All posts by Renette

My Favorite Gilmore Girls Fan Fiction

August 17, 2020TV & MoviesRenette

I’m a latecomer to the world of Gilmore Girls, only starting to watch the show in 2017. After I finished all the seasons and did a re-watch, I ventured into the world of fan fiction. I will keep updating this as I go along.

FUN READS

The Heart So Hollow – AU (alternate universe). Luke becomes a hotshot baseball star. He meets Lorelai and things get interesting.

ANGSTY READS

It’s All Coming Back to Me Now – This is the first of the two stories that was highly recommended in some thread I found years ago, that actually got me hooked in fan fiction. Set after the episode “Partings,” it shows Lorelai trying to get over Luke.

Time Heals – The second of the two stories that came highly recommended. Set 13 years after the breakup, it shows what happens when Luke and Lorelai don’t see each other after so long. The pain is real!

In the Era of Film – This is something I discovered only recently, but WOW. This may be my new favorite. The characterization of Luke and Lorelai was spot on and really explored the heartbreak of a failed relationship.

MY OWN STUFF

If you want to read some of my own fanfiction, you can check it out here. 🙂 I’ve got angst, a bit of humor, a bit of romance.

Thoughts on Anne with an E

I just finished Season 3 last night and was shocked to find out it’s the last season. I feel cheated. I was always iffy about this show since it first came out, but they can’t just cancel it right when Gilbert and Anne got together. Please #RenewAnnewithanE!

Here are my thoughts after watching each episode.

Season 1

Episode 1 – It’s so dark. Anne has PTSD. The tone is so different from the book and the previous show. I don’t know if I’ll like it.

Episode 2 – Why does the orphanage look like a haunted house? And why does Anne and Matthew have to both go there in the dead of the night?

Episode 3 – Gilbert!!! At last. Sorry, but Gilbert Blythe – and Laurie from Little Women, and Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice, and Mr. Rochester from Jane Eyre – they’re my literary crushes. It kind of seems uncharacteristic for Gilbert to pull Anne’s braid like that.

Episode 4 – Ruby Gillis is so delightful. I don’t know how I feel about Matthew and Jeannie though.

Episode 5 – The chemistry between Anne and Diana is so real. I love their drunk scenes – they looked like they genuinely were having fun.

Episode 6 – “Grief is the price you pay for love.” Wise words from Ms. Barry.

Episode 7 – “Love isn’t charity.” Again, wise words from Ms. Barry.

Season 2

Episode 1 – I really, really don’t like the sub-plot of the Avonlea boarders and the gold. There are so many lovely stories in the books that would have served better to add some spice. Also – Ruby is really quite the character.

Episode 2 – Matthew looking at Marilla’s new hairdo was hilarious.

Episode 3 – At last they’ve wrapped up the gold fever plot line. Couldn’t wait until it was done.

Episode 4 – Anne’s reaction to Matthew’s reprimand was so heartfelt.

Episode 5 – In the book, I always thought Anne dyeing her hair green was a tragical – but comical – thing. Here it is much deeper than that – you can see how serious this was for Anne. A fresh perspective indeed.

Episode 6 – I’ve always been in the fence about Bash’s character. Not because his presence (as well as Cole’s) makes the show more “woke” since it delves into racial (and gender) issues, but because the entire storyline takes time away from the Avonlea characters.

Episode 7 – I feel bad for Matthew seeing how serious his social anxiety was with his flashbacks.

Episode 8 – A character is gay. I didn’t expect that. The scene of a girl in white running in the snow was so… beautiful.

Episode 9 – Miss Stacey at last! I loved the potato stamps and the potato lamp.

Oceania Seafood Buffet at Four Points by Sheraton

June 4, 2017Foodbuffet, seafoodRenette

I was initially hesitant to try the seafood buffet at Four Points by Sheraton because I’m not really that into seafood. But my hubby is a huge seafood fan, and we were planning to use our Maybank credit card to get 50% off the price of SGD40.80++ per adult so why not?

My husband called them in the morning to reserve a table for all three of us since we were planning to take Lia along. We were pleasantly surprised when we got there, because they’ve already set up plastic Ikea utensils for her in our table, and a staff immediately asked if we wanted a high chair.

My hubby ended up eating mostly crab legs (claws?) and shrimp from the cold seafood spread. I kept trying to convince him to try something else – something I don’t eat myself – like maki or sashimi or laksa – but he was way too happy with what he was eating and didn’t want to explore much. Look at how happy he is.

I, on the other hand, went for a bit more variety. Here are some of the food I tried:

Grilled Lamb with Parmesan and Spicy Herb Crust – This was the winner for me. As I mentioned, I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to eat much but they did take care to have non-seafood options for people like me. The lamb was tender and flavourful, though some people may think that it needs a bit more salt. I personally could not detect any spiciness at all, so the name of the dish seemed a bit misleading.
Grilled Lemongrass Chicken with Chunky Peanut Sauce – I didn’t taste the lemongrass – it was like chicken cooked in satay sauce. Since I like satay, this was also hit for me.
Shrimp and Tomato Fried Rice – This was really good. I got a second serving of this.
Deep Fried Prawn Ball with Wasabi Aioli and Fish Roe – I didn’t taste the wasabi or the fish roe. It was like deep fried prawns with batter – which I like.
Har Gow (shrimp dumpling) – It seems like there was some ground meat inside. This was okay.
Seafood Pasta with Homemade Tomato Fondue – Not bad at all. I didn’t ask my husband to try it since he doesn’t like Italian style pasta which is on the sour side, but I do. He likes his spaghetti Filipino-style: sweet.
Boston Clam Chowder – This was just okay. It didn’t taste anything like clams or seafood, and was a bit thin. It tasted like a regular cream-based (slightly watery) soup with some chunks of vegetables thrown in.

From the top clockwise – seafood pasta, deep fried prawn balls, lemongrass chicken, a bread roll, shrimp and tomato fried rice, grilled lamb. Please don’t judge me for carbo loading. I’m ready to pop anytime now but only gained 2kg through this pregnancy, so I have license to eat. 🙂

Lia was still feeling full from breakfast and only ate two or three bread rolls, which were on the crunchy side. I really liked the texture, but it was a bit difficult for Lia and my hubby (with his braces) to bite on, so we ended up cutting them into small pieces. She tried a bite of har gow and tasted the clam chowder too, but she’s in her picky eating stage and didn’t really like trying anything unfamiliar.

What she really liked though was the dessert selection. She immediately got a bowl of vanilla ice cream, which she topped with chocolate syrup, chocolate sprinkles and raisins all by herself (with a nervous mommy supervising). I got some green tea ice cream for myself which was very nice. I tried the strawberry ice cream too but it wasn’t anything special.

In the end, I had to finish the rest of Lia’s ice cream sundae, because the moment she saw the panna cotta, she got distracted and decided she wanted that more. She ate about three or four of these. It was really good – not too sweet – though the texture was a bit runny.

Sidney and I tried their hot chocolate cake with vanilla sauce, which was very moist and tasted like a fudge brownie. I’m not much of a chocolate person, but I thought it went well with one of my favourite teas, Dilmah’s Moroccan mint tea (I think they had the full Dilmah selection).

Our bill came up to SGD48.02 or SGD24.01 each. Not bad at all! But would I go back if there wasn’t a 50% off promo? Probably not.

Four Points Eatery 
Four Points by Sheraton (Singapore Riverview)
382 Havelock Road, Singapore 169629
http://www.fourpointssingaporeriverview.com

El Mero Mero at CHIJMES

So hubby and I decided to finally check out CHIJMES. We’ve been living in Singapore for seven years now but just never found the time to go there.

If you have no idea what CHIJMES is, you can check their website here. It is a 160-year-old complex that was transformed into a “unique lifestyle venue” – which basically means it’s a great place to eat, or hold weddings, or take professional photos.

I was craving for some Mexican food and we ended up at El Mero Mero. We started off with guacamole and tortilla chips. The guacamole was a bit on the bland side, so we put some salt and lime. This was a bit pricey at SGD18.

I wanted tacos so I ordered the Kurobuta Pork “Al Pastor” – pineapple, coriander, onion, lime, special 4-inch corn tortilla. It costs SGD14 for 2 pieces and SGD20 for 3.

The pork was very flavorful and went well with the tortillas we had with the guacamole. I wish there was more grilled pineapples, onion and coriander though.

Hubby wanted beef, and went with the NZ Angus Beef Burrito – guacamole, cheese, cream, fried beans, rice, lettuce, red onion. This cost SGD29 but was easily the best thing we ate there.

Unfortunately, since this came in about 20 minutes after they first served the guacamole and the tacos, hubby was already feeling full from eating half of my tacos and finishing off his virgin mojito, so he could only manage to eat half of the burrito. But it was so good that even though I was feeling quite full myself, I finished off the rest. Best burrito I’ve ever had!

Along with these three dishes, two virgin mojitos and an agua fresca, our final bill was SGD109.46. This is a bit on the pricey side, but if you just want to have a nice, laid-back dinner at an area with a great ambience, El Mero Mero is a great place to go.

El Mero Mero
30 Victoria Street #01-20 Chijmes Singapore  187996
http://elmeromero.sg

One Life. Six Words. Here’s Mine.

July 23, 2016LiteraturememoirRenette

I saw the book “Not Quite What I Was Planning” while browsing in the non-fiction area of the library. Apparently, Ernest Hemingway famously wrote the six-word story “For sale: baby shoes, never worn” and this started the challenge of telling a story in six words.

The catchphrase “One life. Six words. What’s yours?” was intriguing. And I started reading. Some were written by famous personalities, some by people I’ve never heard of. Here are some of my favorites:

“Danced in Fields of Infinite Possibilities.” – author Deepak Chopra

“Soul’d out so I could prophet.” – author Gotham Chopra, son of Deepak Chopra

“Cursed with cancer. Blessed with friends.” 9-year-old cancer survivor Hannah Davies

“Well, I thought it was funny.” – comedian Jon Stewart

Anyway, here are some of my own contributions –

Life’s not perfect but who cares?

Blessed beyond measure. Thank You, Lord!

Hated poop till I became mom.

I wish I had more money.

Married a man kinder than me.

Wants to write but too lazy.

When I first told Sidney about the six-word memoirs, he immediately gave his without batting an eyelash:

Shut up and do it quickly.

My Library Haul – July 2016

July 16, 2016Literatureagatha christie, detective stories, fiction, jodie picoult, larry smith, library haul, memoir, non-fiction, photography, rachel fershleiser, tracey clarkRenette

I was on leave on Monday but had such a busy day that I fell asleep late in the afternoon and woke up at 8 pm. I didn’t borrow any books for myself during my usual Saturday library visit with Lia, so I decided to go by myself at night. I had to rush because Bishan Public Library closes at 9 pm, plus I haven’t had dinner yet. Anyway, here are the books I borrowed –

Fiction

Agatha Christie, 4:50 from Paddington – I’ve been reading a lot of Agatha Christie lately, and so far my favorite character is Miss Marple. That’s why I intentionally looked for a Miss Marple book to read. The collection of her short stories are brilliant but the first Miss Marple novel that I read (At Bertram’s Hotel) was not as impressive, though still very good.

Agatha Christie, A Pocketful of Rye – Just a random Agatha Christie I got from the shelf. Agatha Christies are my new Hardy Boys and Nancy Drews.

Agatha Christie, Partners in Crime – I read a Tommy and Tuppence book about 5 years ago and really enjoyed it, but to be honest I completely forgot about it. I was pleasantly surprised to find this among the Hercule Poirots and Miss Marples. I will definitely read this first.

Jodie Picoult, My Sister’s Keeper – I heard about this book since it came out in 2004, but never got around to actually reading it. I haven’t watched the movie either. When I saw this while I was browsing the shelf, I just grabbed it.

Non-Fiction

Tracey Clark, Elevate the Everyday – Its tag line says “A Photographic Guide to Picturing Motherhood,” which is exactly what I want to learn. My hubby has always wanted me to learn photography with him, but I was never particularly interested… until now.

Larry Smith and Rachel Fershleiser, Not Quite What I Was Planning – In the introduction it mentioned the “six-word novel” widely believed to come from Ernest Hemmingway – “For sale: Baby shoes. Never worn.” This spurred the editors to ask people to submit their own six-word memoirs.

Les Misérables Singapore 2016

July 11, 2016Music & Theatreearl carpenter, esang de torres, lea salonga, les miserables, patrice tipoki, simon gleesonRenette

What a night. When we went to London in May 2015, I almost decided to leave my husband and daughter at the hotel to catch Les Misérables at West End by myself. Why? Because I’ve always wanted to see the musical. You see, I really, really loved the book. I first read it around 2004 and bawled my eyes out when Valjean died. I read it many many times after that – at least once every year.

I knew there was a musical based on the book, but I never bothered much about it. I knew “I Dreamed a Dream” and “On My Own” like everyone else, but that was it. Then my Singaporean colleague told me that the Philippines’ very own Lea Salonga was chosen to play Eponine in the Les Misérables 10th anniversary concert, and Fantine in the 25th. He said it was a really huge deal, and I felt embarrassed not knowing about it.

So I went and found the 10th and 25th anniversary online, and watched it all alone. I was in tears. Since then, I’ve watched whatever performances I could find on YouTube and kept hoping Les Mis would come to Singapore. And they did!

Here are some of my random thoughts…

MY TOP 3 FAVORITE CAST

Simon Gleeson as Jean Valjean was really the star of the show. He was raging, he was vulnerable, he was conflicted, he was honorable. In the book and in the musical, Valjean is the heart and soul of the story. Simon Gleeson gave justice to this part. Plus he had a very powerful, emotive voice.

Image from http://www.limelightmagazine.com.au

Patrice Tipoki as Fantine was heartbreaking. I started tearing up during this scene –

Valjean:
I’ve seen your face before
Show me some way to help you
How have you come to grief
In a place such as this?

Fantine:
M’sieur, don’t mock me now, I pray
It’s hard enough I’ve lost my pride
You let your foreman send me away
Yes, you were there, and turned aside
I never did no wrong

Valjean:
Is it true, what I have done?

Fantine:
My daughter’s close to dying

Valjean:
To an innocent soul?

Fantine:
If there’s a God above

Valjean:
Had I only known then…

Fantine:
He’d let me die instead.

When she sang “I Dreamed a Dream,” she didn’t belt it out – she sang it very hauntingly. Again I was in tears. By the time we got to Fantine’s Death, I was a mess. I didn’t have a tissue or a hanky, and I was wearing makeup (smoky eyes and lots of mascara no less), so I had to keep dabbing at my eyes and my cheeks and trying to stifle my sniffles. It was a good thing there were a lot of sniffles all around in the dark – not just mine.

Earl Carpenter as Inspector Javert had that dogged determination. He was able to really show another side to the character when he sang “Stars.” Perhaps my only complaint is that his voice sometimes sound a teeny bit like Simon Gleeson’s so during songs when they sing together (e.g. “Confrontation”), there are parts when it’s a bit difficult to distinguish who is who.

MY TOP 3 FAVORITE SONGS

“One Day More.” One word – goosebumps. This was the most loudly applauded song tonight, for good reason.

“Empty Chairs at Empty Tables.” I loved the part where candles were on the floor, and as Marius sang, each of his (dead) friends came and took the candle and snuffed it out.

“Stars.” I had no idea how they would show Javert jumping to his death, especially after he stepped onto a ledge (which was about 2 or 3 feet high). I was thinking if he jumps to the ground, it wouldn’t look impressive at all. But when the props went flying up and the background looked like it was flying up, you really get the sensation that Javert was falling. Then black out.

I always buy the souvenir programme (it’s my collection) and I had a pleasant surprise while looking through this one – a picture of Esang de Torres from The Voice Kids. She plays the young Cosette in Les Mis Manila.

This was definitely one of my favorite date nights ever.

Celebrity Look-Alikes

There are some celebrities that have more than a passing resemblance with another celebrity. Here are some that I or my husband Sidney noticed before.

My Top 5 Favourite Episodes from Doctor Who Series 3

January 18, 2015TV & Moviesdoctor-who, tenth-doctor, tv quotesRenette

Series 3 was not my favourite series because I did not particularly like Martha Jones. I just didn’t like her puppy eyes (especially when she finally got a key to the Tardis) and the unrequited love angle, though it was dealt with nicely when Captain Jack admitted that he felt the same way.

Anyway, here are my favourite episodes from this series.

5. Daleks in Manhattan / Evolution of the Daleks (Episodes 4-5, Helen Raynor)

Andrew Garfield with a Tennessee accent! That was strange and funny at the same time. It’s always great whenever we see the Daleks, but the pig and the showgirl trumps everything for me. It also leads me to one of my favourite quotes of the episode from the precocious Tallulah:

Tallulah: Hey, you’re lucky, though. You got yourself a forward-thinking guy, with that hot potato in the sharp suit.

Martha Jones: Oh, he’s not – We’re not – together.

Tallulah: Oh sure you are! I’ve seen the way you look at him, it’s obvious.

Martha Jones: Not to him.

Tallulah: Oh! I should have realized. He’s into musical theatre, huh? What a waste.

4. Human Nature / The Family of Blood (Episodes 8-9, Paul Cornell)

I think this was a very unique story arc, seeing the Doctor as the full-blown human John Smith, and boy did I not like him that much. He seemed too… human. Yeah, that doesn’t make sense, but I like what Nurse Redfern said, John Smith (or the Doctor) would not want mere boys to fight for him. Just two things that bothered me the whole time about these two episodes which is why I didn’t rate it higher than perhaps I should: 1) I did not like Baines. At all. And it’s not because he’s a villain – it’s just that I find him so annoying. 2) I did not like how the Family of Blood would call each other xxxx-of-mine (son-of-mine and so on). I just did not like it.

To be fair to John Smith though, you could see that he really did not want to become the Doctor, but in the end he did choose to open the fob watch.

I didn’t like Nurse Redfern that much at first – mainly because I did not want another love interest for Ten(nant), but when I watched it again, I liked how forward and honest and sincere she was. I liked how controlled she was during her last conversation with the Doctor:

Joan Redfern: Where is he… John Smith?

The Doctor: He’s in here somewhere.

Joan Redfern: Like a story… could you change back?

The Doctor: Yes.

Joan Redfern: Will you?

The Doctor: No.

And then again, Doctor Who makes something mundane unbelievably creepy. The little girl with the balloon – she was creepy to start with. And then they had to go and trap her in every mirror…

3. The Shakespeare Code (Episode 2, Gareth Roberts)

I seem to enjoy the episodes where the Doctor goes back in history and meet historical characters (like the one where Nine met Charles Dickens). So I knew from the start that I would enjoy this episode, even though I’m not that big of a Shakespeare fan. But how can you not resist all the Harry Potter references?

Martha Jones: So, magic and stuff? It’s a surprise, it’s all a bit Harry Potter.

The Doctor: Wait till you read book 7. Oh, I cried.

And book 7 hasn’t been released yet at that time. And of course…

Just brilliant. Coming from Barty Crouch Jr., whose father, Barty Crouch Sr, invented the Cybermen. Yeah.

2. Utopia / The Sound of Drums / Last of the Time Lords (Episodes 11-13, Russell T Davies)

I hated these episodes at first because the Doctor seemed so helpless. But then again – Captain Jack Harkness! I just love this guy. I need to download the Torchwood episodes now. Anyway, I thought the Master was brilliant, and he reminded me of Nine, with all his silly inopportune grins. Having never watched Classic Who beforehand, I had no idea the Master was such a big deal.

These episodes had such great dialogue:

Professor Yana: Oh, every human knows about Utopia! Where have you been?

The Doctor: Bit of a hermit.

Professor Yana: A hermit… with, uh, friends?

[points to Jack and Martha]

The Doctor: Hermits United. We meet up every ten years, swap stories about caves. It’s good fun, for a hermit.

And then there’s this one:

Professor Yana: [to the Doctor] Might I ask, what species are you?

Doctor: Time Lord. Last of. Heard of them? Legend or anything? Not even a myth? Blimey, the end of the universe is a bit humbling.

And then we had that touching conversation between Jack and the Doctor, when they talked about Rose and what happened to Jack and why he couldn’t die.

The Doctor: [about Rose] Everything she did was so human. She brought you back to life, but she couldn’t control it. She brought you back forever. That’s something, I suppose. The final act of the Time War was life.

Captain Jack Harkness: [working a power system panel] Do you think she could change me back?

The Doctor: I took the power out of her. She’s gone, Jack. She’s not just living on a parallel world. She’s trapped there. The walls have closed.

Captain Jack Harkness: I’m sorry.

The Doctor: Yeah.

Captain Jack Harkness: I went back to her estate in the Nineties, just once or twice, watched her growing up. Never said hello, time lines and all that.

The Doctor: Do you want to die?

Captain Jack Harkness: [pulling on a power system panel] This one’s a little stuck.

The Doctor: Jack.

Captain Jack Harkness: I thought I did. I don’t know, but this lot, you see them out here surviving and that’s fantastic.

1. Blink (Episode 10, Steven Moffat)

When I first started watching Doctor Who, I asked a few Whovian friends on what their favorite episodes were. They all voted very strongly for Blink as one of the best episodes of all time. So I couldn’t wait to get to 3×10. Even though they assured me that I could watch it out of sequence, I was determined to not skip a single episode and wait till I get to the tenth episode of series 3. And that is how I wound up watching Blink – by myself – in the middle of the night. I think I’d put the weeping angels as the scariest Doctor Who villain so far.

My Top 5 Favourite Episodes from Doctor Who Series 2

December 28, 2014TV & Moviesdoctor who, tenth-doctor, tv quotesRenette

5. The Christmas Invasion (Christmas Special, Russell T. Davies)

To be honest, I didn’t like this episode very much when I first saw it, mainly because I was still pining after the loss of the Ninth Doctor (Christopher Eccleston). Also, there was something about the Tenth Doctor that creeped me out at first – I realised much later on that I still remembered him as Barty Crouch Jr.

Anyway, this was a GREAT way to introduce a new Doctor. I suppose it’s always challenging to get the audience to love a new Doctor, but this had a lot of fun moments.

Sycorax: Who are you?

The Doctor: Well, that’s the question, isn’t it?

Sycorax: I demand to know who you are!

The Doctor: (growling like the Sycorax) I DON’T KNOW! I mean, I know I’m the Doctor, but beyond that, I – I just don’t know. I literally do not know who I am. So I’m testing. Am I funny? Am I sarcastic? (to Rose) Sexy?

4. School Reunion (Episode 3, Toby Whithouse)

I saw this episode not knowing who Sarah Jane was, since I haven’t seen any of the Classics episodes. To be honest, this is one of the reasons why I really want to start watching those – to see more of Sarah Jane Smith. This gives a glimpse of what things are like for a previous companion. I have to give props to the actress – she was so classy and dignified even though you could see the pain in her soul.

3. The Girl in the Fireplace (Episode 4, Steven Moffat)

I actually didn’t like this episode very much at first because it seems as if the Doctor was falling in love with one woman after another, with poor Rose right there watching everything happen. But after I saw it a few times afterwards, I grew to love the story and Reinette (and because “Reinette” or little queen sounds so close to my name Renette). There was just something so regal about Madame de Pompadour. I found out later that the actress (Sophia Myles) was David Tennant’s real life girlfriend during that time, which must have explained the unbelievable chemistry they had on screen.

2. New Earth (Episode 1, Russell T. Davies)

One word: Cassandra. Both Rose-Cassandra and the Doctor-Cassandra was just amazing. And that kiss! But my favourite scenes are those where Cassandra inhabits anyone, especially Rose and the Doctor.

Cassandra (in the Doctor’s body): Well… this is… different…

Rose: Cassandra?

Cassandra (in the Doctor’s body): Goodness me, I’m a man. Yum. So many parts. And hardly used.

[starts jerking around]

Cassandra (in the Doctor’s body): Ah, ah! Two hearts! Oh baby, I’m beating out a samba!

Rose: Get out of him!

Cassandra (in the Doctor’s body): Ooh, he’s slim… and a little bit foxy. You thought so too; I’ve been inside your head. You’ve been looking. You *like* it.

1. Army of Ghosts / Doomsday (Episodes 12 & 13, Russell T. Davies)

This was actually so sad. There were bits of it that sort of reminds me of Twilight (mainly the Rose voiceovers while she looks grieving) but it was just so terribly sad. I hated seeing Donna Noble at the end though, I felt like the Doctor should have been allowed to grieve a bit longer.

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