[E] OUTBOUND LOVE / 單戀雙城 [2014][TVB]

After my happy reaction to Episode 4, I am now back to Episode 5 because I can't understand some of the contents. Before that, a brief info on some Malaysian slang/words used in this episode that is worth noting. No not Leceh which is said twice in every episode.

Pandai - Smart

Selamat pagi - Good morning

Terima kasih - Thank you

All Malay language. What I don't like is this series may be giving a wrong impression that Chinese community in Malaysia are like those in Indonesia. So very errr.. Malay. The only thing that shows we are different is Ruco's 2nd favourite verse, SOLLI. Yes have to pronounce So-li because it is actually Sorry. Whilst we do say Police in English, a thought a nice touch would be saying mata aka ma-ta which is police.

Ruco also had to speak a few lines of Malay tonight. I may have complained his one word Malay may be terrible or not accurate and suddenly I am singing praises when he said a full paragraph or even 2 full paragraphs. It is simple really; easy to note mistake in 1 word which is also as easy it is to perfect the 1 word but a full sentence where he made an effort to actually speak the language and I could understand him? Deserve some applause even if have mistakes because it is not easy.

Ok, recap. My emoticon above is that way because of something I shall explain later.

Still in Penang, tour group enjoying their time and all. Ruco tries hard to explain to Sik Sik he is not the same as Nic. Sik Sik tries very hard to pretend he does not exist. Suddenly I see a huge golden statue and a long tall stairs and I was like isn't that Batu Caves? And where is Batu Caves? The sacred place for all Hindus, supremely important place during huge Indian festival called Thaipusam and in Kuala Lumpur, like I said, about 3 hours drive from Penang. Let's just forget about that. Sik Sik overheard Ruco boasting to a female in the group that he could run up more than 200 steps in 2 minutes. Someone hands over a phone to Sik Sik and it is Ruco's and she hides it and Ruco looks for his phone, couldn't find it, and she says perhaps the phone is left up there and off he ran, all the 200 plus steps, huffing, puffing only to have Sik Sik laugh and taunt him that didn't he just said he can run all the way up under 2 minutes? It was more than that. Poor guy almost dropped from exertion.

Later some conflict with the manager of Lassie hotel, Mr Sky who hates Sik Sik and some argument and Sik Sik fights back, in words, not in punches. Point is to show how brave and forthright Sik Sik is, how bullied poor Vivian (here she is Yvonne) is and all the more intriguing why Sky seems to behave quite different with Ruco. Till now no explanation.

Anyway more drama later when a very bad gwaipo actress acting as a woman who lost her ring and 3 guests (the 3 playful young men in the group) are all accused of stealing her ring by the manager. Now that is just idiotic. No manager will do that and be so hostile IN THE LOBBY. Anyway ring is found and Sik Sik demands he upgrades their buffet to high class buffer and also apologise. Yvonne looks quite happy with the results.

Meanwhile Ruco still tries hard to win Sik Sik's trust for god knows why. He tries hard to convince Sik Sik to look for the white knight, like isn't she curious who he is? At night she fantasizes about this White Knight, remembering his blurry shape fighting 4 men and the shape still blurry when the face becomes very clear and who she sees? MOSES CHAN!! That was one genuinely funny moment even if an obvious jab in a funny way at by then soon to be Mrs Moses Chan herself. Funny. Anyway Ruco at breakfast or lunch tells her he found her guy through a policeman friend called Don or someone who can find someone who ended up is Don, I can't remember who could help to find that white knight and she can meet Don when they're at KLCC (sigh.... this is getting out of hand). So she trusts him once more, is seen at Pavilion (in KL) and on her way to KLCC/Petronas Twin Towers (in KL) and on the way decides to buy new clothes, bag and shoes to meet this Don whom she believes might be her white knight and Ruco stalking her. And so at KLCC, standing at a position to highlight the beautiful waterfall and Ruco appears in white and she is pissed off and calls Don and it is Ruco and he explains he's the white knight. Smiling satisfyingly, her reaction is not positive. She becomes angry and shouts "Do you think I am easy to bully? Am I that easy for you to lie to, to cheat, to play around with, to push around? Do I look like that sort of weakling?!" and basically she storms off as Ruco tries very hard to explain that he is genuine and she could ask Tom (the guy she met again in episode 4).

Next thing back in Lassie Hotel (in Penang).

Pause.

PAUSEEEEE!

2 problems.

Someone asks me 

But the better question is ..

Another problem is the seriously ridiculous and even misleading geographical error. Ordinarily it should be ok but the thing is this series obviously promotes Penang. Penang is the main point and focus. People who doesn't know Malaysia may thing Penang has cosmopolitan place like Pavilion, that the Twin Towers is in Penang and Batu Caves is in Penang apart from genuine Penang local attractions. It is very very misleading and I find it such a lazy tourism promotion if this is one. By just mixing these places up, I feel this series is more intent on showing most attractive places for their scenery rather than actually genuinely promoting the local attractions; much like casting pretty people in a series rather than the talented ones. Very misleading. I also find it extremely misleading with Ruco sprouting Malay words here and there, making it sound like we are kinda like Indonesia. It would be wonderful if he has mixed Malay with Cantonese with Mandarin with English and with Hokkien which is what most Penangnites speak. Full sentences in Malay gives me an impression perhaps Luk Kung Chi may be a malay guy or grew up in Malay community rather than this being Malaysia which is multi national. At least in this episode I can hear the words fried kuey teow and cendol. Something new. But the fact that this series lack geographical integrity makes it very insincere. Worst is tonight we see Batu Caves, we see KLCC, major tourist spots in KL and the ending brief introduction is on Penang Airport. Doesn't this show this series is making Penang the starting point? Hence the misleading content.

Anyway continue.

I forgot what. Oh yeah going home to HK time. Before that Yvonne becomes friends with Sik Sik and Yvonne is such a good woman who admits she too is disappointed with Nic. She likes Sik Sik and offers Sik Sik a job at the Lassie Hotel which she says she will think about it but of course she will accept later to avoid Nic. Very predictable.

Before going back, Ruco wants to wish Sik Sik a good journey and hope to work again together. Before she leaves he asks her have they met before this?  Sik Sik hopes they will never meet again and quite rudely tells him she wonders if she hit him with a car and killed him in his past life, which is why she is now repaying her sins by having to deal with him. Wow, that was uncalled for. Whatever did he do to her anyway? Yes a few mishaps and misunderstandings but she should have said those lines to Nic, not to Ruco. I was disappointed Ruco did not say back to her that he did not deserve such curses. Small scene of Ruco looking at pictures and found the one on Sik Sik and he says "That's why I said I swear I have seen her somewhere before!"

So? Fated?

In HK. To be brief, Sik Sik is offered the manager position in new Tuen Mun office and she is excited but Nic is bothering her again and again. Instead of dealing it herself, she asks first her sister to return her ring and then Chin Jun to play basketball with her as Nic waits for her at their meeting place. They chat for a while when suddenly Sik Sik says to Chin Jun why don't they date....

Last scene is a short intro on Penang airport.

Last 30 minutes or so and I summarised to 4 lines. Other things happened but they're not relevant. Sik Sik's story is also at this point pretty stagnant for me.

Story wise, ok, some good stuff which is funny stuff to poor Ruco (especially the running up Batu Caves stairs scene - did Ruco do it? If yes, how many takes?) but I did not like how he is too eager to please her. I am not pleased of her treatment of Ruco. I am bored with the side stories. I in fact finds Vivien Yeo's story more intriguing. And Tony Hung needs some sleep. He looks dead tired. And the manager accusing theft in the lobby is really out of this world. Malaysian hotels may not be friendly, etc but surely a 5 star hotel in Malaysia knows how to deal with urgent matters tactfully.

How much misconception, insults, geographical error and the likes must this series hurl at Malaysia before things are done the right way?

No comment on performance tonight because the same comments apply except Vivien Yeo plays her part very elegantly.