Weekend whiffed by. Again.

I received the LPAB Enrolment Package recently, and it was a reminder that my 'carefree season' will be ending very soon. A little something within me died. Who wants to be preoccupied with studying after work hrs? I don't think anyone will be putting up their hands for this voluntarily. Whether I pass or fail my exams this time round, I am guaranteed another 1-2 yrs more of correspondence studies. Bleh.

Recently, Australia has been reporting tirelessly on the cannonisation of Mary KacKillop by The Vatican on Sunday. So yes, Australia is immensely proud of her first saint. It makes for interesting news, I guess.

* * * * * *

Started watching 개인의 취향 (Kaeinui Chwihyang / Personal Preference) on Sunday, after a particularly tiring day on Saturday (see below). Something bugged me about Lee Min Ho, the male protagonist, and I kept wondering why. After checking his bio out today, I realised why. He's the Korean version of Doumyouji Tsukasa of F4. I briefly watched 2 episodes of the Korean Hana Yori Dango, so that was why it didn't form an impression. I think he looks way better with 'normal' hair, instead of Doumyouji's trademark curly locks. He put me off in that show, which was why after 2 episodes, I gave up on it.

Anyway, the premise of the story is refreshing, except for the twists and turns which are very Koreanesque. There are plenty of laugh-out-loud moments, which I particularly enjoy, and Lee Min Ho is a complete feast for the eyes. Can't get enough of him. I haven't finished it, because I think the story is going to get 'sobby' and heavy, so I'll postpone it until another time. And because I personally feel that the female lead, Son Ye Jin, looks older than Lee Min Ho, so it has taken me a long time to convince myself that they're actually in love with each other.

I know, I'm such an ageist.

* * * * * *

Montalto Vineyard & Olive Grove - lake, grass, slope, sky.

For Anne's birthday celebration on Saturday, a heap of us went to the Montalto Vineyard & its accompanying restaurant, Olive Grove for a day out. We dropped by a strawberry-picking farm, and I finally got to buy Jarra Honey, which I had only been able to find in Western Australia! We sampled some wine (well, they did, and I occasionally sipped from a few glasses), and I absolutely adored their selection of olive oil. One of their Muscato selections was to die for too. Lovingly light and none of that intolerable metal smell of alcohol which I cannot take.

So happy.

The day looked deceptively chirpy, because it was the coldest day in months, with hailstorms and terrible rain. The picture, my friends, was taken during a short 2 mins reprieve. Because yes, only in Victoria will you experience rain, sun and snow within 5 mins of each other. Am I exaggerating? Absolutely not. Perhaps one day I should leave my camera phone on video running for 1 hr, and you'll be amazed at what you see.

Then again, why do you want to dedicate 1 hr watching a video run?

In total, I drove 89km that day, and ran into a bit of a swerve at a corner because we didn't realise the cars in front had made a sharp left turn on our way back to Melbourne. We could have driven onwards without suspecting anything. My poor Kuru-chan must have cursed at me for doing that blasted turn to him. Eck. It was an experience though - a long drive through hills and valleys, concrete and gravel roads, through icy, rainy and sunny conditions. I think I pretty much survived everything that could possibly be hazardous to a driver in a single day. Oh, perhaps with the exception of fog. But I did drive Huiyi back from Melbourne Airport in fog-like conditions. The journey from Melbourne to Mornington Peninsula usually takes about 1 hr or so.

However, a mental note to myself : I better rest fully before such an outing again, because I didn't come prepared and drove on the roads quite sleep-deprived. Kuru-chan had never been driven on long distances before, so I was silently hoping I didn't break him or something. I know, cars are meant to be driven, but since I had experienced pretty interesting incidents that nobody else did in my current life todate (exploding tyre, house fire hazard, etc), I was not totally confident to say nothing could happen. And when you're driving 3 others, well, a lot is at stake. Suffice to say, I was stressed. Very stressed. I did thank God profusely for easing the weather up during the day. What a big relief.

And then my weekend was very much over. Damn.

* * * * * *

Holmes and Watson. No, I kid you not.

My new muse, but oh so short-lived! It is only a 3 part mini-series, and I am absolutely shattered. It's like, I'd been anticipating this since forever when Sherlock was being promoted on the telly, and then after I watched the pilot episode (and loved it) on Sunday evening, I was then to realise that there would only be, in reality, 3 episodes in total.

Yes, 3.

Seriously!?

Well, perhaps they wanted to test the waters. See if anything jumped out at 'em. Anyway, I totally want them back onto the screen. And fast. So, I am very happy to know, after some sleuth investigation of my own (oh, who am I kidding anyway?), that there will be another 3 part-er in 2011.

Well, foine. Better than nothing, I guess.

I love this 2010 adaptation of our favourite Holmes and Dr. Watson. Household names they are, literally. I wonder what it's like to grow up during a time like this, because what we read in our past are no longer relegated to books. Almost everything I knew as a child had come to life in one way or another. Part of me laments the magic of words being lost in translation by a movie adaptation, but part of me envies the visual imagination which can be conjured up and introduced into our reality as a means of suggesting that nothing is impossible.

With some pretty nifty cinematography and really interesting actors at play, I'm very attracted to the  tone and pace of the show. It's dark, but not spooky. It's testy, but not gritty. It showcases London, but you don't get the feeling that it's very unsafe. Benedict Cumberbatch had captured the essence of Sherlock Holmes and brought it to a different page altogether. I much prefer a Sherlock Holmes on a clean slate. It's more fun and you don't have to keep thinking they're trying too hard, or indirectly make comparisons in your head between Doyle's Holmes and Cumberbatch's portrayal of Holmes. It's just easier that way.

What a long wait for the next 3 part-er. Sigh.