I spent most of yesterday bawling my eyes out as mother and I watched her newest Asian soapie. It's called Hai Tun Lien Ren (the rough translation is 'Promise/Memory at Dolphin's Bay'), and OMG! The relationships, the angst, the pain! I haven't been this involved in a soapie since Meteor Garden 1 (as for MG 2 ... it was twenty episodes too long). In fact, I'd say HTLR is superior to MG1.


Long story short. Girl's father dies, her mother goes to her father's (they were lovers, and the husband has a wife and a daughter back home) grandfather's house to ask him to take the girl in. Old man calls mother and daughter bad names, and basically run them out. They leave; mother gets run down by car. Que crying by naanima.

Onwards. At orphanage, girl meets orphan boy. Boy protects girl, boy give stuffed dolphin to girl as a token of protection, they form unbreakable bond. Boy gets adopted by girl's biological grandfather (I'll get to it later). Girl gets hurt, girl abandon dolphin as she's adopted by random woman. Of course, there's a slow-motion sequence where boy is returning in the car with grandfather to adopt girl, but she walks pass by their car. And the two don't see each other. Sad, painful, cry, cry, cry.

Fast-forward 20 years.

Girl lives near a bay with her mother, she's poor, but she can sing and have dreams of becoming a famous singer. Boy has returned from overseas study to take over grandfather's TV Company. Yes, see the wheels turn.

Girl meet boy. They don't know each other (it has been 20 years). They have fun. The start of a beautiful friendship. Girl also meets up with arrogant/producer/songwriter guy (who also happen to be working at the same company), who decides she'll be his next meal ticket inspiration for his song. Girl crushes on him. Guy thinks she's not his type. Girl angst. Boy cheers her up. They have fun. They fall in love. (Though both refuse to admit it).

And this is becoming way too long. Make loooong story really brief. Angst, angst, angst. Especially when boy realise who she is, and how he pretty much stole her position in the household. He angst, he makes deal with grandfather. He'll marry older sister, if grandfather accepts girl back into the family. Grandfather agreed. Older sister went along with it 'cos she's nice, self-sacrificing, and in love with boy. I'm sure you can see what happens next.

Girl thinks he loves older sister, gets all angsty. Arrogant guy attempt to make her happy, and along the way FALLS in love with her. Though she's so over him now.

And I'm going to stop now. 'Cos you know my hands are tired. But I'm sure you can guess. Let's just say, it ends pretty happy, but dammit I HATE deaths of nice people.


It was a wonderful bonding experience between mother and daughter. Except the whole arguing about who the main female lead should've ended up with. As we bickered over KFC on the pros and cons of the two leading men I had an epiphany. I always, and I do mean always, want the other guy to end up with the girl. When I say other, I mean the nice, gorgeous, who'd have done anything for the female lead guy. And she'd have ended up with him; honest to goodness... except for the whole she's obvious in LOVE with her One True Love. Who more often than not isn't as wonderful as the 'other' guy... sorta.


I'll DaoMingSi/ShanCia/Lei triangle (I'm excluding the others because I just don't think they were ever a threat) as my rant, because I suspect more people know them. I know AhSi and ShanCia are Meant To Be. But dammit, you can't tell me when MG2 came around, and we get to see just how much Lei's still in love with ShanCia that you didn't even feel slightly pained (okay, I admit, I bawled, there's just something about unrequited love that gets to me every time). There was is this need in me that want Lei and ShanCia to be together, to let AhSi go off with his little princess. Because Lei should be huggled, Lei should be loved (and not by the annoying one. Though I suspect I'd have liked her if she had more screen time), and dammit AFTER everything he gave for ShanCia, all the support, all the love, all the damn words of kindness, he SHOULD have ended up with ShanCia.

And what makes it so ironic is that ShanCia liked/cared for Lei first, and the boy was too dumb to realise. Mind you, Lei in MG1 is a far simpler than he is in MG2 I'm simplifying this done. A lot. But that's pretty much the gist of it.

Of course, having said everything, if Lei had ended up with ShanCia at the end of MG2 I'd have been annoyed. Because let's admit it, ShanCia will never love Lei the way he deserves, and that's damn sad. Beside, I might have not said anything but I do belief with all my heart that ShanCia and DaoMingSi are meant to be. But that doesn't stop me from wanting to huggle Lei, 'cos I adore the boy.

See, this is why a proper threesome would help here.


I do realise this entry will not make any sense to people who have never watched a Southeast Asian soapie (Taiwanese/Korean/China). And to tell the truth if I want to make this rant work properly I might need to go on for several pages, and I really can't afford to, not when I have other work to do. So, in conclusion, I CRAVE live action Asian soapies.