Bear's Blog New Zealand (Beta)

not bad, but just that.

It's weekend so I didn't mind to spent pretty much whole night to watch the Olympics opening ceremony.

I didn't expected a lot out of Director Zhang Yimou（张艺谋）,so I must say it was better than I expected.

It got lots of things in it, Four Great Inventions of ancient China, the great voyage of Zheng He, teachings from "Analects" ... etc.

I don't know, non-chinese may think them as very interesting, but at least I think, the performance lacked "real substances", just 2008 people wearing ancient chinese dress or tai-chi suit running around - without a objective.

TV ONE didn't prepare well for the live coverage, it lacked commentaries. Even I found it difficult to understand what are all those people running around suppose to mean; for people who have little or knowledge on Chinese history, I imagine there is no possibility that they well ever understand any parts of the ceremony.

What I liked was the first theme - use of drums to count down.  Great light effect, very majestic, yet it is still closely linked to Chinese culture - well, if my memory serves me right, drumming in the night, or dusk traditionally is a gesture of sending the deceased on the final journey, the road to burial.

Anyway, it's not too bad  though, TV ONE should have highlights today, have look if you got time, or here.

Great telly tonight

When people talking about BBC made drama, the first thing jump up in my head is that old "coronation street".

Life on Mars is quite different, though.

It's about police procedure, but with a bizarre twist: a 21st century DCI found himself woke up in 1970s after a car crash, become a DI, and confused whether he is really back in time or just in a deep comma that everything he experiences is not real.

It has a right mix of policing, fun, history, love and self discovery. The modern DCI, Sam Tyler, is in the journey to discover what happened to his family, and himself in the past.

The drama is not an attempt to portrait the 70s accurately, but has a quite wide range of music and references to current affairs and events in the 70s.

I usually only watch documentaries and news on telly, but this one is too good to miss. Season one of the series finished airing on TV ONE last year, Season two starts tonight at 8.30pm.

Highly recommended.

New Year...

I'm not the "party type" of person who usually go out and go crazy in holidays. I more prefer to travel around, or at least sit in front of TV and have a lazy ... and a relax new year.

What really saddens me is the programmes on New Zealand Television and radio. Vienna New Year's Concert is a must for my new year since when I was 8 or something.

I don't know how New Zealand TV looked like when I was 8, but for all the years I have been here, I haven't seen anything rather than outdated movies and usually soaps on tv during the New Year holiday.

Even the Radio New Zealand Concert won't play anything impressive for new year.

I don't want download programmes through torrent network, but I'm tired to listen to BBC radio 3 online every year for the concert, without seeing any pictures.

Aussies, even african countries can enjoy the concert live on TV. I guess this is just another reason why the grass in greener on other side of the ditch.