【法证先锋6 幸存者的救赎】观后感想 ~ 勉强是没有幸福的 / Review of "Forensic Heroes 6" (HK drama)

终于播完了。

看到第六季，得到的结论是：勉强是没有幸福的。

【法证先锋】系列因为第一和第二季的成功，多年下来出了好多季的续集，一直都有一季不如一季的批评。我个人是挺喜欢第三季的黎耀祥和张可颐的搭配，故事节奏又挺快的，案件也有一定的挑战性，人物之间的感情戏也不至于拖拉。后来的第四和第五季却令人颇为失望，小丑梗用了这么多年却仍然没有答案，情侣们的CP感太欠缺，所以很难让人投入剧情。怎么都没想到，第六集竟然还“创新低”，真是惨不忍睹。

主角跟配角之间的模糊界限，喧宾夺主的hard sell

黄宗泽，袁伟豪跟蔡洁明明是主角，一开始的戏份就少的可怜。反而是戴祖仪，林正峰和阮嘉敏出场的次数跟时间多到让人误会他们才是主角。一集内就看到他们三人多次在咖啡厅跟洗衣店讨论案情，但内容实在有够空洞无聊。一直到了剧集后期，真正的三位主角才有几场在高档酒吧的聊天场面。很明显看得出，配角们应该是电视台现在要力捧的新一代演员，所以才会有这么明显的“hard sell”。可是如果做过了头又没有实质上可以让他们爆红或被观众喜欢的理由，这种被人“硬塞”的感觉其实是不会达不到预期的效果，反而会令人对他们反感。也就是因为看不下去，我到了中后期都会快转跳过这些场面。

内容与剧名不符，草草了事又不合理的剧情

明明是聚焦法证人员的戏，真正看到他们在工作或协助破案的场面少之又少。以前的系列经常都有法证，法医和警方开会讨论案情的戏，这一季却好像各自为政又没有什么交流似的。连法医在做解剖时身边也没有助理了，取而代之的是跟AI对话。这似乎是想呼应人与人之间的疏离，做什么都以来科技和人工智慧的现行趋势。

说到案情更是令人摇头，开始的阶段所看到的那些案件总是不知何时开始，又无声无息的结束，破案的过程似乎又没什么让法证发挥的空间，所以有点像是警方为主轴的戏。虽然后面的案件有比较详细的描述，发展和处理方式又有太多不合理之处。例如叫法证人员到下水道工作却没有戴护具防范污染和有毒气体，警方破门入屋发现疑犯死亡后却在没戴手套的情况下乱摸屋里的物品。让人最不能理解的是，法医竟然可以接触或解剖明明曾经被指控杀死的人的尸体，这难道不需要避嫌和防止利益冲突呢？

还有一点让人很出戏的是，明明全组同事都在用粤语谈话，突然丢出一句又一句的中文。这真的有点刻意，也影响了对话的流畅度。

关于感情戏的部分，让人看得很痛苦的是井浩然和吴书婷那一段。其实不知道编剧是不是不太喜欢井浩然这个角色，上一季让他经历一段虐心的恋情，这次又来一个就算想爱又无法克服心理障碍的对象。问题在于这对的感觉一开始就很别扭和勉强，所以实在不太想看到他们被硬凑在一起。

前面的问题未解决，又抛出新谜团？

之前提到的小丑梗虽然在每一季都有出现，到上一季仍没有一个很完整的解释和结论。结果这一季居然没有对这一点提出任何新的东西，却在结尾蹦出一个新的隐形杀人凶手（其实看得出是谁）利用一个诅咒和举发恶人的手机应用程序来替天行道。

这。。。真的让人很无语。那玩了五季的小丑梗是没有意义的吗？

老实说，其实在看完头几集时就已经很想弃剧，支撑到最后纯粹是想知道宝英失踪案的结果。虽然犯人跟动机实在是太好猜了，这条线居然有办法从第一集硬拉到最后一集，结果还草草了事，实在大失所望。不合理之处又多不胜数，被囚禁在地下室一年，如果墙壁没装隔音材质，难道在人来人往的旅馆内没人会听到宝英的呼救或发出的声响吗？若地下室又没设置洗手间，宝英难道一整年都没上厕所和洗澡换衣服？当犯人必须送三餐给她时，进进出出时怎么可能不会惹人起疑呢？

虽然我对这一季很不满意，但感觉问题主要还是在剧情和呈现方式上，演员们其实并非表现的这么差。只不过故事很不OK时，演员们要“逆流而上”把危机转为契机就会难如登天。硬是继续做下去是否是对的，只能等待时间去证明了。

如果第七季会像这一季一样的让人火大，我想是时候跟这个【法证】系列“分手”了。

Review of "The Influencer" (Korean) - The fun was outside the competition?

Trust Netflix to come up with this competition-reality show featuring influencers.

Prior to the release, I was intrigued by how the show could pick the so-called "best" influencer among 77 competitors on different social media platforms and providing different content in various ways through an offline show. Under the assumption that the results of the show could only be disclosed months later due to post-production, it was not possible to have real-time voting and for the influencers to tap on their existing followers/membership base so I didn't know exactly how the selection and judging criteria would be. It is debatable as to whether the format of the show and whether the rounds were fair to every influencer and I honestly did not care about who won the title in the end since I knew none of them except Jang Keun-seok who is a celebrity/artist in the first place. Although I must say, I felt that the winner deserved to have the prize money taken away for being a bragging blabbermouth despite the confidentiality clause.

The show was boring to me from the start because the first episode took so much time to introduce these influencers to the extent that it was becoming repetitive. While the influencers gushed about their fellow competitors from time to time whenever someone considered "big" in their circle appeared, that enthusiasm was somewhat lost on me because I didn't know who they were. If the viewers are those who follow the influencers closely or are aware of who are the bigwigs in the Korean influencer scene, maybe the introduction section wouldn't come across as so lengthy and yawn-inducing though. 

Of course, things got better as the game progressed but I did wonder if some of the rounds were fair especially when the influencers were paired up and some were ousted because of their partners' being too fixated on doing what they thought was best or their incompetence. Ultimately, the influencer should be responsible for their personal performance since they are on their own in the online arena. Makes no sense to me if they were kicked out because of another person's mistake. In addition, to have the competition's outcome being decided in a controlled and offline environment also gave me doubts on whether it was fair after all. The Internet is an entirely different ball game after all compared to the real world.

Rather than discussing the game rounds in detail or which influencer played their game well, I felt that there was more interesting stuff which I observed outside the main event i.e. the competition. Perhaps some food for thought for all while viewing this show?

1) The perception of status based on perceived effort

It appears that in the influencer world, people who are active on certain platforms are considered to be of a higher class compared to others and this is seemingly tied to the type of content they produce. It was clear from the show that the TikTokers while boasting of huge follower numbers because of the global reach of the platform itself, weren't seen so favourably by their peers compared to people who had smaller numbers but were on platforms like YouTube. The way I understand it was that it is more difficult to get people to become subscribers on YouTube vs. becoming a follower on TikTok and that TikTokers produce short-form videos as compared to YouTube where the video length is much longer generally. As such, it is natural to assume that because the video is longer, more effort is needed to plan, film and edit the YouTube videos as compared to a TikTok video which may be as short as less than a minute. 

As I am not a TikTok user, I do not really understand the dynamics of that platform or what is considered popular there. However, as a YouTube user, I only subscribe to channels when I really like the content, the content producer and would like to keep going back to watch new videos from that channel. As such, pressing that subscribe button on YouTube probably requires a more deliberate and conscious effort on the user's part (at least for me) compared to just liking or following an user account such as one on Instagram or X or Facebook. As for the effort part, I do agree that the long form videos require a lot of time and work but if the TikToker consistently churns out short form videos, say on a daily basis, then that can be seen as hard work as well - just that it's more spread out and may not be as apparent.

2) Monetisation vs. advertisement revenue - direct vs. indirect support

Some social media platforms allow influencers to earn money through monetisation functions like receiving tips or rewards while others offer advertisement revenue based on views. From the show, some influencers seem to think that even though they have lower follower numbers, the fact that they earned more through monetisation which is a direct form of support shown from their followers is a reflection of their superiority vs. those who have huge follower numbers but maybe not an equally big amount of advertisement revenue to reflect their fanbase. 

I do use X and Facebook to get the word out whenever I update my blogs so these are essentially for PR purposes rather than for earning money or gaining a huge follower base. And since I do not have a huge follower base to begin with, I have no idea how and how much people can earn through these platforms. While I do see why those influencers who make huge money through monetisation functions see themselves as being more superior because they have a seemingly more engaged and fervent fan base who is willing to pay, we also cannot ignore the fact that some of these functions require payment so that the fans can gain access to extra stuff. 

On the other hand, advertisement revenue doesn't look so passive or indirect as it seems - you actually have to click and view a video or post or be made to sit through a full ad before accessing the desired content at times. I would think that there is nothing that suggests that one avenue is better than the other - it's just different ways of showing support.

3) Followers vs. engagement - which is more meaningful?

The game started off with ranking the influencers based on their follower count which can be seen as unfair because the social media platforms have different "hurdles" to cross, be it perceived or actual, when it comes to users choosing whether to follow an account. As I noted above, becoming a YouTube channel subscriber certainly means a more conscious and obvious show of interest on my part compared to doing the same for an Instagram or X account. While follower count may be important to influencers because this can affect the kind of money they can command for commercial tie-ups, I feel that engagement may be a more meaningful metric but the criteria to assess this across platforms is even more challenging to do. As such, it is understandable that the show chooses to use follower count as a starting point to rank people despite the potential controversy about the nature and reach of these different social media platforms.

4) Getting attention in the right way - substance or minimal effort as long as you win?

I can't say for others but in my case, I follow social media accounts of non-celebrities primarily because I like the content. However, this competition has also showed that there are some influencers who capitalise on their physical/sexual charm or their gift of the gab or by being unconventional to stand out from the crowd and become successful - nothing wrong with that as long as the market demands it. The interesting thing you can observe from this show is, humans can be very contradictory when it comes to alternative definitions of being worthy of success.

While users may like someone who flaunts her nice figure (those male influencers who were fawning over the female influencers dressed sexily), when it comes to that person becoming your competitor, some influencers "look down" on these people by saying that they are just "selling their bodies" for eyeballs and have no substance to speak of. Likewise, for contestants who were just saying controversial things, being critical of everything or saying things which others don't dare to, shouting or putting on an act to fish for attention, that didn't seem to sit well with some influencers even though they admitted that this was indeed effective in getting people's interest.

For the round when people were supposed to upload a thumbnail post to attract attention in a short period of time, some influencers were taking the "sneaky way out" by producing photos with minimal effort just to hog the centre spot. Would you then say that these people did not deserve to win because their actions defeated the purpose of the contest or would you conclude that as long as they got the attention they wanted, it did not matter if the content had no substance so as to speak?

And it is worth noting the change in sentiment towards Jang Keun-seok's participation in this contest right from the start. While people were in awe of him when he first arrived, some influencers soon felt that it was unfair for him to join because he was already famous before he became an influencer. The truth was that, he was already active on past editions of online platforms before social media and influencers became buzzwords so he can be considered as an experienced predecessor in this kind of online engagement. And honestly speaking, he wasn't as popular as compared to his heyday when he joined this competition. As such, you can say that he was riding on the coat-tails of his past fame but the extent of this advantage could be quite limited. Besides, things were evened out because he was on a comparatively more challenging platform i.e. YouTube and was still relatively new to this influencer thing thus his follower count wasn't that high yet. From what happened, it reflects the fact that when people see others competing with them but do not feel that they have the substance or they actually have a perceived unfair advantage or headstart, the latter is generally not viewed too favourably.

While the show itself had some flaws and may not satisfy everyone with the way the competition was conducted or the outcome, I thought that it was still valuable in terms of offering some interesting observations on human behaviour on the sidelines. Perhaps if you adjust your expectations accordingly, it might still be palatable after all.

Review of "Fumi wa yaritashi" by Nakatani Miki (book)

A long time ago, I first saw Nakatani Miki in the drama "Keizoku" where she played the somewhat eccentric and very smart Shibata Jun. Back then, I found that she was quite unlike the Japanese actresses who I had seen so far. I really enjoyed watching that drama which I attributed to the story as well as her brilliant chemistry with Watabe Atsuro. Subsequently, I came across more of her works and in no time, she became one of my all-time favourite actresses.

It is a bit difficult to pinpoint exactly what I like about her but I guess her elegant and learned image along with her versatile acting is a huge draw factor. However, this was the very first time I came across her written works despite the fact that she has already published a number of books to date. In fact, buying this book was not planned as I came across this on the shelves by chance and was curious about the content which is a compilation of her essays in "Shosetsu Gento" published between 2016 and 2023.

To begin with, the title "Fumi wa yaritashi" is part of a Japanese proverb "文はやりたし書く手は持たぬ" (Fumi wa yaritashi Kakute wa motanu" which means lamenting one's lack of written skills when trying to write a love letter but cannot ask someone to help with this task. As such, you can probably interpret this to mean that Nakatani had a lot of thoughts that she wanted to convey but didn't feel that her writing was good enough to do this well. 

I personally felt that her writing was smooth and easy to read in contrary to what the title suggested. Moreover, it was very interesting to know her thoughts about various topics, insights about her acting work, her personal life before and after getting married as well as the differences and titbits about living in Japan and Austria especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Even for topics such as the Ukraine war or her views about the stringent COVID measures in Japan vs. what she went through in Austria at the height of the pandemic, it was a surprise to see her being very candid about these things because most celebrities in Japan would try to steer clear of making their views known in case of courting unnecessary controversy or having their views misinterpreted.

If I have to pick out one thing in this book which I didn't enjoy that much, it would have to be the essays about classical music which were a tad challenging for me. While I do enjoy listening to classical music at times, I don't consider myself as an expert and often, I don't even know or remember the titles and composers unless the title is very short or it's a favourite piece of mine which I am very familiar with. As such, when such titles and the names of the composers kept popping up in her essays about classical music, I found myself "switching off" a bit and skipping some parts because I didn't even know which piece she was referring to. Nonetheless, her passion and knowledge about classical music was definitely unmistakable through her words so I think those who are in the know on this genre would enjoy reading about these parts.

For those who like Nakatani or would just like to know more about her, this book will be a good starting point for you to do so through her own words. Not only will you know about the behind-the-scenes preparations and hard work she had to do as an actress, you get to see how she lived outside the limelight as well. There is no lack of moments that will make you chuckle at times so her witty humour is bound to make the reading experience more enjoyable than you can imagine.

Review of "Wonderland" (movie) - Hardly a wonderful journey and leading to nowhere

One thing that really irks me is being "lured" into watching a drama or movie on the basis of the cast lineup but finding out that I have wasted my time because the story turns out to be such a letdown. Unfortunately, "Wonderland" is one more title I can add to my list of works that fit this definition.

To be honest, I wasn't keen on checking this out when I first read news of its production. Out of the 5 leads, I was only interested in Jung Yu-mi and Choi Woo-shik and wanted to see how they would act together after seeing so much of their siblings' bond in the Korean variety shows they did. It was only when Netflix started pushing this in their recommendations and the plot seemed interesting and novel enough so I decided to give it a shot. I didn't start off with having sky-high expectations in the first place and yet still felt quite disappointed.

The concept itself could be said to be quite in tune with the current enthusiasm over AI and how it has an impact on our lives in various aspects. Using generative AI to produce images and videos of the people who had passed away or actually still alive but in an unconscious state so that the living could still engage with the supposed dead - there is actually a lot of room for discussion as to whether it is ethical and good for those who are still living. The story simply dishes out this cutting edge technology but how it was used by the characters in this movie without explaining properly who created this for what reason and to be used for what purpose as well as what is the ultimate outcome that this choice leads to. And to make things worse, it seems like the fundamental rules and operating logic of this technology aren't clear-cut and standardised. While I can imagine that the dead can choose to use this so that their living family members can still engage with them if they miss the departed, what then is the goal for this arrangement? And how do they end things - is it decided by the living unilaterally or the departed whose "consciousness" exists in Wonderland? And what happens when the arrangement ends? The data is deleted or still stored somewhere? And why would the consciousness of a dead person involve yet another dead person? And can the Wonderland staff decide on their own what is good or bad for the client and put an end to the arrangement without their consent?

Likewise, this technology is restricted to family or people are related by marriage, it would look logical from a legal aspect but how about an unmarried couple like who Suzy and Park Bo-gum played? It was never explained properly how Tae-joo got injured and why Jeong-in was so bent on keeping him "alive" in a fictitious world other than the flashback scenes which suggested that they were very much in love. However, what are the safeguards and controls to stop someone from abusing the system? Could someone just go to the company and ask for this service without making sure that it's not some jilted lover or stalker wanting to live out their fantasies through Wonderland?

I can do with a bit of guesswork through clues or indirect revelations in stories instead of having everything spelled out. However, I wonder how many people actually realised who Gong Yoo's character was until they did a search online. I for one couldn't find anything in the movie which indicated who he was (other than he seemed like a stranger with a romantic vibe) so I was flabbergasted to find out - how did the director expect the viewers to know for sure? And why was the Wonderland staff able to contact him to go and save another dead person in her fictional world? I would expect to find out and know everything about the story through the movie itself but if I have to fill in the blanks through Wikipedia or Google after watching, it totally defeats the purpose of watching the movie in the first place. This is somewhat similar to watching a drama and they tell you that you have to watch the spin-off for the ending. Equally, if not even more annoying, I would say.

I don't have an issue with using the cast lineup as "bait" because interest needs to be generated for people to have the urge to check out the work. While the synopsis can be a clue into telling whether the work will be your cup of tea, the façade still has to be attractive enough since first impressions do matter. The worst thing that can happen is, the story is beyond salvage that not even a star-studded or capable cast can uplift it. 

In view of this reason, it is hard to critique the cast's performance because I felt that the lacklustre acting wasn't entirely their fault. The story itself did not make much sense in the first place with so many loopholes and lacked logic despite being a sci-fi fantasy. With a crippling script like this, I wonder if the cast did understand what the director or scriptwriter was trying to convey in the first place because the characters lacked much depth and emotions portrayed were superficial at best. This could jolly well turned out to be something which was more emotionally moving but alas, it was not meant to be.

Open-ended stories without everything laid bare are fine. Implied developments and settings are still acceptable. What feels like a journey to nowhere is something like this movie when you end up wondering - "and then, so what?". Perhaps it is more important to work on crafting the story to make some sense rather than banking on big names to save a sinking ship. 

Review of "The First Slam Dunk" (movie) - A perfect blend of nostalgia and novelty

For those who are familiar with "Slam Dunk" or are longtime fans, the first thought you may have of a new movie like this surfacing so many years after the anime series in the 90s was - is this going to be a rehash of old material? 

In my case, I have read the manga and watched the anime series multiple times over the years so I would say that I know the material pretty well - some details may be a bit hazy in my memory though. As such, I wasn't that keen about watching another movie which could jolly well be a repackage meant to milk money out of fans in search of Slam Dunk nostalgia. Then, it seemed like this new movie was very well-received both critically and in the box office so I got curious about this film again yet happened to miss it while it was showing in cinemas. As fate would have it, this movie is now made available on major streaming platforms so I finally got to watch it more than 1 year later since the release in Japan in Dec 2022.

Contrary to my initial apprehension, the story wasn't exactly a total repeat of existing material. True, the match featuring Shohoku vs. Sannoh wasn't anything new. However, the surprise element turned out to be the backstory of Miyagi Ryouta who was one of the regulars in the Shohoku team but honestly hadn't been given much attention in the past. As such, the substantial focus on Ryouta and his family really fleshed out his character in such a way that it presented him in a very different light and should have made him a lot more endearing to the audience. For those unfamiliar with the Slam Dunk series, they could jolly well have been mistaken into thinking that Ryouta was the lead in the story instead of Sakuragi Hanamichi because of the heavy emphasis devoted to him in this movie. While my personal bias is Mitsui Hisashi and I would have preferred to see a film focusing on him, I think that the choice of featuring Ryouta in this movie was an unexpectedly good one because nobody could have seen this coming and the result turned out to be better than expected.

Given that the original anime series was back in the mid 90s, technology has of course improved by leaps and bounds over this period of time so the overall viewing experience of this movie was definitely elevated thanks to sharper graphics and smoother motion movements. However, what was even more impressive was the clever intertwining of 3DCG and 2D animation which added a lot of realism to the basketball scenes and made them so compelling and enjoyable to watch. When you compare it to the anime in the 90s, it would also make you marvel at how much technology has improved over time and the wonders of the 90s got a new breath of life through better graphics.

While I'm not sure how many people would become newly converted fans of Slam Dunk thanks to this movie, I, as a longtime fan, would say that this definitely went beyond my expectations. The sincerity and effort put in by the production staff in putting out something that would fulfill the needs for reliving the good old days with something new to satisfy heightened expectations certainly didn't go unnoticed. If it was just a half-hearted effort to bring in longtime fans to watch something which we all had seen before, I don't think the movie would have achieved the success it enjoyed. Rather than just focus on improved technology and skills to enhance the viewing experience, the story was not neglected as well and gave us something new to discover and be touched about. However, this also got me worrying that it might be a long time in the future before we can see another installment in the series since this took close to 20 years in the making (from the first proposal in 2003 to the movie's release in 2022). Hopefully, I'll still be around when that happens and get to relive the Slam Dunk magic again in my lifetime.

《谁是被害者2》 ~ 调查过程似乎比结果真相更精彩？

    其实，因为离第一季有段时间了，也没有机会看到之后的电影版，我其实有点不太记得《谁是被害者》的故事和人物关系了。不过好在第二季的开始有一段精简的回顾片段，故事中也会不时提及之前发生过的事情，所以就算没有重温第一季还是可以大概跟得上剧情。

    只是个人认为因为两季播出时间相隔的真的有点远，不能完全记得前一季的内容还是多少会影响第二季的观看体验。就单单方毅任（张孝全）和徐海茵（许玮甯）究竟是何时和怎样在一起这件事就百思不得其解，我到底在哪里或何时错过了他们两人的感情发展呢？

    对于这次的故事内容，单就案件的呈现方式来说延续了第一季的高度视觉震撼，第二季的画面之血腥暴力和恶心逼真的程度应该有过之而无不及，所以这不是一部可以轻松下饭的剧。有些画面坦白说也不太敢直视，因为只是瞥一下就会让人浑身不舒服。对于这类画面不太能接受的人可能需要自行斟酌一下，也要有心里准备会随时看到蛮震撼的画面。从制作团队的角度来说，他们能达到这样的视觉效果算是非常不容易也实属成功的。

    至于案件推理的过程，续集延续了第一季的风格。在抽丝剥茧的过程中一再被带往“游花园”，以为是真相却一再走进死胡同，你所以为的却不是真实的。过程虽然精彩，最后找到的答案却有点欠缺惊喜度，难免因这方面的落差而稍有失落感。这也许就是所谓的过程比结果重要所致吧！

    演员们的表现都维持在一定的水准，可惜的是许玮宁这次的角色不太有发挥空间，可能跟出场的篇幅变少有关吧！反而令人惊艳的是饰演法医的苏慧伦，一向来对她的认知是歌手，所以对她的表演感觉颇有新鲜感也有惊喜度。

    第二季的结尾很明显是为续集铺路，所以抛出的问题多过解答。老实说，虽然我是乐见这部剧的延续，但如果又要等上一两年以上才能看到的话，我可能对此的兴趣就会逐渐减弱。到时我可不太想重看前两季来复习剧情，所以乘还记得内容，在剧集还保有一定余韵的情况下打铁要乘热还是最理想的。

A mirror into the double standards within us - Review of "Concerning My Daughter" by Kim Hye-jin

Fancy taking a long and hard look into the mirror to confront the uncomfortable truth about our inner self?

For a start, this story may seem to be a simple and typical generational gap tale about the conflicts between a mother and her daughter. 

Fortunately, that is not the case. However, be warned that this is going to make you very uncomfortable in more ways than one.

Maybe your personal circumstances are unlike any of the four women featured in this story. Perhaps your relationships with your parents or children aren’t in the same state as what’s depicted here. Or it could be that the place where you live in has an entirely different set of values and societal norms as compared to South Korea. However, these differences wouldn’t matter at all since the author skillfully crafted this story in such a way that the reader can empathize with the plight or situations which the key characters find themselves to be in, be it by choice or circumstances. 

As I delved further into the book, it soon dawned on me that this story was like a mirror thrust right in front of my face and forced me to acknowledge that I do have double standards as well. Much as we would all like to see ourselves as being accepting and welcoming of so-called modern or advanced values, there is often a core value system we have within ourselves that we may not be comfortable sharing with others. Perhaps it is due to the fear of being seen as old-fashioned, prejudiced or simply discriminating. And depending on the issue at hand and the people involved, the values to be applied and your views will differ accordingly.

Initially, the lead character’s double standards when looking at the situation of her daughter Green and Jen i.e. the patient she was caring for, really irked me. On one hand, she felt that her daughter Green deserved better in life because “girls with far less desirable qualities get married and live comfortably” as compared to Green. On the other hand, she was very critical of Green’s life choices because they simply did not fit into the “standard formula of a so-called happy life” i.e. marriage, kids and a stable income. And her insistence at "setting things correct" as if they can be changed at will just simply infuriated me. I wondered why she didn’t see that her life didn't end up as ideal as she would have expected despite her being married and having a kid. And most certainly, one’s happiness shouldn’t be dependent on another person or determined by someone else's presence.

Likewise, the lead character seemed to be in awe of Jen’s life achievements before the latter got dementia which was very ironic because she had looked down on people who didn’t get married or have kids and chose to focus on their careers. If Green was in a better employment or career situation in life, would the lead character have minded so much that Green had an “atypical” partner? At the same time, while she admired Jen's achievements on the professional front, she was also critical of Jen’s situation on the private front towards the end of her life – alone with no kids and being stuck in a nursing home that had absolutely no intention of giving her the best care possible. As such, she kept wondering if Jen had followed the “normal course in life”, would Jen have ended up in a better place? Perhaps this fear that Green may end up in this same sorry state as Jen was what kept pushing the lead character over the edge as she tried to do what she thought was in Green's best interests.

One of the most memorable scenes in the book was when the lead character was lashing out at Lane for making her and Green’s life miserable. Right up till this point, I would say that I simply disliked her for imposing her own values on her daughter and tried to seek affirmation and validation in life through her daughter’s “success” in life. Then this scene showed the extent of the anger and frustration that she had accumulated about the situation and that’s when I started seeing the “other side” of the story. Perhaps her anger was justified after all. Then again, it was probably over the board at the same time and definitely wrong to be directing this fury at an innocent party. 

The good thing out of this episode was, the realization actually worked two-fold here – both for the lead character and me as a reader. Not only did I get to understand her perspective better, it also made the lead character realize that there was more than meets the eye. There were aspects of Green’s relationship with Lane which she never understood or knew and until someone spelled it out for her, she could have continued to misunderstand what was going on.

Besides the double standards that we may apply on ourselves and others subconsciously, the other concept worth exploring was meaning.

I don’t mean lofty interpretations of this word but rather the meaning or value we attach to the things or people in our lives. What matters most to you may not be the same as others. Once you get critical and refuse to appreciate the fact that we have different ideas about meaning in life, you start to drive your own values down someone’s throat and make them accept your value system. Nobody likes it and yet we may be guilty of doing it to others in our own lives. 

I’m not saying that the lead character is totally at fault here. It may be true that she is totally unaccepting of Green’s ideals and what she sees value in life. However, Green is also guilty of the same thing. She resists the ideas of traditional happiness imposed by her mother on her but isn’t she also trying to make her mother accept the so-called “modern world” values? Or why she jeopardizes her own well-being fighting for things which her mother sees no value in? From the sidelines, it’s easy to just say that they should thrash things out and communicate. That’s easier said than done because we ourselves may not be able to do the same in real life.

And this got me wondering, how guilty am I in doing the same to the people around me?

Despite the fact that I am neither a mother nor am entirely in the same situation as any of the main characters, it was easy to see how these discussions of differing standards, meaning and values applied to my own life. To be honest, there were some parts of the story which made me extremely uncomfortable in more ways than one as if I was the one being criticized. On the other hand, I appreciated the honest and hard questions being thrown at me because they got me reflecting and thinking about myself and others.

It may be true that we are usually seeking entertainment or fun while reading a book. This story though, does not fit into such a standard frame. 

It challenges you to see things from another perspective.

It makes you think how you may have done the exact same thing to others just like what the key characters did to one another.

And more importantly, it brings about awareness. The presence of difference as well as respecting it while not necessarily accepting it.

Be sure to check this out and embark on a journey of self-reflection which can be uncomfortable yet liberating at the end.

Review of "Agents of Mystery" - Not quite the successor of "The Great Escape" as yet

Depending on whether you have watched "The Great Escape", it would probably affect how you feel about "Agents of Mystery". 

* Please note that there will be some spoilers ahead so if you haven't watched the show, please skip this review for now.

In my case, I have watched all 4 seasons of "The Great Escape" and am a big fan of the series. The thing is, after the lead producer/creator Jung Jong Yeon left tvN, Season 5 looks extremely unlikely to materialise unless there is a chance that the concept's copyright can be bought over from tvN and reproduced on another network. As such, "Agents of Mystery" looked somewhat like a successor program to "The Great Escape" due to the fact that both shows were produced by the same PD, obviously had a high budget as seen from the elaborate sets, had 6 regular members and featured mysteries to solve in an escape room setting with various underlying themes and background stories.

However, I don't think this show can fit in the shoes of "The Great Escape" as yet.

While it may not be entirely fair to compare both shows and position "Agents of Mystery" as a successor to "The Great Escape", the way that they were produced and the numerous similarities between both shows such as replicating concepts would be extremely hard to ignore. For example, the time machine concept first seen in S3 of "The Great Escape" took on a new form as a transporter to bring the members to the specified locations where they were supposed to complete their missions and return to their base. Or that the save-someone-from-a-cult or sinister organisation setting appeared again as the first case in "Agents of Mystery". Or even how the second case was set in a mysterious scientific research facility and there was some sinister plot about ethically-wrong scientific experiments.

If I had never watched "The Great Escape" before and was just looking at "Agents of Mystery" on its own, I might not have been bothered by the duplication and similarities because I wouldn't be making comparisons every time I spotted something familiar. As such, for someone who has not been exposed to "The Great Escape" before, I would imagine that they might enjoy this show a lot more better than I did.

In terms of the story developments and execution, it does seem a bit premature to make a judgement for now since "Agents of Mystery" only has 2 cases spread over 6 episodes in Season 1 vs. "The Great Escape" which had 4 seasons. Just looking at the cases on their own, the first case was honestly lacklustre. Usually, a newly-assembled cast for any variety show would take some time to build up chemistry and teamwork in the first episode. Being unsure of what to do and expect would usually decrease the level of engagement they have with the underlying story and concept especially for a show like this where some play-acting or make-believe has to be done. I don't know how well the cast members of "Agents of Mystery" already knew each other prior to filming this show but the atmosphere was as expected as awkward as it could be. And the ironic thing was the show description online was written as such: "Bound by a strong affinity, six mystery agents must solve paranormal incidents in less than six hours through teamwork and perspicacity as the fate of the world hangs in the balance." I can't say that I have seen any significant pairings or closer members except for the Wagon Brothers.

In addition, an obvious requirement (which didn't have to be spelled out) in the first case was to avoid detection and being captured by the cult members but the cast members were obviously not that "involved" in the situation and were talking so loudly and attracting so much attention to themselves that it was stranger that they were not caught earlier. Similarly for the second case, with an unknown murderous creature lurking around in the shadows with the likelihood of being pounced on anytime, the cast members were simply too relaxed and definitely not on their guard. As a viewer, I think that it's even harder for me to immerse myself into the show if the cast members aren't doing the same. While the chemistry in the second case was much improved, the tendency to stick together as a big group working on one thing only was a huge turnoff for me at least. The tension factor would definitely have been raised given the time limit if there were smaller groups working on different things at the same time or potential crises like what happened in the first case where some members were trapped and separated from the main group due to unexpected happenings. Maybe that might happen more often in future cases of "Agents of Mystery", assuming if there are more seasons to come.

"The Great Escape" had an advantage in this sense because some of the cast members had been longtime colleagues in other shows so this familiarity helped them to bond more easily and pull along those who might not be so accustomed to variety shows or were not so acquainted with the veterans. As such, the first episode then was a success partly because of this quick ability for the members to click and there was hardly any awkwardness that could be felt on onscreen. 

One signature feature of "The Great Escape" was its difficulty setting. While this might seem like a joke or mockery of the cast's level of intelligence back then, it was unusual at that time for the production crew to be showing a blatant lack of confidence in the cast members' abilities to solve the mysteries with their brains and get out successfully. However, as the cast of "The Great Escape" had shown, intelligence comes in various forms - it can be the academic or intellectual type but it can also manifest itself in ways like being observant, street smart and thinking out of the box. 

I think that the cast of "Agents of Mystery" do have the potential to show a variety of skills and talents as they deal with more cases but due to the limited number of episodes so far, the guys seemed to have more opportunities to stand out as compared to the ladies. As of now, the two cases in "Agents of Mystery" were quite underwhelming for me due to the absence of the "Eureka!" moments which were aplenty in "The Great Escape". Was this due to the execution of the storylines that wasn't so good or was it the approach or method how the cast got to finding the answers that didn't create the excitement? Or was it because expectations for the cast members of "The Great Escape" was initially quite low so the viewers would have a heightened level of gratification and enjoyment when they see the cast defying expectations? For me, the moment when I saw John Park and Lee Young-jin in the cast, I was already expecting them to be leading the pack in terms of solving the mysteries. Perhaps that's why the "wow" factor wasn't there because I expected them to get through the mysteries without too much difficulty.

Last but not least, I think the handling of the ending of each case needs to be better. Seeing the cast and the rescued escape into the transporter was such an abrupt way to end the first case. And what happened after they left the submarine to go back to their base? I don't know if "Agents of Mystery" is going to have a similar "behind-the-scenes" summary special at the end of each season like "The Great Escape" but the obvious lack of a proper conclusion or rounding things up nicely really left a bad aftertaste. I was wondering, "was that really it?" and it felt so anticlimactic after investing 3 episodes of my time to go through one case.

While "Agents of Mystery" isn't a bad show after all, I think there's still a lot that can be improved. Even "The Great Escape" also had some "meh" cases along the way among its numerous moments of greatness. The thing is, with such a successful predecessor (whether intended or not), there are big shoes to fill. And it's inevitable for people to compare. As such, how to attract first-timers to this kind of concept and win over longtime fans of "The Great Escape" would not be easy to achieve. I just hope that when Season 2 of "Agents of Mystery" comes along, it will be more polished in terms of the concepts (probably avoid duplicating what the predecessor already did before), has better execution and hopefully allow the cast to have a chance to show off their skills more evenly.

Review of MOOC - "Introduction to Networking" from NVIDIA (on Coursera)

    While in search of a new MOOC to take on Coursera, I came across this course “Introduction to Networking” offered by NVIDIA. There were three draw factors for me about this course:

• It was short — only 4 videos and expected time to complete was 1 hour.
• The syllabus was described as suitable for beginners without any requirement for prerequisite knowledge in this area.
• I wanted basic training on network components, solutions, technology and data centres without being overly technical or in-depth.

    Now, to set your expectations right, I would say that the “time to complete” a MOOC as indicated in the course catalog should be understood as the minimum time needed for you to finish watching the videos in one go with no pauses and replays along the way. As such, this is probably not a very accurate reflection of the actual time investment for each individual taking the MOOC because that would vary depending on factors such as whether you are taking any notes while going through the videos, the number of quizzes and/or assignments to complete and whether you need to do any additional research to understand concepts newly introduced or going through the mandatory or recommended reading materials in the module.

    In my case, I definitely took more than an hour (in fact close to eight hours over 2 days) because I was taking down notes by hand (it helps me better with retention and understanding since I could rehash the content in a way which suits me), I went back to rewatch videos 3 and 4 and I only passed the assessment after multiple tries. More on these later.

Videos

    Other than the first video which was less than 10 minutes long, the other three videos ranged from 11 to 18 minutes each. They should be viewed sequentially because the concepts build up gradually and lead to the final topic about data centres design considerations.

    Prior to this course, I would rate my understanding of this topic as somewhat between beginner and intermediate — I already knew some of the technical terms and technologies mentioned in the syllabus. What I really liked about this was how it pieced together these fragmented pieces of knowledge I had, filled in the missing blanks and allowed me to have a more comprehensive and in-depth understanding of this topic at the end but still did not leave me feeling overwhelmed. That being said, for a total beginner who has no exposure and prior knowledge on this topic, it will probably take a bit of time just for you to understand what the technical terms mean and you may need to do some research along the way just to find the definitions of the acronyms and jargon which are not always given in the course. Maybe the trainer or course designer expected the learners to have some basic knowledge in this regard?

    In terms of the video content, the pace of the narration was just right for me and there are subtitles and transcripts to help you follow the videos’ narration. However, I found that the audio was somewhat muffled and unclear at times even though I raised the volume quite high and was using an external speaker. Do note that the slides shown can be quite wordy so you may need to spend some time reading through them especially since some parts are not mentioned in the narration or the transcript. There were also diagrams and flowcharts showing the network and data centre system models which should help in understanding the content better.

Quiz

    Unlike some MOOCs where the quiz or final assessment can be quite easy to pass as long as you understand what was taught or the questions are very straightforward, the same can’t be said for this course’s quiz. Of course, there are some easier questions which are theory-based and direct but the challenge is towards the end where you have to understand the concepts taught and show your understanding through the application questions. Those were what tripped me up repeatedly as I struggled to pass in the first few attempts by a narrow margin. Upon reviewing my answers, I found that I was repeatedly stuck on the same few questions and they all pertained to the third and fourth topics i.e. Ethernet Fundamentals and Data Centre Design Considerations. It probably doesn’t come as a surprise because they are the more technical and difficult topics in the entire module.

    The good thing is, you can try repeatedly until you meet the passing mark of 80%. It will be best to review the syllabus first before doing the re-test though so that you don’t do this more times than needed.

    Once you pass the test, you will be able to get your digital certificate from NVIDIA and Coursera which you can share on your LinkedIn or other online platforms. One improvement I’ve noted from Coursera is that this process is more convenient now with just one click and all the details are filled in on your LinkedIn page before you review and post on your account. It used to be quite a pain having to copy the certificate ID and URL over to LinkedIn for every certification I earned on Coursera so this is definitely a welcome change for me.

Conclusion

    In all, I think that this course did fulfill my requirements although I would say that the content turned out a tad more difficult and challenging than I imagined or expected based on the syllabus. The delivery method might need a bit of fine-tuning as the information overload can be quite intense for the second half of the course and audio quality can be improved. For those who are already knowledgeable in this field, this might be too elementary for you so you might want to give this a miss.

Tried and tested — 3 platforms you can consider when beginning your virtual run journey

As mentioned in my previous article about how I got started with virtual runs, I have tried various platforms since 2018 which can range from the event providers to those offering a list of events you can sign up for. Of course, what works for me may not be to your liking so do consider the pros and cons based on my experience with them before choosing the platform which would likely suit your needs.

For those who may be considering your options before taking your first step, do note that the platforms mentioned below may not ship the race/run entitlements to your location and that shipping charges will vary according to your delivery address. As such, it is recommended that you check the FAQs and conditions before signing up.

Without further ado, let’s get started!

42Race

42Race was the very first virtual run platform I used back in 2018. Other than it being featured in the article I read on this topic, the fact that it was based in Singapore, offered free shipping of its medals to local addresses and the race cost being SGD 9.90 each were the reasons why I decided to give this a shot. Since this was unchartered territory for me then, I had to find a platform which was relatively risk-free especially as I was worried about whether the medals would be delivered properly or the race charges would get too high due to foreign currency conversion rate fluctuations.

To get started, you can download the app either from Google Play or App Store and sign up for an account. Depending on the type of virtual event you sign up for, the upload method for your activities will differ.

When I first started, there were only virtual run events but as of now, there are also cycling and walking events. Running and cycling events are distance-based while walking events are steps-based. Most of the events organised in the past were designed by 42Race itself and either featured various themes like Chinese zodiac signs, astrological signs, round-the-world tours or were on key occasions within the year like Chinese New Year, Christmas, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and Mid-Autumn Festival. If you signed up before a particular deadline, you could get your name engraved on the medal for free. I do not know if this engraving service is still applicable now considering that I haven’t signed up for a paid race in the past year. Delivery of the race premiums within Singapore is generally free unless otherwise stated. For other locations, you will have to check the app for more details. 

Nowadays, there is a lot more variation in the types of events organised. There are those in partnership with sport-related companies such as Pocari Sweat and Asics, with shopping centres like Suntec City and Changi City Point that are actually geolocation games where you have to scan QR codes to complete missions and with charitable organisations, universities and government bodies.

For a distance-based running event, you can link the following apps to 42Race so that the distances can be uploaded automatically to your activity. Although the events are termed as “running” ones, you can also upload walking activities and they will count towards the accumulated distance for the event:

• Adidas Runtastic
• Apple Fitness
• Endomondo
• Fitbit
• Garmin Connect
• MapMyRun
• MiFit
• Nike Running Club
• Runkeeper
• Strava

For a distance-based cycling event, only Garmin Connect, Map My Ride, Runtastic and Strava can be used to clock the distances and upload to the app.

For a steps-based walking event, only Apple Health for iOS and Google Fit for Android can be used. As such, I have to connect my Garmin Connect to Google Fit through an app like Health Sync so that my steps can be uploaded automatically.

Actually, when I first started on 42Race, my biggest grouse was that it did not acknowledge the distances clocked on my Fitbit and I had to use Strava instead. And since there wasn’t any automatic syncing, I had to do a screenshot of my activity and upload that manually to the app which honestly speaking, was a big hassle. 

For now, the idea of “automatic” doesn’t really seem so based on my experience thus far. In my case, I get prompted to upload my walking and running activity from Garmin to the 42Race app so I have to do a couple of additional clicks to complete the process manually. On the other hand, the steps clocked from Garmin and sent to Google Fit do get synced automatically once I refresh the app.

One thing I’ve noticed is that, the race costs have gone up — which is perfectly normal as inflation sets in over the years and the quality of the medals has somewhat improved. And to be fair, some of these races which are charging anything from SGD 10 to SGD 30 or more, do have premiums other than the medals. Personally, I don’t need the race T-shirts nor the sports water bottles so I tend to skip such events which are more expensive.

On the other hand, the number of free events where you don’t have to fork out anything and get a digital medal in return has increased. As such, if you don’t want or need to have a physical medal but still wish to take part in a virtual run or the cost is a concern (especially if you are doing multiple events), these free events will be ideal for you.

The platform is generally easy to use, save for the occasional hiccup when it keeps logging me out. The process of signing up for events and registering my activities is also pretty straightforward. However, there was a period of time when I stopped using this platform for a while because I was really frustrated with the quality of the medals. One particular episode was that the engraving on the medals were either misaligned or incorrect and it took a while before the issue was sorted out. No doubt there was no cost incurred on my part because shipping was free, it was quite frustrating to sort out the issue. 

Since I sign up mostly for the free races these days, I don’t know how things are now with regard to the quality of the medals and delivery process. However, I think that the premiums directly issued by the organisations and companies are generally fine.

Spacebib

Spacebib, just like 42Race, was established in 2016 and based in Singapore. As I was looking for other platforms to sign up for virtual runs, I came across this and was likewise attracted to it because of the fact that there’s free shipping in Singapore and the prices seemed reasonable then, albeit slightly more expensive than 42Race at times.

There are in-house themes designed by Spacebib as well as collaboration races with some organisations or for special occasions. There is actually no auto syncing as far as I am aware since I always have to upload my Strava activity screenshots to the platform. You can either use the website or the apps which can be downloaded from App Store or Google Play. Compared to 42Race, the type of apps you can use to capture your run or walk activity is more varied as described in Spacebib’s FAQ:

Free running apps can be downloaded at the Google Play and Apple App Store. Some recommended apps are MapMyRun, Runkeeper, Strava, Runtastic, Nike Run Club etc. As each app or tracker is different, a rule of thumb is that as long as your screenshot did capture the distance clocked and duration of your activity, it’s sufficient. GPS map is not mandatory.

One important thing to note is that the race prices will change with time so if you are the type who signs up as soon as an event is announced, you will get to sign up at the lowest entry rate. However, I sometimes do need to deliberate over whether I can make it during the race period or if there is any issue which may affect my ability to complete the distance. Unsurprisingly, this meant that I had to give up on some races which I was initially interested in because the prices went beyond what I was willing to pay.

Generally, the delivery process and the quality of the medals are quite satisfactory based on my experience so far. However, do note that for some events, they will only send the medals after the entire race has finished. As such, even if you complete the virtual run way before the deadline, you might have to wait for a while to get your premiums. On the other hand, items like race T-shirts are delivered before the race in some situations so you can wear them when clocking your distance for that event.

There was only once when I was not so happy about the medal for a particular race from Spacebib but that was actually my fault. I was expecting a “medal” but what came was a small coin-sized medal. That was when I went to check the dimensions of the medal and realised that it was smaller than what I usually got from other virtual runs. That experience made me wise up and since then, I always made sure that I checked the medal details before signing up for any event. Regardless of which platform you use, I would recommend that you check the details on the race premiums so that you know what exactly you are paying for and can manage your expectations.

In the past year or so, I haven’t participated much in Spacebib’s races since the Lunar New Year race earlier in Feb. With inflation in all aspects of life, it is understandable that the costs of the races will go up correspondingly but some being as expensive as more than SGD 30 per event is a big deterrent for me. Even for a no-frills option of getting a completion medal only, it will be at least SGD 15 or so. Considering the number of races I sign up for, I really do have to be quite discerning over which runs to sign up for.

Sometimes, the issue lies in finding a suitable option to sign up for e.g. the World Online Marathon Tour for Toronto & Vienna, there is no bundle option to get both medals only. When this happens, I just give up on the race. If you are fine with the prices and like the race premiums offered, Spacebib would be good because of its delivery process and quality of its merchandise. However, do be mindful of when you sign up so as to get the best deal and select the appropriate option to get what you want.

The Conqueror Virtual Challenges / My Virtual Mission

New Zealand-based The Conqueror Challenges is a platform which I started using since June 2020. In case you may be confused, the name My Virtual Mission tends to appear when you search for The Conqueror so please let me explain the relationship between the two. 

The Conqueror is the company which organises the virtual challenges while My Virtual Mission is the platform where you submit your accumulated distance-based activities to the challenges and it also allows you to create your own or corporate distance-based challenge which can serve as motivation for employees, friends and family members to get active together. In the past, you would have to sign up for challenges on The Conqueror and upload your activities through My Virtual Mission. Now, there is an easier way out where you can just make use of The Conqueror’s app (App Store / Google Play) to do both the sign-up and automatic uploading of distances for your challenges. However, if you prefer to upload your distances on a computer, you will have to use the My Virtual Mission website. And as mentioned on their website, here are the apps and devices you can connect to for automatic uploading of your activities.

You can log distances using two methods: 1) Manually — Either on the web or via our iPhone and Android apps. Select your exercise type, add a distance and boom, you’re done. You can add a screenshot of your tracker if you wish but it is not required. 2) Automatically — Via the range of apps and devices that we connect with. Currently, we support: Apple Watch, Apple Health, Garmin, Fitbit, Adidas Running, Strava, Map My Run, Map My Ride, Map My Walk, Runkeeper.

There are some unique characteristics of this platform which caters to people of all ages and fitness levels:

• The ability to decide on how long you want to do this virtual run for — although the distance is usually preset except for the annual challenges which you can decide on at the beginning of the year, you can decide on the number of days needed to complete the entire distance depending on factors such as your schedule, fitness level and type of activity. For example, if an event is more than 1,000km and you are walking the entire distance, chances are that you would need more days to complete this as compared to someone who is cycling. Likewise, if you can only walk 1 or 2 km a day, you would need a longer time period to stretch out the distance and make it achievable. Even if you find that you are unlikely to reach the target by the preset number of days for whatever reason, you can still extend it as you wish. This may not be possible for the annual challenge though which runs on a calendar year basis.
• Non-distance-based activities can also be included — this is something probably relatively unheard of since most virtual run events require the distance, time spent or even a screenshot of your complete route to count as activities which qualify to be counted towards the target. For those who engage in exercises which are non-distance-based such as yoga and cross fit, you can include these into the event by using the conversion chart on their website. In places where the weather can get too hot or cold for outdoor activities, this will come in handy as steps clocked while walking around in your house or doing housework would still be counted as your activities.
• Team entries — if an event’s distance is way too much for you to handle on your own, you can get friends and families to join you in achieving the target together. Each of you would have to sign up separately for your individual medals/merchandise but whatever the group has chalked up will be added together and counted towards one distance goal. And I’m speaking from experience because I signed up for the 4,000km-long Pacific Crest Trail challenge and after 504 days, I am still 240km-shy of the goal!
• Merchandise galore — besides the usual T-shirts and vests for events, there are also mobile phone cases, mugs and even their unique hexagonal medal hangers for you to display the results of your hard work.
• Supportive virtual runners community — The Conqueror Community on Facebook can be a real morale booster. This is especially when you are having difficulty trying to reach your target or when the people around you try to discourage you by saying things like virtual runs are not real like physical marathons or that people are not doing the real work to get their medals. Hearing the stories of one another on their own fitness journeys and getting advice on how to stay active despite challenges like fitness, illness or injuries can be pretty inspiring and useful. As for the discouragement and negativity from people around you who might not see the value of virtual runs, being aware that you are not alone on your pursuit of fitness on your own terms is very assuring and liberating.

As I mentioned above, signing up with a foreign platform was something I wasn’t prepared to do due to various reasons. However, the experience I’ve had with The Conqueror so far has been amazing. Not only are the medals well-designed and of a high quality, features such as being able to see your actual location through Google Maps based on your completed distance so far lend a sense of reality to the virtual run as if you are physically there. Postcards sent virtually from designated landmarks help you to know more about the places you’ve “passed”. Last but not least, you can also do your part for the environment by reaching preset milestones that will allow you to choose planting a tree or stopping plastic bottles from entering the ocean.

As for the things you have to take note of, I would say that the cost and delivery time are what you have to consider. Given the quality of the medals and the overseas delivery, the cost per event is definitely pricier than the other Singapore-based platforms I am using. Coupled with the foreign exchange fluctuations, I do need to be more selective about the events to sign up for. In order to get the best deal, you should sign up for the challenges within the same week that they are announced since the prices will be at a discount. Sometimes, there are discount codes and promotions as well. And if you are just keen on the medals, make sure you select the correct option as the other choices come with premiums like the T-shirts and vests.

As for the delivery time, depending on where you are located and if there is a delay in shipping at your local postal services, it can take a bit of time for your items to reach you. Generally, if it’s not within the festive season, the medals will reach me in about 2–3 weeks after they are sent out from the US (as per the shipping label). There have been fellow runners who remark that the delivery time can take longer than this in some parts of Europe or the US though so do manage your expectations accordingly. Nonetheless, if it’s been more than a month since the notification about the shipment was sent to you, there is no harm contacting The Conqueror to see how they can help.

Now that you’ve read about these platforms, how about checking them out to see if any of them suits you? The hardest part in doing something is getting started so I hope that you find something which can help you begin your fitness journey for the sake of your health on your own terms.

The thing about virtual runs and how it may just be your answer to staying active

How I came to know about virtual runs was nothing short of destiny.

One day in 2018, I happened to read this article from The Straits Times which talked about virtual runs. For a start, I had never even heard of this term so I was intrigued by this concept of being able to do something like this — “walk” a marathon at my own time and pace without jostling with others at the break of dawn and yet earn a medal at the end of it.

Back then in school, I was pretty active in leisure sports although I wouldn’t count myself as fit. As working life and other commitments started to take centrestage, it was difficult to stay active in a sedentary office job which came with the need to clock overtime late into the night on a frequent basis. Subsequently, with a number of health scares and injuries, it further limited my ability to do the sports I used to enjoy especially those which were intense and high-impact on the legs and joints. Moreover, certain sports like badminton and tennis required me to book a court or find someone to play with but these facilities were either fully booked or only available at odd timings and I couldn’t always find someone to join me at the last minute.

As such, when I read about virtual runs, this was like the perfect solution for me. Although the term says “run”, you can actually walk briskly or take a stroll at snail pace as long as you complete the required distance which can range from as little as several kilometres, a half or full marathon to even hundreds and thousands of kilometres. Some races have a fixed period which you need to clock the distances by while some allow you to set your race period and there are no limits to the number of times you can submit your distances to meet the requirement. What this means is e.g. for a distance of 42.195km, a person can do it all at one go as a full marathon but another can break this up into 10 or 20 times and still complete the virtual run. 

And since this is something I can do at my own time and pace, I don’t have to be conscious about lagging behind others as compared to joining a real race involving many people. For someone who doesn’t like to be in crowds or prefer exercising alone, there is nothing as ideal as this. 

The medal at the end of each virtual race is something to look forward to as well. Over the years, the quality and aesthetic appeal of these medals have improved by leaps and bounds, albeit with a corresponding increase in prices. Last but not least, virtual runs are generally cheaper than a physical race so with the same amount of money for a physical race, you can do multiple ones virtually. 

And so, I embarked on my journey of virtual runs in October 2018.

This was my very first virtual run medal from the Great Barrier Reef Marathon Virtual Run 2018 organised by 42Race. Since I was trying this new concept for the first time, I wanted to see how it worked and if there were any issues. As for the reason why I chose to go with 42Race, since it was based in Singapore — there was no delivery fee required to receive my medal by post, I didn’t have to worry about foreign exchange rates as compared to signing up with overseas portals or the likelihood of losing my medal in the post. The fact that the race only cost $9.90 then was also a big draw.

However, before you jump into the world of virtual runs, it might be best to take note of the following:

1. Is the distance to be clocked at one go? Or can it be accumulated through multiple attempts?

When I first started on virtual runs, this was more of an issue for shorter distances i.e. 5km and below. If you are the type who can’t clock such long distances at one go, you might want to avoid those which expect you to do so and go for those which allow multiple attempts to chalk up the required distance.

Nowadays, this is not so much of an issue since shorter distance virtual runs also allow multiple attempts. Nonetheless, do read the terms carefully or else you might end up walking for nothing since uncompleted runs will not entitle you to the medal or completion gifts.

2. Time period & date of the virtual run

Especially for themed, branded and special occasion virtual runs, this is something you need to be careful about. For example, if it’s a virtual version of a physical marathon, chances are it will be held on the same day or around the same period as the physical event. Likewise, if it’s a Christmas-themed virtual run, it will definitely happen on Christmas Day itself with a few days before and after it. If you anticipate that you can’t clock the distance during specific periods because you are away on holiday or will be busy with something, you might want to consider skipping that race.

Likewise, some virtual runs take place over specific dates or set a completion deadline so the same rationale applies — if you can’t make it on those dates, don’t do it. However, there are some virtual runs these days which allow you to sign up anytime and finish it by a preset deadline decided by you so this gives you the flexibility in case anything happens during the race period e.g. illness or injury. If you are making good progress, you can even go ahead to finish the race earlier than planned! 

Signing up for the correct distance is definitely something to keep in mind when considering the dates and race period. If the distance you have in mind seems unachievable within the preset time period, there is no harm in opting for a shorter distance. In most situations, the same medal will be given (albeit with different distance engravings) anyway. However, in some races, the medal type and colour might be different for various distances so you would also need to consider this.

3. Check your race entitlements before signing up

When I first started, the options for race entitlements were largely restricted to medal-only or medal + race T-shirt/vest. Since I don’t need so many T-shirts, I usually go for the cheapest option i.e. medal-only. Nowadays, there are a lot more choices e.g. sports water bottles, commemorative coins, vouchers and bags but these additional things do come with a price. As such, when signing up for any race, be sure to select the correct option so that you don’t get saddled with a lot of stuff which you don’t want and end up paying more than you intend to. 

Upon receipt of your race entitlements, be sure to check that they are in order and not defective. There was a period of time when I kept getting medals with the wrong distance or name engravings, the engravings were so faint that they couldn’t be seen or the medals were cracked or movable parts were broken. The companies would usually have a return policy for defective items but there was once when I got really upset because the second medal sent to me was still defective and it took the third time before the vendor got it right.

If the dimensions of the medal or size of the T-shirt/vest are provided, be sure to check these thoroughly as well. There was once when I got a “medal” which turned out to be the size of a coin but there was nothing indicated on the website that it was this small. As such, I felt a bit cheated by that and ever since then, I would scrutinise the dimensions of the medals for subsequent virtual runs. What is portrayed in photos may not be what you get in the end so it’s good to pay attention to this aspect and manage expectations.

4. Choose the right virtual runs

Since there are so many types of virtual runs out there for you to choose from, factors such as distance, time required, cost and the aesthetic appeal of a medal are things you should consider when selecting which run to sign up for. When I first got into virtual runs, I think I must have been too excited and signed up for virtually everything I came across. In less than a year, I had accumulated more than 50 medals. Much as I enjoyed doing the virtual runs, the downside was that I had so many medals which I didn’t have the space to hang up and display. At last count, I have close to 140 medals now and they are all lying in my storage boxes, waiting to be displayed some day.

As such, go easy from the start and pick the ones that you really like rather than trying to do everything that’s available out there. This will definitely save you a lot of money and space at home in the long run. In fact, if you don’t really want the medals, there are some free virtual runs which come with e-badges or e-medals so you can opt for those instead.

Next up, I will do a feature on the virtual run portals which I’ve used before so hopefully, it will help you decide on which to choose according to your preferences and physical condition. Till then, see you!

Light chiffon cakes from Patisserie La Famille Atelier Fraicheur (Hong Kong)

I haven't been to Hong Kong in years so it was a nice thing to be back for a short work trip and extended vacation after that. Although most people would be loading up on the usual dim sum, roast meats, cha chan teng fare or Cantonese dishes while in Hong Kong, I made a conscious effort to try different types of cuisines since the city has a lot to offer in terms of variety. To the extent that I was asked - how can you say that you were in HK when you ate so little of the dim sum / roast meat / cha chan teng food? ^__^

One interesting thing I noticed is that, there are lots of nice bakeries and cafes with very Instagrammable desserts which taste good too. I certainly don't enjoy eating food which look nice but don't taste as delicious. And that's good news for someone like me who started to acquire a sweet tooth only when I became a adult. Perhaps it was the stress of working life which made desserts an appealing option for unwinding.

This bakery with a French name may give you the impression that it's some fanciful European brand but it actually hails from Tai Hang, a neighbourhood near to Causeway Bay and is relatively young i.e. founded in 2014. Goes to show that there are also hidden gems even among the local and homegrown brands. There are currently 5 branches at Causeway Bay, ifc Mall on the Hong Kong Island side and Harbour City, Langham Place and Wonderful Worlds of Whampoa on the Kowloon side.

I happened to walk past the ifc Mall branch and was tempted by the visually-appealing cakes in the display. You may be slightly intimidated by the fact that they sell only whole cakes but the smallest size light chiffon cakes here are small enough to be finished by one person (maybe need to split over two days for small eaters). As I was there when they were about to close, there weren't that many options left which probably suggests that their business must be pretty good. Note though that there are different sizes on offer so the bigger ones are definitely more suited for sharing. Depending on the flavours, prices would differ accordingly.

After deliberating for a while, I chose the matcha flavour as shown in this photo which had the right amount of moisture and still maintained its lightness. The chocolate pieces on top went well with the matcha flavour as well. This is probably one of the "lighter" flavours because from their website, there are much "richer" options with lots of cream and fruits on top so you can choose whatever suits your tastes. It's just too bad that this is something which I couldn't bring home so I guess I can only try the other flavours when I visit Hong Kong again. Note that there aren't any dine-in spaces so the only way is to bring this home or to your hotel room to indulge your tastebuds without feeling overloaded at the end.