Dear Santa, Hokkien Hee.

Before I left for boring Adelaide, I prayed so hard that the idiot box would reduce the amount of Hokkien shows by at least 68%. Not that the shows suck or the language could crack even the strongest eardrums but when there is WAY too much of similarities being shoved into your senses, you will grow to hate them. Unfortunately when I came back, not only it does not achieve my personal preferable goal, but it multiplied like cockroaches and it's basically on television 24/7!!! Here are some cliches that made the shows tiresome and reasons why I grew to hate them.

1. The amount of episodes could easily fit 20 Korean series in it. The pacing of these shows are soooooo slow that it could put a Jack Russell or the most hyper ADHD kid into a deep slumber. Seriously, the script could begin from the -1st generation to the 4th generation! Notice that the -1st is not a typo where it refers to a story that happened between the main characters and their parents/grandparents/greatgrandparents. I was watching (forcefully) this show where I assumed that it's gonna end in fashionable style where the main character's kid will get married (FINALLY) and live happily ever after, then WHAM, the story continues with the grandchildren where more conspiracy and triangle love would arrive to mess up their lifes. To me, it's a pretty cheap way to extend the damn story as they could just make it a sequel or something.
2. Haven't I seen you somewhere before? Yes, that's right. Every show would have the same ole casts, same expressions, same role but different hairstyles. Look, I really support the world's effort to recycle but NOT recycling the casts. If it's two or three shows, I could still bear the agony but when they are in every single one of them, contemplating suicide would be a walk in the park for me.
3. The plot........is just plain cliche till I myself felt bored while writing this sentence. Sometimes I wonder whether these shows have a scriptwriter or not. This are the few atrocities that these shows had commited:

• Business rivalries. I just so love the parts where the characters would go to their rival's office and spend their sweet time mocking one another with really stupid comments where they could spend time drafting smart strategies to eliminate competition. They just talk too much......like UMNO.
• Family hierarchy complications. One important note bout these shows. The character's parents are not their REAL parents. Trust me. Why? Cause apparently, they have this tradition of baby swapping during that era. Must be an IN thing eh?
• Crying. I just don't understand why every single episode involves crying. If you have too much water to spare, please give them to Singapore where they badly need fresh clean water and they won't have to drink their own recycled waste. One Liter of Tears will only occupy a small corner booth in the Crying Fiesta 2009 compare to these shows. UGH!
• Asshole mother-in-law. Hohohoho, this is classic. This would definitely please hardcore feminists to show the world that women ain't no weak creatures. WOOT!!!

There you go. FTI, I have to bear all these cuz my mum loves them to bits. Thanks a BUNCH to 8tv and NTV7. I won't miss you...seriously. Same goes to Astro. Mediacorp rulz!!!