Baked Strawberry Cheesecake

Bake Cheesecake

This beautiful cheesecake is by Gordon Ramsay. I wanted to try it but did not have any raspberries, so I tried to use the small wild strawberries I had. 

Ignore the milk there is no end for. 

Ingredients

• Butter, for greasing
• 550g cream cheese, at room temperature
• 160g caster sugar
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 tbsp plain flour
• Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
• 200g raspberries or Strawberries

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas 4. Butter a 23cm springform cake tin.
2. Beat together the cream cheese and sugar. Add the beaten eggs bit by bit until combined. Add the flour and lemon zest, then fold through the raspberries.
3. Spoon the mixture into the prepared cake tin, tapping it against the work surface to remove any bubbles and help the raspberries rise up from the bottom. Bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes until set on the edges but wobbling slightly in the middle.
4. Once cooled, remove from the tin, running a knife around the edges to loosen if necessary, and serve.

I decided to used muffin tins for mine, because one, I didn't have a cake tin and two it was a nice serving size.  Below is my outcome. It tasted great, not too sweet with a little sourness from the berries.  My oven is a bit testy, so the top did not brown as much as I wanted but that did not take away from the taste in anyway.

The Bride with White Hair (1993)

The Bride with White Hair

      The Bride with White Hair is a 1993 Hong Kong film by Ronny Wu loosely based on a wuxi a novel by Leung Yu-Sang.  The story is about the ill fated love between top assassin Lein Ni-Chang and swordsman Cho Yi-Hang from rival organizations.  

Lien Ni-Chang at the beginning

Before I ever saw the Bride with White Hair, I had zero knowledge of China, it's people and culture. At that point my only exposure had been Jackie Chan in the Drunken Master movie.  All I knew was of that funny humorous idea.  All I had been expose to in terms of attraction and love between Asian people and in this particular case Chinese was that they only went as far as holding one hand and the side hug where the woman placed her head on the man's shoulder.  So, the Bride with White Hair was quite a surprise and in a great way. 

Cho Yi-Hang

The Bride with White Hair is told in flashbacks, and we start the story with Cho Yi-Hang played by Leslie Cheung waiting a top a snow covered mountain waiting for a magical flower that only blooms every 20 years.  He then starts to tell his story to envoys who were sent to collect the flower for the dying emperor.  Cho was raised by a Taoist priest to be a swordsman.  Cho meets Lien Ni-Chang played by Brigitte Lin when she is killing these soldiers that are attacking a village.  Cho begins to fall for Lein, who was sent to kill him by her master the Siamese twin Chi Wu-Suang played by Francis Ng and Elaine Lui.  However, Lien finds herself also falling for Cho.   Both Cho and Lien decided to put aside their duties to both their cults and live a normal life together.    Lien suffers through great hardships but succeeds in leaving the cult.  Cho on the other end returns to the coalition to find many of his comrades murdered, all telling him that Lien was responsible.  The film concludes in a bloody finally with the question of "who do you trust?" at the very heart of it. 

Lien and Cho

Watching the Bride with White was an amazing experience.  For the first time I was seeing Chinese people in a light I did not even image was possible.  Here we had characters that questioned whatever code of conduct or way of being and seeing the world they had been fed.  I too was just starting to just be exposed to a bigger world in seeing the movie.  We had Lien who was labeled as evil yet she was the one defending this people who were helpless against these soldiers.  She even helps that woman give birth.  On the other hand we have Cho female comrade from the sect who kills the man to retrieve the jade that Cho gives him so he and his child maybe able to eat.  

The other thing i was exposed to was a world where anyone other then the macho Caucasian was attraction, sensual and sexual.  The Bride with White Hair portrayed people, Chinese at that as being sensual beings.  We have Lien (Brigitte Lin) who is attractive and mesmerizing at every level.  She is shown as being aware that she had as body and is appreciative off it.  There is a party scene where people are drinking, there's music and even naked bodies but none of it is made to be vulgar or shameful.

Lien are Cho are shown falling for each other and not just by throwing a few warm glances.  They like each other and want to give each other pleasure and share it.  They are intimate with each other. 

I think my favorite scene is when Lien's hair turns white. I think Brigitte Lin played it just beautifully.   Lien comes to find Cho after successfully leaving the cult thought she had to pretty literally walk through hell to do it.  Lien asks Cho to leave with her like they promised but the question of whether he trusts her drops over them like a grenade and everything gets obliterated.   

Siamese Twin

Even though I always had a tendency toward fantasy, in terms of cinema in general the Bride with White Hair solidified by love for wuxia.  Even if there are good movies I will automatically lean towards ancient Chinese wuxia related films and series.  

Catching Fire Book and Movie

Catching Fire

Katniss and Peeta are the winners of the 74th annual Hunger Games.  Before embarking on the 'victory tour', President Snow pays Katniss a private visit.



Catching Fire, for me seemed to be a copy of the Hunger Games in terms that some of the things that happened in the Hunger Games seems to get repeated here again. District, train travel, another Hunger games.  One thing I really didn't understand even after finishing the book was how the world worked.  I am not sure I even was certain of how Panem was physically structured and how it made sense that if it's North America geographically more than one district should be able to have a fishing, or mining industry.   The way the world seemed to run just made little sense to me.  How was Snow in power the length that they seemed to allude that he had been in power.  At times President Snow seemed quite incompetent.

From the start of the book, why would Snow not just kill Katniss and Peeta, instead playing this whole idea of love which was false to begin with? Why not just kill the rebellion before it really formed if that was the case instead of everything that happened.    Also the whole idea of Katniss and Peeta's romance being portrayed as if it was a form of rebellion itself.

I liked the Hunger Games more than Catching Fire and despite it's flaws the books are not that bad.  One thing I liked and hoped would have appeared more was Katniss's first person narrative and assumptions that she feed to us as facts being challenged.  One particular example is that Katniss always states that District 12 is the poorest and worst district and at time Suzanne Collins has other characters repeat that.  However, when we meet some of the other victors we discover that it's not completely true and the only reason that we have that idea is because Katniss knows nothing of the other districts and she never makes any effort to find out.  I also liked Joanna, because when they group she's actually a vital part to the group. However at a point, Katniss just wants to kill her and it's because Joanna actually has a come back against her demands.  Finnick was also interesting but I did not like how Katniss kept thinking about ways to kill him but not wanting to do it herself she was trying to figure out who else would be able to do it.

I really did not understand the point of having a game winner. What is the purpose? I mean what we learn about the older victors is that their lives are in no way better for having won the game. Seriously, the game winners and their families are shunned, abused, they ended up becoming addicted to alcohol, drugs or others things.  In Finnick's case the moment he won he ended out being pimped out.  That's just horrid and he was a kid.

I really don't understand how the author created it so that the rebellion seem to center just around one person, Katniss.  Because if that really true then that rebellion is weak beyond measure.  The rebellion should be based on people wanting to overthrow the government to better their very existence and not because Katniss said they should.

Catching Fire in some ways was a better movie then Hunger Games. The movie was brighter and seemed to be on a grandeur scale.  I believe that many people prefer this movie to the Hunger Games in some parts there was no shaky camera work and many felt they understood the that Panem was run by a totalitarian government.  

        For me having read the books and seen the movies I still don't have so many questions that were not answered. For one how the government or Panem runs and how Snow is in power? How do people get to live in the capital as suppose to the district? What is it based on, wealth, lineage, job, geography? Is you earn a dollar less than a certain amount do you get sent to a district? If so what district? Can people travel and choose a district? Can you live in district 1 but making cloths is your calling can you move to district 8? Can people not travel to the capital or other districts even if they don't live there? Do people not take vacations?

The above pictures are three different maps of what Panem is suppose to look like that I found online. Just looking at them I wondered how were the district numbers designated? I mean district 4 is closer to 11 and 12 than it is to 5.  What happened to Hawaii, Florida and Alaska? If they are all under water, why is it that only district 4 has a fishing industry? Wouldn't there be multiple fishing industries in other districts near a coast thus having more food for people?

    To move on to the movie, these questions arose as I was watching.  I still don't understand why President Snow as powerful as he seemed would want to support the fake love story?   Also were all the victors being watched or was that done just to Katniss? It was always portrayed that Katniss was so dangerous but I only ever remember her killing one person in the Hunger Games.  Peeta killed no one.  Also during the Hunger Games and the victory tours things were always being broadcasted, especially Katniss's fake love story that was suppose to be a form of rebellion in itself and the protests.  I just had me wondering did editing no longer exist? What about the districts on different coasts?  Media is such a powerful tool that can be used to educate or mislead people. This had me wondering, is everything in Panem broadcast live everywhere all the time? Because if the goal especially in the Hunger Games was to have one victor, why did the game maker not just tell Katniss and Peeta they were both victors, but the killed one and then edited and broadcast a video showing only one victor? What could the victor possible do or say about that? Problem solved.  Which just made me think that however powerful President Snow is, he was probably incompetent.  Even that why would something like that demand his personal attention? Doesn't he have anyone he can delegate to that can do their job? 

      I was upset when they went back to the whole idea that Peeta had to be the one to survive the games in Catching Fire.  The Hunger Games made it so that to survive you had to kill, did not matter if the person was from your own district. Peeta did nothing to contribute to their survival in the Hunger Games, the bread thing doesn't matter nor the fake love story.  I did not understand nor like the constant forced idea that Peeta was too good for Katniss and that she owed him. 

      Even in this hunger games I did not understand the need for the volunteer rule to remain intact, because why couldn't Hyamitch just re-volunteer to go in if he wanted to save Peeta so much. If your chosen and someone volunteers for you, what's to stop you from saying no and still take your place?

      Hyamitch talks about how the Quarter Quell was that much more difficult because all the previous victors knew each other, but how? We got no evidence or mention of victors meeting or really interacting besides the previous victors being mentors to those in their district.  Even during the victory tour Katniss and Peeta never see, let alone meet any other victors.    Also the Quarter Quell had male and female victors from each district from different years. Wouldn't have there been a district without any victors at all?  We learn that most of the recent games have all been held in forested areas. So what about people from districts that are completely urban and know nothing about surviving in the wild like the two women that Katniss meets in the woods.  The few days they would spend during the evaluation in the capital would not be able to repair them to find water, food and shelter let alone learn to kill.  I mean the survival skills that the books portray that Katniss had as a hunter, she should be dead already.   

     I thought Effie was more of a fleshed out character in the movie, but it was upsetting to see that while most of the characters going into the Quarter Quell actual said things about how they felt about having to be in another game, Katniss only used her dress.  Here Katniss used fashion to deliver a message yet she always seemed to be insulting Effie and everyone who used fashion.  Katniss was always making judgements about other participants and what they wore but she was doing the same thing. It was only that Cinna did not wear as much make up and was a better designer?

Participants of the Quarter Quell

    I tried to figure out why President Snow listened so much to Plutarch? It seemed to me that Plutarch had been a game maker before Senneca then comes back. In made me wonder as to why the rebellion did not have more Plutarchs infiltrate the capital change things from the inside maybe kill Snow or something instead of resting their hope on Katniss, who knows nothing about the rebellion and hardly initiate any action. 

     When we enter the games, why did it take so long for the cannon to go off after Peeta's heart stop? They waited and waited for the long minutes for Finnick to restart his heart.  Isn't there someone responsible for the cannon and don't they know their job? How come no one found this suspicious and reported to Snow? What about the person at fell in the water? His cannon went off immediately, countless people have been saved from drowning, but I guess he had no team mate or anyone who cared about him.  The fog was a interesting way to kill people but why would the fog be held back by a forcefield that Katniss could just walk through? Wouldn't having fog and killer monkey overlap but more efficient?  I understood what they were trying to do with the jabber jay but why would any of them fall for it?

So as a movie Catching Fire an okay movie, but because there were things I did not like from the books and questions I had, I also had them about the movie.  I have found that with the recent trend of young adult books to movies especially series there is a problem that I see that are not being addressed.  I understand that usually studios start with the first book of a series and then if it does well they do the following books.  Books and movies are different mediums, somethings that work in one does not always work in the other.  For me I have come to see that what seems to work is an adaptation from one to the other not a direct copy.  Usually in the book things can be revealed more slowly but in movies you don't usually have the time and seeing a picture of a scene is a bit different then reading about the scene.  One usually needs you to create the image out of your own imagination with the information given but the other you have the image is already there.   That is why I think in a movie the world and how things work need to be set up from the beginning so you know what kind of world it is and it's rules.  However, books can sometimes give you the sense of the world little by little.  I usually get upset when I am given a set of rules of how a world works in a movie but then in the second or third movie starts to throw in more rules that usually contradict or make no sense with the rules we already had.  So I think some of these movies need to set up the world completely in the first movie even if some of that information maybe from the second or third book of a series.  

Seafood Bouillabaisse

Seafood Bouillabaisse 

Bouillabaisse is a traditional Provencal fish stew dish originated from Marseille, France.  I really like seafood bouillabaisse, it has this warm and hearty taste chuck full of great stuff.  it has been a staple dish for me this wintery January 2014. Especially on days when it has been below 20 degrees and I just want to be warm and inside.  

A lot of the recipes for the bouillabaisse I found online usually included fennel, however I was not able to get fennel when my made my recipe.  I also used fish sauce instead of a seafood stock or cube because I could not get any at the time.  However, despite these two changes the seafood bouillabaisse tasted great.  

Ingredients:

2 pound of fish

1-2 pound of clams or mussels

1 pound of shrimp

1/2 cup olive oil

1 cup thinly sliced onion

3 cloves of garlic, crushed

1 can diced tomato

4 sprigs of thyme 

2 bay leaf 

pinch of saffron

1/2  cup fish sauce 

1- Saute. Saute leek, garlic and onion in olive oil for a few minutes until soft.
2- Herbs. Add in your thyme, bay leaves and saffron.
3- Stir. Add the diced tomatoes, water, fish sauce, potatoes and stir well. Once the potatoes are almost cook about 15-20 minutes.
4- Seafood.  Add all your seafood. Once the fish and shrimp are cooked and the clams have pooped opened.
5- Serve.  Serve the bouillabaisse with some baguette and enjoy. 

Seafood Bouillabaisse

Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils (2003)

Demi-Gods and Semi-Gods

 Based on a story by Jin Yong. The story center around Qiao Feng, who becomes leader of the Beggar Sect, Duan Yu Prince of Dali and a Shaolin monk Xu Zhu.  Qiao Feng's story centers around discovering his true identity, Duan Yu on the many women in meets and Xu Zhu got in the struggle for the leadership of a powerful.  Their stories bring them together and takes places through many kingdom.

Qiao Feng

The show starts with the story of Qiao Feng, whose father and mother are taking him to meet a friend in the Song kingdom.  They are attacked because they are Qidan from the Kingdom of Liao and not Han suspecting that they were there to spy.  The mother is killed and the father jump off the cliff with them but in the last minute sends an infant baby Qiao Feng back up.

Qiao Feng was my favorite character he had a sense of justice, was loyal, smart, honest but had quite a temper and hated being accused of something. Everyone started to mistrust and hate him when they find out that he was not Han Chinese and he was framed for the death of his adoptive parents and his Shifu among others.  

One thing that is prevalent in a lot of Chinese literature is identity and family.  I admire that to a certain extent.  People and society seem to look down on someone and even mistrust them when they are not attached to a name, clan or area.  And I see how knowing something like that in say ancient China would have made sense.  However Qiao Feng had been with this people for a long time.  What kind of actor would have have needed to be to deceive everyone 24hrs a day.  Also the since of family.  We find that Qiao Feng's father killed his adoptive parents and Shifu framing him for their deaths. However, when they find each other, Qiao Feng is suppose to just listen to him, defend him and be happy about what he did.  If the father had wanted him to be raise by the Chinese, why did he send him back up from the cliff? And in thirty years why has he never come for him.  Plus these people didn't kill your wife but took care of your son.  

After thirty years all the man gets is to become a monk to make up for all the harm he caused? Most of that harm was done to his own son. 

Duan Yu

The second character's story we start to follow is Duan Yu.  He is a prince of Dali, his uncle is Emperor but for some reason as no kids so Duan Yu is his heir.   We meet him when he has run away from home and is trying to stop the deaths being caused because of a fight between sects.  When we meet Duan Yu, he seems the scholarly type, who dislike's violence to the point he will not learn any martial arts and is generally happy.  It's sad that his sense of non-violence was relegated to that one scene because later when he runs into Mu Wanqing he says nothing when she kills two women but helps her still their cloths.  Mu wanqing, like many of the other women he later encounters and shows interest in except for Wang Yu Yan and Ah Zu at first are his half-sister from all his father's thrice.   Some have mentioned that they didn't like Duan Yu fall so much for Yu Yan but I did.  Because he went to illustrate that Duan Yu would not be his father or cause all the trouble that his father did.  At first he is attracted to Mu Wanqing but after finding out they were related he no longer wanted to but still seemed to care about but she didn't want any relationship where they were not lover.  So, I can see why to some it might seem like he might be like his father.   Unlike his father Duan Yu only wanted Mu Yu Yan.

Xu Zhu

I think I grew to like Xu Zhu lease.  He is suppose to be kind hearted, a little slow and devoted to death to Shaolin vows. But like Duan Yu where is non-violence protest only appeared during that one time.  I could not put up with him some of the times especially when it involved the Child-Grandma you can decided to learn kun-fu to save the live of a deer but you can't say a word to stop misunderstanding and stop fighting?  He ends up being thrown out of Shaolin, becoming the leader of a sect of female fighter and the lover of a woman he meet in a dream.

Duan Zheng Chun

Duan Zheng Chun is we first learn Duan Yu's father.  Many of the women that Duan Yu meets end out being his sister because of all that affairs that Zheng Chun had.  His character was quite despicable at times.  I really don't understand what all these women saw in him.  All of the women were beautiful, smart and talented in their own way but over decades after everything he had done, lying and deceiving in the end they all still loved him.  I was seriously hoping for at least one to have moved on particularizing Duan Yu's mother.  There is a scene where Zheng Chun is standing with three of the women and he turns to one and says that he loves only her and the others were just for fun.  They are fighting and he gets knocked over and all the women run to his side cooing over him.  He was most despicable in the end scene where Wang Yu Yan's mother also a past lover as captured him and the other women.  Murong Fu kills the other three women and he decides to goat Murong Fu into stabbing her too but then dares to say he was just scolding her and that he loves all his women and stabs himself. Really?  

We find out that Duan Yu is not Duan Zheng Chun's son because she was angry at his betrayals and had an affair of her own. So, Duan Yu is not related to any of Duan Zheng Chun's daughters. 

Ah Zhu

Ah Zhu is one of Duan Zheng Chun's daughters and Qiao Feng's lover. She a great master of disguise, and kind.  She dies when she disguises herself as her father and goes to fight Qiao Feng.  She asks Qiao Feng to take care of her sister since they both grew up not knowing their parents.  I was really was saddened by her death and anger by what we got instead.

Ah Zi

Ah Zi is what we get instead of having Ah Zu around.  Ah Zi a sadist.  She could find pleasure when hurting and torturing.  She was even more happy when she could kill someone.  She was always playing the victim claiming that she was being bullied so Qiao Feng would hurt people for her.  This brings me to another theme that is prevalent in these types of stories that of "please take of ___ (usually a woman)" that someone says on their deathbed.  Now I understand on in ancient Chinese society this would have made sense but the extent to which this goes to excuse even the most wick acts just enrages one.  You see that in Ah Zi every time she would do something wrong, you would see that Qiao Feng knows it's wrong, all Ah Zi as to say is that you promised to take care of me and because of his quilt he does nothing.  Also somehow he is suppose to love and marry her because he promised to take care her even though we all see he has no such feelings for her.  Even if, Ah Zi loves  Qiao Feng she knows the kind of person he is yet she doesn't care.  She wants him and him her way.  Even when she loses her vision which was her own fault she no second though about someone else being murdered so she can see again.  I was really upset by the ending when Qiao Feng sacrificed himself so a war would not start. Suddenly, Ah Zi gets to jump off the cliff with his body, so he would be her.  He didn't love her.  He should have had his brother bury him next to Ah Zu.  But Ah Zu died and Ah Zi got to around hurting people and in the end she gets to have Qiao Feng without his permission.

Murong Fu

In the end, Murong Fu who wanted to reestablish his kingdom went mad.

Wang Yu Yan

She was in love with Murong Fu and started to have feelings for Duan Yu.  Towards the end she final realizes that Murong Fu has no feelings for her and she decides to let herself love Duan Yu.

One thing I had a grip on in this show that I had very much with in The Four is the punishment some people got.  Especially, Qiao Feng's and Murong Fu's fathers and in a lesser case Xu Zhu's father who's a monk during the show.    Murong Fu's father is the one that sent the news that caused the attack on Qiao Feng's family,  the monk is the one that lead the attack and Qiao Feng's father murder his adoptive parents among others.  From what I understood, the man was the leader of Beggars Sect and not to long after the attack become a monk.  Qiao Feng is 30 years old but Xu Zhu is around 24 so that means he had his affair when he was already a monk. Just between these three men there have been countless death, pain and heartache, but what is the punish that they get?  Two of them get cured of their ailment and become monks and the third was a monk for over two decades.  I am sure the life of a monk is no piece of cake but is that really the punishment they get for what they did.  

This series was good and interesting in some parts, others were boring and just took too long.

The Four (2008)

The Four 

The story of four young constables, who work together to solve cases and to bring down a corrupt official during the Song Dynasty. Coming from different backgrounds Heartless, Cold Blood, Iron Fist and Chaser form a bond like brothers and work to uphold justice.  

Mou Ching(Heartless)

Heartless got his name from a monk after he was crippled as a child, hoping that when he grew up he would not seek revenge for the destruction of his family. Heartless starts off not showing any emotion and not really caring only about anyone else but the housemaid, his two attendants and the uncle that raised him.  His is quite intelligent and very observant at times.  

I quite liked Heartless when we meet him, beside being a little anti social and not seeming to care about others.  He was a good person, understood that you often in to take your own personal emotions out in order for justice to be served.  However, by the end of the show I thought he was more a hypocrite. 

Iron Fist

Iron Fist, so called because he can destroy a blade with his bare hands and his fists are so powerful, was raised by an Ironsmith.  He is the second surviving son of the man that destroyed Heartless's family.  Heartless's father died seeking revenge on them.  

Iron Fist was okay for me. Iron Fist went through aloud in the series and displayed a lot of rage, much of which I thought should have been reserved for Cold Blood.  Also it seemed it was created so that Heartless and Iron Fist would have the stronger bond and although they did go through events that should have created it.  It never seemed like they ever really came to that point.  

Cold Blood

Cold Blood lost his parents at a very young age and was raised by wolves.  He starts off being an assassin before joining the constables.  Cold Blood seemed like the one who would have the most rage but never displayed it much.  He really did not speak all that much in the entire series.  I felt like he was the closest to Heartless even though they only really had the island episodes were they were shown to bond. 

Chaser

Chaser is a swindler before becoming a constable.  I think he was suppose to be the comic relief and more fun member of the group but I didn't laugh all that much.  

Yeut-fei

Yeut-fei is the daughter of the leader of the Blue Sky Sect and later Iron Fist love interest.

Song Chi-yin

Chi-yin Song comes in contact with the constables as a doctor, first as a doctor for Heartless then as a go to coroner, whenever they needed to examine a body or cure someone.  It turns out that she is a spy for the Prime Minister, Choi King.  Choi King was to over throw the current Emperor and is involved a many other crimes and conspiracies.    

I really was suspicious of Chi-yin the moment she came to learn from Heartless doctor and supposedly diagnosed him.  There was nothing in that scene about Heartless that she could have observed that gave away his condition (many re-watch).  I think she just listened outside the door, then used it as a way in. There are other scenes were people enter a room an know already what the people inside were talking about.  From then on there were too many times were I knew she was up to something.  Even when people started to suspect her, Heartless would defend her because he liked her.  

One review I read really thought she was a nice person. I really did not sympathize with her and the ending angered me a little.  From the beginning of the series to the end she just keep harming people and even Heartless that she claimed to love.   To begin with she killed Heartless's first doctor so she could be the one he would come to.  She kills the leader of the Blue Sky Sect even when Yeut-fei even considered her a friend. She knew about the mines and did nothing when Iron Fist's sister gets raped.  She uses Yeu-fei to drug Iron Fist and uses the metal gloves to frame him.  He almost get executed. She murder's Iron Fist's brother.  She destroys evidence that the constables needed.  She murder's Fook, and blinds Yeut-fei.  When Heartless finally catches but let's her go, she comes back kidnaps him and has him tortured.

I thought or believed that a theme of this show would be justice instead of revenge that is prevalent in many ancient Chinese series. Where someone seeks out to kill someone for the death of another and it goes on and more people are involved, Death all around.  I am not sure in Chinese culture but in most European and American culture there is the idea of Lady Justice.  A symbol of justice, usually a woman with a blindfold holding a scale in one hand and a double edge sword in the other.  Justice is suppose to be blind representing objectivity.  So justice would be meted without fear, favor, money, status or weakness.  It is impartial.  The scale weighted out the support and opposition and the sword meted out the punishment with reason and justice.  

When both Heartless and Iron Fist find out that their families destroyed each other.  They were both angry and upset but they did not take out their sorrow or want revenge on each other but to find whoever had instigated the whole thing.  which is quite amazing since some stories would have caused them to go against each other.  But then we find out that Iron Fist's older brother is alive and has killed corrupted officials.  Heartless tells Iron Fist that it is his job and duty to arrest him despite the fact that it's family.  The brother still killed people, though he personal feels they deserved it.   Iron Fist decides to let his brother go, but the brother dies and Iron Fist thinks Heartless did it to save Song Chi-yin. 

The reason I really didn't like Heartless towards the end has to do with how he goes against everything he claimed to stand for and even preached at Iron Fist.  When Chi-yin does all the above I mentioned and he is being help prisoner.  I thought that he finally went through his struggle and came out the other end.  However, he decides to runaway with her.  That's fine to that point but Heartless discovers the diagram for the weapon.  I would have given Chi-yin a chance even after everything she did up to that point but what does she do?  She takes the diagram and gives it to Choi King.  Why?  She had escaped , he didn't know where she was.  But she, herself chose to go back and give him the weapon.  Then, I am suppose to feel bad for her having a nightmare? What did she think Choi King would do with the diagram.  She has been aware of his plans since the beginning. After, she decides to poison all the women and Heartless's uncle.  I know, Ckoi King saved her life and raised her but how many lives does she owe him.  She has killed multiple times for him, she has one life.  Heartless saved her life too, why doesn't she call him master and do things for him?  Heartless said that she had repented and turned a new leaf. She never apologizes and she continues to hurt people after this point. Chi-yin talked about being an orphan and how sad that was. What about the people she decided to make orphans, like the doctor's family or Yeu-fei.   Chi-yi had spent a whole lot of time with these people and was smart enough to know right from wrong but she continued to harm people even Heartless. She could have at any point started helping the constables or stop murdering people. At this point she poisons all the people that Choi king had kidnap, if she herself did not want to do it, why did she? Like with Yeut-Fei, she could have just switched the powder and gave them a tranquilizer.  Who would have known? She is the one most formidable in medicine.  But she actually poisons them and only choses to save them when Iron Fist was about to kill her and she wanted Heartless to still want her.  The ending she get's angers me.  she supposedly absorbed poison from five people that would have killed them and she had only hours to live. Also were body and face would have turned hideous, a metaphor I think of how she was truly. But no, she does die and a gets two small scars on face and Heartless still loves and forgives her.  

All this really changed how I saw Heartless at the end.  Iron Fist's brother pays for all the people he killed although deserved with his life.  However, Heartless barely gets angry at Chi-yin or even thinks of bringing her to justice.  He still wants to be with her and thinks well of her.  Everyone has feeling and everyone can fall in love but does that forgive killing and poisoning people.  I am sure, even serial killer had someone they loved or cared about that does not forgive the wrong the competed.  Which is why I liked the idea of Heartless as someone who was aware that he had to put aside his personal view and punish those that had done wrong.  To have him turn into some love sick idiot and not even lame someone who hurt him, his friends, family and killed others. Just killed the series. 

My Bratty Princess

My Bratty Princess

Cast of Characters in My Bratty Princess

 Situ Jing is a young girl, who along with her companion, A-lian, dresses as a man in order to more freely move around the town. While dressed as a man she is known as Xiao Long Xiao.

That is all I really can say about the summary of the story that would not get into more detail.  The blurb created for the story which intrigued me into checking it out, I think points the story in one particular direction which I discovered was not really where the story went in my point of view.  I believed the Chinese title for this series is Diao Man Gong Zhu, which in many places has been translates as "My Bratty Princess".  A few other places translated as Mischievous Princess. Now there are many things that play into translating things from the dictionary definition, to connotations to what the author may have intended. 

Bratty is defined as having the characteristics of a brat.  A brat being defined as a child especially annoying, ill-mannered, unruly spoiled and/or impolite. The child often whines, throws tantrums and often wants thins their way. 

Mischievous is defined as causing or tending to cause annoyance, minor harm or damage. Showing a playful desire to cause trouble.

The reason I gave those definition is because one seems to fit more closely to what the series turned out to be more than the other. 

I came to the show never having heard of it or knowing anyone or anything attached to it. Except it was on the same site as Princess Returning Pearl and available to watch.  After reading the blurb, I had a very vague idea of what it might be about but the idea I did get was interesting.  But I have to confess the series was not that good.  The blurb in short said that Situ Jing was free-thinking, mischievous and dressed as a man becoming Xiao Long xia to protect her family's reputation. In truth, Situ Jing is the Princess of the last monarchy that was destroyed by the currents king's father.  With whom, she and the prince of a neighboring kingdom become sworn brothers.  

I was attracted by the idea of a seemingly smart and mischievous main female character since I like Huang Rong from Condor Heroes.  Also in the same vein Zhao Wei from Princess Returning Pearl, who had potential but turned out not to be a character I liked all that much.  To me, mischievous tends to mean someone with a playful sense of fun and pranks. They like pranks but these only ever cause minor damage, they have charm and are kind, understanding and respectful otherwise. On the other hand, a brat whines, throws tantrums, wants things their way, are unruly and often cause more than just a little harm.  

There was a lot of things that just did not seem to work for me in My Bratty Princess.  First, the music.  I really did not like any of the songs.  Also during the show there were times when the music would transition a long time before the scene had even began to move. There was a scene where nothing was happening, and I believe it was suppose to be a quiet reflective moment but then the music was suddenly strong,  completely off that it took me out of it.

I didn't really love the costumes, but it never really bothered me too much.

I think the worst part of the series for me, was some of the characters, the story and how it seemed to be all executed.

Our main character is Situ Jing or Xiao Long Xia. I came in not knowing anything but the blurb I had read and hoped to at least like the character.  One of the problems I had with the character of Xiao Long Xia (Situ Jing) was that so much time was spent telling us through character after character of just how great she was and if anyone was of a different opinion they were the bad guy.  This is one element that seems quite prevalent in characters (mostly female) have this false appearance of doing good and people love them anyway because they are so attracted to what is being said more than the actual meaning of the action (Princess Returning Pearl, Hunger Games among others).  So much time is spent having the Sifu, Situ Jian Nan (Borther), Bai Yun Fei and others tell us how kind, smart, selfless, goodhearted and bringer of joy and happiness Situ Jing is and yet very little real evidence to support it. When you do look closely at the things she does they work to actually aggravate the problems then solved them. There was more evidence to show that she was not what everyone said she was.

Xiao Long Xia

Xiao Long Xia knows kung fu but from what we see, she is not that powerful, and yet she continuously get into fights and hardly takes any of them seriously. The constant jokes and faces that she made grew tiring and annoying. They did not seem to make much sense in the situation or were they all that funny.

Xiao Long Xia/ Situ Jing seemed at times quite uncaring and selfish.  When the series starts of she has established a rigged gambling match for which she takes the money and hand it out to the refugees just outside the town.  For one, I saw problems with her doing this. One, the refugees are not being allowed into the city and interaction with them is discouraged.  So, what good is handing them coins when they can not exchange it for any of the things they need? But I'll leave all the questions.  This also made me think that Xiao Long Xia had not been doing this for long and it was not a natural progression from something else that she was already doing.  The her Sifu says that she had guided Xiao Long Xia along that path.  She help to further solidify for me that her Sifu mostly likely brought the idea for the situation and encouraged Xiao long Xia on it. And we find out that she did this so that when they reveal themselves in order to reclaim the throne, Situ Jing would have the support of a portion of the population.

Situ Jing making some face. Again.

I am usually behind the Robin Hood idea of still from those that have too much and aid those that have none. However, here Xiao Long Xia never seemed to know or care too much about who she was stealing from.  When she meets Emperor Zhu Yun and Bai Yun Fei (not yet knowing their identity) she quickly asks them to be sworn brothers.  Once it was done the first thing on her mind was to ask them for money.  When Zhu Yun states that he does not have money.  She starts to call him names and try to guilt him. How come he is so wealthy and yet doesn't want to help the poor?  All she wants for them is money and if they don't have it available then they are selfish and greedy.  He knows nothing about their situation and never asks. Plus they offer to help her in other ways.

Scene where Xiao Long Xia dragged Zhu Yun into a fight

Xiao Long Xia aggravates problems and puts others lives in danger. Also when her Sifu in disguise is trying to kill Bai Yun Fei, she drags Zhu Yun into the situation.  To them at that point her Sifu was a real threat to Bai Yun Fei and Zhu Yun, but the Sifu didn't know about Zhu Yun presence until Xiao Long Xia gave it away. It's like falling into a pit with snakes and instead of stopping your friend from falling in or letting them go get help, instead you pull them into the pit with you.

She causes her brother to get sent to jail and is almost killed just because she could not stay home for a few days but had to go out and have fun.  She also says that it's fun only when people are talking about and giving her praise. In one episode her brother asks her to stay home but she lies right to his face and does it anyway despite saying that she understood the risks. When her brother gets arrested covering for her, again she is aware that to help solve the problem she needs to lay low for a while but she does thing that attract more problem.  Her brother was in jail yet going out and having fun were more important to her. We know early on that Situ Jian Nan and Wen Qiang love each other but her father Minister Wen doesn't like the Situ family.   Situ Jing is suppose to dress as a man to move more freely and also make sure that nothing she does can bring her family trouble, especially since the father is a General.  But at one point she starts offering up her family's wealth, power and influence to Qi Guo Gong (who also wanted to marry Wen Qiang).  One, it wasn't her place to use those things as bargaining chips and second, she never informed to those that situation concerned and would effect.  Not even mentioning it.  Situ Jing is suppose to be smart and good at solving problem but episode after episode even when she found out that Zhu Yun was Emperor and even storm the castle without getting in trouble. At that point, I had hoped she would ask Zhu Yun to help her brother marry Wen Qiang. So that they could not be separated and Minister Wen would think twice before starting trouble. but episode after episode her smartest ideas were secret, switched brides or elopement which only made things worst.   The problem was finally solved, by Zhu Yun and his sister An Ning and Situ Jing was in no way involved.

Princess An Ning

I liked An Ning and found her interesting. Many times I wanted her to be the main character through whom the story was told. Being the Emperor sister An Ning grew up spoiled, naive, straight forward and brash.  Because she's a princess she's always gotten what she wanted but is a bit lonely since she was raised away from her mother and brother. Zhu Yun betrothed her to Bai Yun Fei to make sure no future war would start. And since he heard good things of Bai Yun Fei, he thought An Ning would be taken care of.  An Ning first encounter with Xiao Long Xia was seeing her beating up a man, in which she interfered.  An Ning is straight forward in that she won't hide her feelings and will say what she thinks.  she can read people but with little experience she's not always aware that even when caught some people would still try to lie, deceive, manipulate or even play victim like with Mei er.

Princess An Ning

I liked An Ning sense of justice and understanding.  Even when Bai Yun Fei rejected her, she never attacked Situ Jing because of it. She only did something on occasional when Mei er was manipulating her or she had a direct argument with Situ Jing.  Also she helps Situ Jian Nan and Wen Qiang because she saw the injustice against them and wanted to do something about it.

When An Ning helping Situ Jian Nan is a prime example of where Xiao Long Xia plays victim a lot.  Xiao Long Xia claims she owes An Ning for saving her brother, but An Ning says she did not to it for her and doesn't want anything.  But Xiao Long Xia continues to insist that she is indebted to her.  When An Ning bring her to the palace, Xiao Long Xia is the one that says she will do anything that An Ning wants but then she goes on to be indignant and self righteous that she never wants to owe someone because they will take advantage of her. I know Xiao Long Xia is spoiled but why couldn't her companion A-Lian just get her another bucket of water instead of her going to find someone, beat them up and then claim vengeance that she was the one being bullied.  She claims to understand the plight of the  refugees.

Prince Bai Yun Fei

At first I though I liked Bai Yun Fei until his brain got sucked out and eyes sewn shut and everything was Situ Jing.  Bai Yun Fei, came to the city to marry Princess An Ning and give her the bracelet but Xiao Long Xia stole it.  Bai Yun Fei had a duty to come marry Princess An Ning and secure the safety of his kingdom. A top that An Ning is a good person, beautiful and they are compatible.  Bai Yun Fe is a Prince, he was raised and grew up understanding the politics that goes into the ruling of a kingdom.  I was quite upset that all that went out the window for suppose love of Situ Jing.  He claims to admire that Xiao Long Xia wants to help refugees but he breaks his promise about marrying An Ning.  What if , Zhu Yun had taken great offense and started a war?  What would happen to all his people? It doesn't matter that thousands, if not millions would die and the rest would be left in worst situations the the ones Xiao Long Xia was trying to help?  What if, Zhu Yun had allow his mother to execute him and his kingdom started a war.  What would happen to his suppose sworn brother, Xiao Long Xia and millions of others? 

Even through Bai Yun Fei, we see how Xiao Long Xia can be a hypocrite.  At one point Xiao Long Xia says that she would never marry someone she didn't like  and when Zhu Yun says he likes her and wants her to be with him in the palace.  She gets angry, she claims she would never go against her feelings yet following that she goes and asks Bai Yun Fei to marry An Ning so that Zhu Yun would help her. She is well aware that Bai Yun Fei likes her and doesn't want to marry An Ning. When he refuses she calls him selfish, that others are only worried about their ambition. When he says something along the lines that he too doesn't compromise his feelings.  She says but it's for a good cause.  Then why didn't she go with Zhu Yun? She would never compromise but other should because it's for something that's going to help her.

Emperor Zhu Yun

I liked Zhu Yun. He's smart, kind, trying to do good and was actually funny. Except that like Bai Yun Fei to him all joy and happiness was Situ Jing.  I think, especially through him and An Ning was where I saw just how much of an annoying character among others that Situ Jing was.  One thing that quite angered me was that Situ Jing is suppose to be aware and care deeply about the plight of those less fortunate which was supposed to be illustrated by her schemes that would help the refugees.  Yet in one particular scene after her brother is arrested (I believe) she tries to storm the palace again.  Chen Lin (Zhu Yun guard) tries to tell her that he could not see her because he was being watched by those looking to harm them and that he had many problems that needed his immediate attention.  Situ Jing says "What problem could be bigger than mine?" (loose quote) and goes on to insult Zhu Yun.   Claiming that he had no integrity.  She also threaten to break their relationship. This is someone who is suppose to understand and have an awareness of the problems affecting others. So, trying to prevent war, helping refugees and dozens of other country wide issues all take second place to her problems.  She does things like the above multiple times.  On occasion, Zhu Yun really looked as if he would not put up with it and understood that there are more important things that need his help than being at Situ Jing beck and call but then things would change again.

Mei er, Zhu Yun's Cousin  and Concubine

I wished that Xiao Long Xia was allowed to be a spoiled child which is befitting of her background but throughout the story she would learn and grow. Instead we just had a broken record of how great and wonderful Xiao Long Xia was to begin with but each new episode just when to fight against what the record was saying.

Many found the show funny but for me it was just annoying and I had a hard time getting through each episode. I have never heard of Jang Nara but the cute act seems from what I read to be her staple. Jang Nara is good looking but, it didn't work for me. I didn't find her faces fun or funny, the exaggerated faces and sticking out of the tongue just got on my nerves.  I saw very little chemistry between her and the two men that I don't see either falling for her, let alone that hard.  I could never adjust to there being a serious moment and then something ridiculous being rushed at it the next second.  The tone seemed to move too jarringly and did not match in my opinion.