’ relationship. Props to her!


How could I profess to know someone like yourself who is not only 深不可测( deep & profound) but also possesses an inhuman all-seeing, penetrating sharp eyes. lol!



But that is not to say he won’t fall for feminine plea/womanly guiles, just not blinded.
Read his prose on Women below:

Women


Angel's incident
Anna asked Steven to speak of a certain mean person, yet it was she who brought him up and preceded to monopolize the whole conversation. Poor Steven only got in a word or two during that time. lol!




Ok, you may have the last word on it. Haha!



Depends on which article one translated from. Mine is from this article: 问他写下甚么心愿，马仔笑言：「最重要是身体健康，想点就点。最开心一次就中最高位，好兆头呀！」 But other article(s) did say he made a wish for good health. But I believe Steven actually sidestepped the question to say good health is paramount in order for whatever wish to come true, so that he didn't have to reveal his real wish. It's his standard response to anyone who asks what his wish was.


There was a semblance between Maggie and Tavia in the past. But Tavia has gotten prettier through the years. Very nu ren wei now.



Don’t begrudge a recovering crazed Steven fan of her straw of delusion. Does TVB even care what Stevia fans think? One of the reported speculations on why Chilam was not in the series is that TVB froze hiring of expensive contract artistes because of the then impending financial tsunami. Said Michael's pay was pittance compared to Chilam's exorbitant price. Chilam himself said the storyline did not interest him. Whatever! But yeah, the story has changed much from its initial premise.



Saw that yesterday, but didn’t have time to repost it here. Tavia: Let the boys be silly. I’ll be mature!




I disagree. But if it is as you said then the scriptwriters/director had greatly miscalculated the finicky fans' reactions. For it's also out of sight, out of mind. While Steven fans stayed put in Suet/Yuen camp, most Tavia fans didn’t stay around yearning for more Stevia moments. In fact, the dearth of Suet/Yuen’s scenes, sweet or otherwise, caused many former Stevia fans and Tavia fans to flock in droves into Suet/Hin camp, lured as they were by the latter greener pasture of bountiful sweet moments and screentime and their richer storyline.




source: tv series mag. [电视剧 第200期]碧血盐枭 儿女英雄传
reposted from: steven-ma.org

Eta:
A Stevia mv - a montage of their modern tv series

reposted from steven baidu
http://tieba.baidu.com/f?kz=546661852
in utube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1psMkRPEHIc

Good enough to be not blinded. If he isn't attracted to feminine/womanly behaviour, he would probably be attracted to men. Just like we women like men who talked with manly air (not those tyranny type). But we shouldn't be blinded to see their real intention.

His accounts of women seem pretty accurate so far. I guess he is surrounded by a lot of female family members, that's why he can understand women better than some other men.

I see what you mean by the interviewer talked more than him in that interview. But I don't get what Anna said. She suddenly jumped from complaining about a taxi driver to a girl? "By the time we reached the 2nd last location, we had had it with him, having endured him the whole day. Suddenly, at this very moment ~ because the girl liaison between the company and the taxi company, she had tried fierceness; she had tried entreaties; she had also contacted his company."
I don't get what Anna was saying about what the girl did. And whom did she say Steven was being fierce to? The girl or the taxi driver?


LOL.



Actually, I think a lot of Tavia's fan got turned off by Steven's betrayal which was thrown to them at the very start of the series. And in some sense, they were introduced to Suet/Hin first with the heartwarming scenes of them in the very first episode. Making the illusion that Suet/Hin is the original pairing while Suet/Yuen was a sour past. That's why I think it could be more beneficial to Steven if they had started the first episode on their life in Tao village and ended with his betrayal at the end of the first episode. So audiences could be led smoothly to feel the deep lingering love Suet/Yuen are feeling. In fact, my rooting love towards Stevia in SITS is almost wholly based on their chemistry. But I can't deny that the lack of Stevia's sweet scenes makes a hole in my heart that make me yearn for more sweet scenes of them and to an extent can't accept that they don't have more scenes after the ending. There is a thirst unsatisfied here.

Thanks for the explanation. He is good at being diplomatic in his answers, a requirement of an artiste.



This is where beauty lies in the eye of the beholder. Actually, I prefer her look during 2001-2005. Maybe because I prefer fairer skin. But I do think her fashion sense is much better now.



No grudge held. And you are right, TVB probably doesn't care what Stevia fans think. Actually, TVB doesn't care what audiences think, in most occasions. I believe both claims are true to some extent. Chilam probably isn't interested in accepting the role because it's not a fresh role for him (if he was going to be Chi Yat Bo). Moreover, he was offered another role with probably a higher pay than what TVB is willing to pay. So the Producer decides that he would rather save the budget than offer a higher price to Chilam. Actually, Michael Tse is not bad, and I quite like him, just that he won't be my preference when it comes to a series about romance. I wish they had casted Kevin in his role instead, but I wouldn't want to see him leading over Steven of course, since TVB seems to favour him so much and the sales presentation booklet seems to have the horoscope prince (Michael Tse's role) as the main guy. Anyway, I hope we get to have Stevia happy ending this time, even though the Disneyland clip makes me worried.

Found this pic in baidu (originally from Steven's TVB blog):


I think Steven looks pretty good with his Steps hair too. From the valentines clip, it's clear that Steven is a better cook than Tavia, although Tavia isn't bad too since she managed to win an episode of Beautiful Cooking.

Two things; this being a live conversation, 1) phrases might have been omitted from the transcript as I have indicated with a ~ because I too noticed the abrupt break in her narration. Or 2)Anna's stream of thoughts at that moment was naturally haphazard like thoughts tend to be sometimes, at least for me. I guess at that point Anna was ready for her punch line, which was, Steven could be fierce too and that his unusual outburst was greatly provoked; to emphasize the point that their patience had been tried, she brought in Angel who apparently had tried everything but to no avail. Of course, Steven was mad at the driver! Lol!

Edited to add: Original transcript.




That may be, for of course you’d know Tavia fans’ mindset better than I, but what I was getting at is that if the purpose of Suet/Yuen’s limited screentime was the scriptwriters’ attempt to heighten Stevia fans’ yearning, then overall it had failed, because instead of yearning for more former Stevia deserted in droves to Suet/Hin camp. A lot of Tavia fans may have skipped camp due more to Yuen’s initial betrayal but I think if an appropriate amount of screentime and a richer Suet/Yuen storyline were accorded them in the series, fans migration might have been stamped. Yearning certainly didn’t help. Respect your opinion that "had started the first episode on their life in Tao village and ended....." but disagree, an ample flashback screentime would have helped more.



I don't know how she looked like onscreen from 2001-2005. The 1st time I saw Tavia was in DD and I thought wow who's that actress? So tanned! Is she a local Philipino actress? Is that how she really talk? So ditsy but very lovable. She sure made an impression on me. lol! And then much later I saw her again in HOG, was she the same actress in DD? She looked much better this time around but I was more impressed with her acting as a nervous, chain smoker. Aside remark: I forwarded all Raymond and Linda's scenes. Couldn't stand their storyline. And I watched some of her MR scenes to see what the hype (MR & Ah Yuet) was all about. Then just a few months ago I watched Golden Faith, since given up now. Her character didn't stand out for me. But between her characters in DD and HOG, I thought Tavia looks better now.



Funny, most Steven fans did not like his Steps hairstyle. They said it made him look like old fashioned ah bak. But I quite like it, myself.

Edited: Steven has updated his blog 劣詩一首 2009-03-03 02:05
pix included
Very short - posted a 4 verse poem composed by him and his good friend.



http://hk.myblog.yahoo.com/stevenma_blog

Oh no i didn't take it as an attack of course! Enjoy reading all this stuff going back & forth!

Did people not like Steven's hair in Steps? I thought it was okay. Sometimes he had this slicked-back hairdo, which did strike me as being a bit 1980s, but I didn't think it was too bad.

Re: Angel's incident interview... what a strange, one-sided interview! It seemed very much as though the interviewer was trying to lead him to an answer she wanted to hear. It's the first interview I've read in which the interviewer says more than the interviewee!

Reading the chinese version of that part doesn't make it very clear for me too. I wasn't taken surprised at all that Steven can be fierce at times because in some of his series, there are times when he can explode, like in SITS or even as early as UP. Of course those explosion is based on reasonable cause. No problem with such fierceness at all. Humans are emotional beings.



Agree totally with honeydaisy on this.



Yeah, we have touched on that different opinion back in SITS thread before. I agree that ample flashback screentime would probably make us understand why Ji Yuen, someone who seems to love Suet so much, could do something that put her safety at stake. But I'm not sure whether it can do much better in making Suet/Yuen fans out of the viewers. The thing, is most shippers to Suet/Hin camp did that as early as the beginning of the series. There is a 先入為主 feeling. In fact, I think one of the reason why the scriptwriter decided to have the series start like how it is is because they are afraid people are too hooked into Suet/Yuen to appreciate Suet/Hin. They wanted audiences to feel Sing Suet's dilemma in choosing between the two. It's okay that we have different opinions, otherwise, there would probably not much discussion and I do respect your opinion too.

I guess the yearning more by having less is only applicable to those that do love/root for Stevia in the series.



DB is definitely Tavia's breakthrough role, stepping out from her usual roles. She commented that her character in DB is nothing like her in real life, all the skin, the body, the way of talking, the way of dressing is so not Tavia. I think she looks better in HOG than DB too, and it could probably because she looks fairer in HOG than DB. Before DB, I'm sure you have seen LOW. That is how Tavia is before she got her skin tanned. And I agree that Tavia's character didn't really stand out in GF (for me too) and that haircut is one of her worst along with her haircut in The Academy. But I think she looks beautiful in The Awakening Story (even though she was dressed up rather casually) and Eternal Happiness and Whatever It Takes. As for MR, actually as a Tavia's fan, I don't really get the fuss about her character in MR although most do. I still think her acting there is good, but it isn't my favourite character of her.


I don't think he looks uncle. But he does look more mature and how do you say... stable?

I think his hairstyle in Step suits that character he potrayed. It matches the dancing outfit he wears for the show. Of course he looks much younger in AJCL and also SOL.