Monthly Archives: November 2007

DWTS Finale: A Fun Season

Posted on November 27, 2007 | 2 Comments

The show was over, champion crowned. Once again America didn’t vote for the best technical dancer (last time that happened was when Mario Lopez lost to Emmitt Smith). This time however I’m not even sure Helio was the most improved, but that doesn’t matter any more. It was a great season with lots of quality dances, tons of drama, and tremendous fun. Continue reading →

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Posted in Dance, DWTS

Tagged abc, Ballroom, Ballroom Dancing, Dance, dancing with the stars, dancing with the stars season 5, DWTS, DWTS Season 5, Emmitt Smith, Entertainment, Helio Castroneves, Mario Lopez, Mel B, Melanie Brown, reality tv, Sabrina Bryan, television, Thoughts, TV

DWTS The Finals: Freestyle

Posted on November 26, 2007 | 5 Comments

In the past seasons of Dancing with the Stars one thing seems to be always true: whoever wins the freestyle, wins. I don’t know if that is just coincidence or there is indeed some correlation. To me, a great ballroom choreographer is not necessarily a great freestyle choreographer, but if you are a great freestyle choreographer (in the context of DWTS), you are probably a great ballroom choreographer too. That’s just my theory.

If that trend continues, Helio/Julianne will win because they definitely had the best freestyle tonight. However I’m not sure that’s what it should be, because this is a ballroom dance show, not a freestyle show. It should reward whoever is the best ballroom dancer after 10 weeks.

Of course, that is if we live in a perfect world where there is no such thing called “fan voting”.

Back to the dances.

Continue reading →

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Posted in Dance, DWTS

Tagged abc, Ballroom, Ballroom Dancing, Dance, dancing with the stars, dancing with the stars season 5, DWTS, DWTS Season 5, Entertainment, Helio Castroneves, Julianne Hough, Lauren Gottlieb, maksim chmerkovskiy, Marie Osmond, Mel B, Melanie Brown, Neil Haskell, reality tv, so you think you can dance, so you think you can dance season 3, SYTYCD, SYTYCD season 3, television, The Way I Are, Timbaland, TV

Thanksgiving Duck

Posted on November 22, 2007 | 17 Comments

Please don’t laugh, because I’m serious. We are doing duck this year. We’ve done turkey a few times and goose one time (at Christmas). It’s time for something imaginative, and sinful…

Roast Five-Spice Duck with Honeyed-Mango Chutney Sauce

- brought to you by the fastidiously epicurean husband

- photographed by yours truly

1. The Brine

made with orange, onion, Chinese star anise (八角), garlic, ginger, salt, sugar, soy sauce, and all-spice powder

Continue reading →

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Posted in Chinese, Food

Tagged brine, Chinese, chinese food, 烤鸭, 烧饼, duck, five-spice duck, Food, peking duck, roast duck, scallion, thanksgiving, 中文

Thank YOU

Posted on November 21, 2007 | 4 Comments

It is the time to give thanks and here are mine:

Thank you for reading this post (because if you’re, I have just managed to occupy a tiny piece of your precious holiday time).
Thank you for reading my other, longer posts (if you haven’t, it’s not too late to start :)).
Thank you for remembering my blog, even though it’s not a hard thing to do ;).
Thank you for clicking on the feed, even though it’s even easier than remembering.
Thank you for smiling, it makes me do the same.
Thank you for shaking your head. Sometimes we need that, too.
Thank you for letting me know how I do. Your comments always make my day full.
Thank you for disagreeing. I wouldn’t otherwise know.
Thank you for agreeing. It makes me feel like I know.
Thank you for not doing anything. I’m happy either way.
Thank you to your turkey. If it makes you happy, I can go away.

:-D

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Thanksgiving Duck

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Posted in Thoughts

Tagged giving thanks, thank you, thanksgiving, turkey

DWTS Week 9 Results: Bummer

Posted on November 20, 2007 | Leave a comment

It doesn’t get any worse than this. My least favorite stayed and my most favorite went. I’ve decided a while back that I’m not going to get too opinionated when writing these posts, so let me just say, this is really disappointing. 8-)

The biggest reason I want Jennie/Derek in the finale is because I thought Derek would choreograph a great freestyle. Now let’s just hope Jonathan is up to the task.

Although I had to go to wikipedia to find out who Michael Flatley is, that performance they put on there was spectacular. I’ve never been so into a tap dance performance before. It was captivating.

In one of the packages someone finally said what I have always thought, “Tom Bergeron is probably the Greatest Live Host of All Time“. He makes it look so easy.

Continue reading →

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Posted in Dance, DWTS

Tagged abc, Avril Lavigne, Ballroom, Ballroom Dancing, Dance, dancing with the stars, dancing with the stars season 5, Derek Hough, DWTS, DWTS Season 5, Entertainment, Helio Castroneves, Jennie Garth, Jonathan Roberts, Julianne Hough, maksim chmerkovskiy, Marie Osmond, Mel B, Melanie Brown, Michael Flatley, reality tv, television, Tom Bergeron, TV

DWTS Week 9: It’s Raining 10s

Posted on November 19, 2007 | Leave a comment

So judges were generous tonight, real generous. I think they were just trying to put up this atmosphere of “best semi-final ever” to hype people up. So everyone would rave “wow there were 5 perfect scores” then people will be more likely to watch the finale…

The Front Runner

Mel B got 30 for both her dances, so did Helio. Len said Helio/Julianne were the stand-out, I have to disagree. Mel is a much more polished dancer than Helio, and of course probably a bit more trained too. She moves very well and rarely looks awkward. The same can’t be said of Helio or any of the remaining celebrities.

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Posted in Dance, DWTS

Tagged abc, Avril Lavigne, Ballroom, Ballroom Dancing, Dance, dancing with the stars, dancing with the stars season 5, Danny Tidwell, Debbie Reynolds, Donald O'Connor, DWTS, DWTS Season 5, Entertainment, Good Morning, Helio Castroneves, Jennie Garth, Lacey Schwimmer, Mambo, Marie Osmond, Mel B, Melanie Brown, reality tv, Singing in the Rain, television, TV, Viennese Waltz

DWTS Week 8 Results: In No Particular Order

Posted on November 13, 2007 | Leave a comment

“Having combined the judges’ scores with your votes, we can now reveal, in no particular order, the next couple who will definitely return next week…”

They say that every time. In no particular order. Sometimes the most predictable couples went first, sometimes the most surprising ones (like tonight). It’s done to maximize the dramatic effect. Announce something unexpected in the beginning, keep you at the edge of your seat so you don’t go away during commercials. I think it should be called The Producers’ Order. :-)

With Cameron eliminated tonight, there now is only one man left, with three women. I do think Mel B is the favorite right now. And I’d like to see a finale without Marie/Jonathan because the other 3 pros (Derek, Julianne, Maks) are more capable of producing spectacular freestyles. Nothing against Jonathan but I’m not sure he’s up to the task, besides the fact Marie is the weakest dancer. I would be devastated to see Derek go; he’s got lots of great tricks it’d be really fun to see what’s in the bag.

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Posted in Dance, DWTS

Tagged abc, Ballroom, Ballroom Dancing, Cameron Mathison, Dance, dancing with the stars, dancing with the stars season 5, Derek Hough, DWTS, DWTS Season 5, Entertainment, Jonathan Roberts, Julianne Hough, maksim chmerkovskiy, Marie Osmond, Mel B, Melanie Brown, reality tv, television, TV

DWTS Week 8: Face, Lower, Feet

Posted on November 13, 2007 | 2 Comments

Other than a good Quickstep and an excellent Mambo, nothing really stood out for me tonight, except for some hilarious moments from Len Goodman and the always brilliant Tom Bergeron:

“If you’re in a romantic mood, just breathe heavily when you vote, that’d be lovely”

“And join me later tonight, on eBay…” (holding Helio’s cape left on the floor)

“I feel so objectified by them. Piece of meat. In a tie.” (on Mel and Maks’ constant harassing him)

Though the best one came from Len:

“As a young man, I used to look always at girls’ faces; As I got a bit older, my eyes started to go slightly lower; and now, all I’m doing is looking at your feet, to see if you’re doing the heels and toes… I’ve become a ‘foot man’!”

…

Back to the dances.

Continue reading →

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Posted in Dance, DWTS

Tagged abc, Ballroom, Ballroom Dancing, Cameron Mathison, Dance, dancing with the stars, dancing with the stars season 5, DWTS, DWTS Season 5, Entertainment, Helio Castroneves, Laila Ali, Len Goodman, maksim chmerkovskiy, Mambo, Marie Osmond, Mel B, Melanie Brown, Quickstep, reality tv, television, Tom Bergeron, TV

What Kind of Soul Are You? A Quiz

Posted on November 7, 2007 | 13 Comments

I came across this quiz on cjwriter’s blog (which is a very nice blog btw). Having tested it on me and someone I know greatly, I found the results in large part surprisingly accurate, for a horoscope-like test anyway. :)

Here’s my soul. I’m really curious to find out what kind of soul YOU are, my dear reader…

You Are a Dreaming Soul

Your vivid emotions and imagination takes you away from this world
So much so that you tend to live in your head most of the time
You have great dreams and ambitions that could be the envy of all…
But for you, following through with your dreams is a bit difficult

You are charming, endearing, and people tend to love you.
Forgiving and tolerant, you see the world through rose colored glasses.
Underneath it all, you have a ton of passion that you hide from others.
Always hopeful, you tend to expect positive outcomes in your life.

Souls you are most compatible with: Newborn Soul, Prophet Soul, and Traveler Soul

What Kind of Soul Are You?

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Posted in Wisdom

Tagged horoscope, quiz, soul

DWTS Week 7 Results: A Subdued Night

Posted on November 6, 2007 | Leave a comment

Because of the death of Marie’s father the show started off rather quietly and in a low spirit. Jonathan/Marie was announced safe and Mel/Max did the encore. LeAnn Rimes was performing with Tony/Julianne. This is the second time I see these two dance together, last time was last season. Julianne always has gorgeous lines and her extension goes on forever.

Kenny Mayne/Len Goodman/Jerry Rice’s Dance Center was surprisingly good. Thank you ABC for not bringing Jimmy Kimmel back. They must have read my blog :-) (see my post on week 4 results). I like Len Goodman’s sense of humor, even if it’s British.

Unlike last week, the right couple went home tonight.

Continue reading →

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Posted in Dance, DWTS

Tagged abc, Ballroom, Ballroom Dancing, Dance, dancing with the stars, dancing with the stars season 5, DWTS, DWTS Season 5, Entertainment, Jane Seymour, Jerry Rice, Jimmy Kimmel, Jonathan Roberts, Julianne Hough, Kenny Mayne, LeAnn Rimes, Len Goodman, maksim chmerkovskiy, Marie Osmond, Mel B, Melanie Brown, reality tv, television, tony dovolani, TV

DWTS Week 7: Two Dances

Posted on November 5, 2007 | 2 Comments

Everyone is doing two dances this week, one ballroom and one latin. When you have twice as much dance to learn in the same amount of time, the average quality of each dance is bound to suffer a little. I think that was what happened tonight. With the exception of one or two dances.

I really, really liked Mel B’s Paso, more than I liked Sabrina’s Paso that got 30. It was very well choreographed. The perfect score was what I would give too. Continue reading →

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Posted in Dance, DWTS

Tagged abc, Ballroom, Ballroom Dancing, Cameron Mathison, Chacha, Dance, dancing with the stars, dancing with the stars season 5, Derek Hough, DWTS, DWTS Season 5, Entertainment, Helio Castroneves, Jane Seymour, Jennie Garth, Jive, Len Goodman, Marie Osmond, Mel B, Melanie Brown, mia michaels, Paso Doble, reality tv, Rumba, Sabrina Bryan, Samba, so you think you can dance, so you think you can dance season 3, SYTYCD, SYTYCD season 3, television, TV

The Fable of the Bee And the Flower

Posted on November 4, 2007 | 5 Comments

The third installment of my “Chinese Fable translation series“. I love translating.

rose

Original Chinese text:

放弃的寓言

玫瑰花枯萎了，蜜蜂仍拼命吮吸，因为它以前从这朵花上吮吸过甜蜜。但是，现在在这朵花上，蜜蜂吮吸的是毒汁。蜜蜂知道这一点，因为毒汁苦涩，与以前的味道是天壤之别。于是，蜜蜂愤不过，它吸一口就抬起头来向整个世界抱怨，为什么味道变了？！
终于有一天，不知道是什么原因，蜜蜂振动翅膀，飞高了一点。这时，它发现，枯萎的玫瑰花周围，处处是鲜花。

My English translation:

The Fable of Letting Go

A rose withered. A bee however was still sucking on it because she had sucked honey from it before. Now, on the same rose, all she could suck out was bitter, poisonous juice. The bee felt the difference as it was so sweet before. She became miserable and complained and complained, why did the taste change? Why couldn’t it be just like before?
Finally, one day, the bee gathered her strength and flew a bit higher. Then and there, she saw that, nearby the withered rose, there were blossoming flowers all over the place.

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Posted in Translations, Wisdom, 中文

Tagged Chinese, chinese fable, fable, let go, Translations, Wisdom, 中文

Monthly Archives: November 2007

DWTS Finale: A Fun Season

DWTS The Finals: Freestyle

Thanksgiving Duck

Thank YOU

DWTS Week 9 Results: Bummer

DWTS Week 9: It’s Raining 10s

DWTS Week 8 Results: In No Particular Order

DWTS Week 8: Face, Lower, Feet

What Kind of Soul Are You? A Quiz

DWTS Week 7 Results: A Subdued Night

DWTS Week 7: Two Dances

The Fable of the Bee And the Flower

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