TVB Burning Flame III Review (Ep 01 – 12)

The last few big TVB productions that I have watched have failed to live up to their “grand production” expectations.   I remember Gem of Life was such a let down for me, I suffered through 60 or so episodes and couldn’t even bear to finish the last 10 or so.  But I wasn’t going to let that affect my hopes for Burning Flame III (BF3).  I mean, here we have the BF brand name (with the amazing BF1 + 2), Wong Hei and the themes of sacrifice, honour and heroism.

Getting stabbed, one of the many risks of high-rise window washing.

Wong Hei and Kevin Rivalry

This was unexpected.  I didn’t think they would start out as enemies because usually TVB have their characters start out as friends, then enemies, then at the last episode become friends again (or one of them dies, whatever).  But when I saw them both being so inchy towards eachother I was intrigued.  What was their backstory, what happened between them?

Wong-Hei describing the size of something Kevin has; Kevin doesn't like it.

It’s lucky they did that because it was only for that reason I sat through the overdose of flashbacks TVB unleashed.  Who’s idea was it to have the audience sit through 2 entire flashback-mode mode episodes?  I’m talking about using high-contrast, washed out colours, blurry edges to symbolize flashbacks.  Now imagine 2 entire episodes of completely non-stop flashback in order to explain the backstory.  Way to make use of HDTV TVB.

One of the few major explosions NOT CGI. It'd be impressive if not for the flashback mode.

The amount of time spent on the rivalry between them early on made me expect that the series was going for a philosophical angle here and debate whose style and methods were the best suited for the job of a firefighter and play up the competition.  I was all for that, but it seems TVB had something else in mind.

Wong-Hei and Myolie and Kevin

If there’s anything to say about Wong-Hei and Myolie in BF3, it’s that they are portrayed realistically. Neither Wong-Hei nor Myolie were perfect mates to eachother, and their relationship is pretty tough to watch.  It’s easy to say both were right, and also both were completely wrong in the way they treated eachother.  Suffice it to say they are completely incompatible.

And yet Wong-Hei, due to a personality flaw, WILL NOT give her up.  And this just sets the stage up for a series long love triangle between the 2 guys and the girl.  That’s right,  BF3 has sunk to what is basically a romantic drama with firefighters.  The dangers firefighters face, the sacrifices they give, the meaning behind the occupation, is now irrelevant.  They only get in the way of the romance plot.

One thing I will say is that you should tune in when Wong-Hei and Myolie break up and he begins his downward spiral.  He lived his life believing as long as you put the effort into whatever you’re doing, you will succeed.  What he didn’t understand is that love doesn’t work that way.  Watching him struggle with his personal conflict was quite affecting, and Wong-Hei as usual does a good job.

Wong-Hei sad; I'd be sad too if I knew how BF3 was going to turn out

Conclusion

Episode 12 ends with Wong-Hei suffering an accident while fighting a fire and falls into a coma.  Episodes 1-12 are also  the first act of the series and are good, but not great.  The fire emergencies were plentiful, but their importance was diminished.  This is a romance series first and foremost, not action and not about the bond between firefighters.

What just happened?

Remember the entry in November 2008 where I signed off with a vague “I got an interview with a CA firm later”?  Well enough time has passed that I don’t feel so bad and can write about it.

Not only was it the first job interview since graduating, it was the biggest job interview of my life.  I mean an interview with an approved CA training office, if I get the job I’m set.  You should’ve seen me, my hands were shaking, my teeth were clattering.  I probably walked in circles for 10 minutes trying to calm myself down before heading to the office.

I meet the interviewer and we get started.  “So tell me about yourself” he asks.  That was  easy enough to answer, probably the first question asked in any interview.  But looking back now I laugh at the answer I gave.  It was rehearsed and stiff.  *Wishes I can go back and slap myself silly*

A few more pretty general questions about taking the subway, that C+ on my transcript, and when I plan on taking the UFE.  But then he goes on a 10 minute speech about the firm, their experience with previous CA students, and their clients.  Wait, what’s going on?  I’m just sitting there listening to him talk, commenting when I get the chance.  I ask the questions I’ve prepared at the end, shake hands and leave.

That was it!?  In and out in 15 minutes, with questions that I would basically deem as small talk.  Is this how smaller CA firms do it?  Is it because they don’t have an actual HR department to conduct a proper and rigourous interview so therefore it’s more casual and based more on personality?  Or is it because they’ve hired tons of CA students year after year and gotten so good at it that they know who’s CA material just by looking at them and their resumé?  The former seemed to be the general opinion I got from a few of my friends.  Still, something didn’t seem right.

A few weeks go by and no word.  So I call them.  The receptionist picks up and I ask for the interviewer.  She puts me on hold.  A few seconds go by and its the receptionist again…uhoh.  It seems the interviewer is in a meeting and I should leave a voicemail.  “It’s ok, I’ll call again later.”  She insists on leaving a voicemail.  Oh…is that how it is?  I get it now.  I leave my voicemail and went to grab a shovel to bury my pipedream.

The rejection letter arrives a week later.  No chance for feedback.

So what happened?  Dunno.  Was it me?  Dunno.  Was it them, did they already know who they were hiring?  Dunno.

Lessons learned: Calm down, be natural, don’t sound rehearsed.

Reboot

It’s been more than a few months since my disappearance and lately I’ve been having the urge to write again.  There’s been a few developments during this time that I feel like getting off my chest over the next little while. I’ll talk about my work now, my thoughts/fears about the future, and also recount what happened during my hiatus.

First things first, the CA “dream” is on the back burner indefinitely.   Some day, maybe.  Not now or the foreseeable future though.  CGA seems more likely.

So, a little update on where I am right now.  I currently have a contract position in the “finance” department with a company.  Finance is in quotes because I’m REALLY in a sub-department WITHIN the finance department, and the work I do is only tangentially related to accounting/finance.  But the people are nice, the surroundings are comfortable and the work is new and interesting…for now.

Sometimes I think about the route of a new grad who scores a Big4 position.  They’re already on their way to a designation and within 3 years time they’ll be a fully qualified CA, possibly in a manager position and opportunities to jump into industry.  It’ll be a tough 3 years for them but if the propaganda is true there’s a bucket of gold waiting for them at the end.

Then I try to see what kind of route I’ll take.  Long, winding, with equal odds the path will take me to a bucket of coal.

What do they mean, “I interview well”?

I’ve now had 2 different hiring managers, in the MIDDLE of my interview with them, compliment me that “I interview/am doing well.”

To me this has got to be one of the worst things to hear during the interview.  In both instances, I was aware that I was starting to trail off at the end of my answers and it would be at this exact moment that they gave me the compliment.  Did the hiring managers sense my nervousness and simply offer these comforting words to calm me down?  A technique they pull out from their bag of tricks to motivate the candidate to do better?

If there’s one thing the whole interview, and subsequent rejection, process has taught me is that nothing is ever what it seems.  Broken promises, insincerity, false appearances, the whole gamut.

Fell off the wagon

I’ve been pretty bummed out for a few weeks now.  What was originally just going to be a small break from job hunting turned into a death spiral of general unproductive laziness.  Procrastination was my bed buddy and my poison.  It’s kind of embarrassing actually, and I’m not very proud of my lack of effort.

To me the job hunt experience is comparable to that of an exam period.  I know I should be studying, but I’m not.  But at least there’s a definite end to exam period, a date to look forward to when the suffering and mental anguish will end.  Who knows when this job hunt will end?

Extra motivation was gained today when I read two job postings that peaked my interest.  I found them when I woke up at 4:00AM or so.  The awful P-word kicked in and I thought I have the whole day to apply.  So I kept pushing it back and pushing back: did some stuff on the computer, ate something, took a nap blah blah blah.

When I finally muster up the motivation to apply I discovered that the jobs were expired already.  Posted and expired in a single day.  Are there that many unemployed accountant grads out there?  Or is it because these jobs were never there in the first place?  Maybe the company already knew who they were going to hire and the posting of these jobs were just a formality to satisfy some company policy.  Well I’ll choose to believe that there was some sort of mix-up for now to keep my spirits high.

New plan of attack now.  Stay on top of job hunt.  Ready applications to send to CA firms in December and January when people leave after receiving UFE results and busy season begins.  Continue with applications to industry positions too.  Hope for the best?

Oh and I have an interview later at a CA firm (sent application weeks ago, before I got all demoralized).  If anything, it’ll be good interview practice.

TVB Last One Standing Review (Ep 08-21 END)

Kevin pretty much hit rock bottom in episode 8, flipping out at Roger and Yoyo’s engagement party.  Then a stroke of inspiration hit him, and with it came a change in strategy on how to ruin Roger.  For us viewers, this change in strategy also brings with it a change in the tone of the series.  The first act (first 7 episodes) were dark and depressing, but the second act (middle 5-7 episodes) had a somewhat lighter tone to it.  Can’t say it’s welcome, but it’s understandable.  The last act (last 7 episodes) returns to its dark roots at the beginning.

*Spoilers*

The second act felt kind of light when compared to the first act.  They had romantic storylines between Kevin and Elaine Yiu and Macy Chan for a few episodes.  Then all that stuff with Yoyo’s sister and the murder victim’s mistress.  Looking back on it now, I can see that they served a purpose in the overall plot but it felt like filler while I was watching it.

The third act was when all the crap hit the fan (good thing), which I’ll describe in detail below.

Roger being an evil bastard

Little by little Roger’s mask came off.  Watching him terrorize his poor old grandma was a delight.  Cutting her plants, killing her fish, driving her insane and paranoid.  It was the look in his eyes while he was doing it.  You could tell he was enjoying it.  Finally he could show his true colours to this old hag who was distrustful of him ever since he was adopted into the family and exact his revenge.  The selling point of the series is definitely watching Roger play the villain.

You can’t miss episode 20 where he just lets go and drops his mother onto the wooden floor.  Nothing could prepare you for that sight.

You knew it was coming but still...Oh snap!

Kevin Cheng

Instead of being black and white, right or wrong, he’s actually more of a gray character.  In order to exact his revenge on Roger, he not afraid of doing whatever it takes.  He told his grandma to install spy cameras in the apartment, which sorta got her killed.  He took advantage of Macy Chan’s affection, to gain access to company records.  But come to think of it, he didn’t do that much in the grand scheme of things (he even pointed it out to Roger in the last episode).  A lot of Roger’s undoing came by his own hands.  I felt Kevin kind of took a back seat to Roger though.  During the first act when he was a badass he was much more interesting, and Roger was boring.  But as the series progressed and their roles reversed, I liked watching Roger more.

Elaine Yiu

She’s cute.  I especially like it when she has a crush on Kevin and pouts and throw tantrums when she doesn’t get her way.  Considering all this, I felt so sorry for her by the third act when Roger was slapping her into submission.  She played the abused sister convincingly, and the whole thing was a bit disturbing.

That's no way to treat such a pretty girl

Macy Chan

TVB knows how to do fan service.  Elaine attracts those who like cute, and Macy attracts those who like nerdy.  The wig was a little bit too much though.  Before this series I didn’t even know who she was.  I was wondering if she was an ATV actress or something, because I didn’t believe that she was a newbie since her acting wasn’t bad.  But it seems she’s been a few TVB dramas already, and was part of a music group?  Anyways her crying and emotional scenes could use some work.

Macy during 99% of the series

Macy for 1% of the series

Conclusion

A very atypical TVB series.  Dark and depressing with a very evil Roger as the villain, and Kevin as a not so clear-cut hero.  People die, bad things happen.  Don’t know if TVB will do a sequel or make another series like this (from what I’ve read ratings have not been that high, but seems to have picked up during its last 2 weeks) so you better watch it while you can.

So this is what a quarter-life crisis feels like

Are you able to tell that you’re having a quarter-life crisis when you’re smack dab in the middle of one?  I guess it’s comparable to someone having a heart attack, but not even be aware of it.  You suspect you are, but aren’t sure.  Then the symptoms start being more pronounced and obvious, and you can’t deny it.

Symptoms: depression, anxiety, fear, feeling like you’re lost, uneasiness and uncertainty about the future.  Feeling like I’m not where I’m supposed to be, that I’m supposed to be further along in my life.  Instead, I’m still stuck at the starting line.

It’s the uncertainty that gets to me.  When will I find a job?  What job will it be?  What’s going to happen?  I should be excited at not knowing; who likes a movie when you already know what’s going to happen right?  Just sit back and enjoy the ride.  Easier said than done.

Ask yourself: if you could go to any point of your life in the future, where would you go? I would fast-forward to the day I die, and I bet many others would too.  Yea you die, but at least you know!  I want to know when, how, why, who I saved by blocking that bullet, what disaster I prevented by pushing that button etc.  I need a Death Note, except call it a Life Note.  Let me write in how my life will turn out.  Boring I know I know, I’m the model accountant stereotype.

I have a friend who graduated almost 6 months ago, and at this point in time still hasn’t found a job.  If he suffers from the same QLC, then he’s hiding it well.  On the scale between optimist and pessimist, I’m most certainly closer to the pessimist side.  It’s not like I was born like that, but it developed slowly over time.  Little disappointments throughout my life left their mark, and being a pessimist was my way of dealing with them.

I’m not under any financial strain and my mother actually told me that she can lend me money to spend, god bless her heart.  Nevertheless I’m keeping my spending at a bare minimum.  However I’ve read recently that in hard times, it’s the little luxury purchases that keep your spirits up.  I see the logic.  Let’s see now…buy Dark Knight DVD in December.

Ineffective Encouragement from Deloitte

Weeks after knowing I’ve been rejected, Deloitte FINALLY decides to officially notify me (and hundreds of other applicants) by sending me a rejection letter.  Gee thanks.

Excerpt -

“The selection process is always difficult as there are a large number of talented individuals with diverse backgrounds participating in recruiting.  We believe; however, that you have the qualities to be successful in our profession…”

Might I say, they are an evil bunch.  I have the “qualities to be successful in the profession”!?!?!?  Am I to honestly believe that statement applies when it’s coming from this generic, automated rejection letter?  What if another applicant had a C+ average in their ICAO courses?  They wouldn’t be eligible for the CA designation (B- needed), are probably unsuited for accounting, and Deloitte would’ve rejected them.  But then they get this rejection letter telling them they can be successful in the profession?  It’d be a shame if they continued their job search for a CA student position when it’s destined for failure based on these “words of encouragement”.

TVB Last One Standing Review (Ep 01-07)

Well I gotta keep myself occupied somehow, not just writing cover letters everyday right?

Anyways being subjected to Moonlight Resonance’s “everybody gets what they deserve” lollipop ending, I needed something darker.  Last One Standing delivers.  *Spoiler alert*  Scenes like somebody finding his dog severed head in the same bed as him and some guy getting beaten to death in a bloody pulp surprised me for a TVB production, garnering a few viewer complaints.

Kevin Cheng does well in this series.  As a character who just spent 10 years in prison for a murder he didn’t commit, he looks every bit like it.  Unshaven, unkempt, violent and hot-tempered, completely different from any role I saw him in before.  Gunning for Roger Kwok, he was a complete bad-ass the first 2 or 3 episodes with nothing to lose.  That is until Roger Kwok does some fancy manipulating to throw him off the trail.

Roger Kwok plays a character who’s a conniving, manipulative man.  Of course nobody knows this, but we do thanks to a clever use of a flashback to when he was an child orphan.  He was already using his shady ways to get his new family to adopt him at such a young age.  As an adult, he almost successfully convinced Kevin that somebody else framed Kevin, not him.

It was at this point that I was afraid TVB would drag this out where Kevin would keep believing this lie while we, as viewers, would know better.  Thankfully TVB doesn’t treat the characters as idiots this time, and Kevin finds out soon enough.  What then follows is a sort of cat-and-mouse game between Kevin and Roger, similar to Tony and Andy in Infernal Affairs (what a clichéd analogy, I know).  Kevin needs to find more evidence, but can’t let Roger know.  Roger still keeps his eye on Kevin, so Kevin needs to stay on his feet.

The murder mystery is another thing I’m enjoying about this series.  TVB tries to lead the viewers to believe Roger framed Kevin for the murder, but to this point this was all based on Kevin’s speculation.  There’s no direct proof shown at any point of the series to say Roger did it.  Maybe there’s a twist at the end where the murderer is somebody we all never suspected (if TVB is clever enough to pull it off).

Good

• Elaine Yiu – always liked her
• Yoyo Mung – hated her, but like her in this.  Did her acting get better or does this role fit her more?
• Soundtrack – not recycled from other series
• Kevin’s unhealthy obsession with Yoyo – shows he’s a broken man, clinging to a shred of hope

Bad

• Yvonne Ho – Kevin’s sister, annoying voice and horrible acting

Dim Future

Everyday during the past few weeks I’ve been obsessively checking out the Career forum at Red Flag Deals.  There’s a CA accounting firm thread there you see, as has been the ritual every year at this time.  It’s been my main source of information during this recruitment season, and, quite honestly, pivotal in helping me stay sane.

Originally intended by the OP to be for people who have received interviews from the Big 4 + Grant Thornton to talk, has instead been mainly to let people know when they’ve been REJECTED for interviews.  Every few days somebody would post when interviews were handed out for each school, and if you weren’t one of those who got one then you would know.  Immensely helpful since it keeps you from sitting by the phone everyday just waiting, wondering, daydreaming.  Not to mention reading about others complaining about not getting an interview reminds me that I’m not the only one.

Rumours abound as to why people didn’t get hired though.  E&Y having a 3.8 GPA cutoff seems to me the most outrageous and most likely false.  If I wanted to I could’ve started a rumour too.  Hmm lets see here…PwC would throw away all applications that used the letter “E” in the first sentence.

For someone in my position (rejected by Big 4), Krupo says to find another accounting job in the meantime or keep applying to other small-midsize firms.  I’m currently doing both, keeping my eye out for jobs as well as mass-mailing CA Training offices.  Am I too late?  What about the other 90% of grads out there in the same position as me, having a similar (or better) résumé?  There’s probably 1000+ qualified accounting grads out there, with only so many positions.