Author Archives: Valerie Leung

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About Valerie Leung

I ♥ Sydney Swans. Square-eyed from too much television. I don't read enough. You can find me blogging at LibraGirlRules.com, writing about TV, films and books at ArmchairParadise.wordpress.com and occasionally traveloguing at ThursdayHasAView.wordpress.com. I have been known to write fanfic at fanfiction.net (http://www.fanfiction.net/u/2660477/) and you can follow me on Twitter and Instagram @valshopaholic.

Are You Ready for a Rapturous Good Time?

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In case you hadn’t heard, apparently the world is coming to an end (again) on Saturday 21st May, which, as at time of writing, is only hours away for me.  I am not sure exactly what time the world is supposed to end but I sure hope it’s not till late at night, say, after 10.30pm AEST, because one of my favourite episodes of White Collar (the one where Neal and Peter switch roles – seriously epic in how much fun it was) is scheduled to be on the air in Sydney at 9.30pm and I would like to be around to watch that again before I die.  If not, well, at least I have seen it before, and I feel bad for those who have not seen the Season 2 finale because it was a really good one.  Is that why all the shows have their season finales in the US this week?

I have another question…which timezone is the end of the world supposed to happen?  Because, New Zealand is two hours ahead of me so if the world is ending in their timezone, then that means I actually have two hours less, but if it based on Pacific time, then I guess I have an extra 17 hours, in which case, I might even get to the SCG to watch some of the Swans game against the Hawks on Sunday…

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Adventures on the High Seas With Capt Jack Sparrow…and Some Scary Mermaids

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What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the words “Disney” and “mermaids” in the same sentence?  If your answer is Ariel from The Little Mermaids, then you may want to avert your eyes in the mermaids scene in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, or you may just need to avoid the film all together, in which case, you would be missing out on a fun-filled 2+hr at the theatre.

It has been eight years since we first met Captain Jack Sparrow ((Johnny Depp) in the original Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, based on the popular ride of the same name at Disneyland.  I remember going on that ride more than 15yrs ago – if only Johnny Depp was on hand to entertain me as I stood in line for half an hour waiting my turn.  It has been a while since I have visited Disneyland – perhaps nowadays they just play the movies on the screens while you wait?  Who would have thought that a popular theme park ride would spawn such a successful film franchise, but bravo to Jerry Bruckheimer.  Not only did he make it work but he has managed to make it bigger and better with the latest installment.

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When Life Hands You Lemons, Make Lemonade!

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It is often said that there are two types of people in this world when it comes to how they perceive life: those who look at it as the “glass half full” or the “glass half empty”.  Before you run away screaming “Oh my God, Valerie is killing us with clichés!” and stop reading, I want to assure you, in the best Stephen Fry voice I can out on, that I will try my level best not to kill you with clichés (can’t promise anything on puns, innuendos or just pure boredom though! :D).

As many of you who are regular readers of my blog will know, the past few days have been a very emotional time for me with the loss of a school friend, Mary, who I had only recently reconnected with.  The news hit me hard, much harder than I ever expected, and I was surprised by it.  A few moments ago, I got a text message from my Mum telling me my Dad picked up his new hearing aid, much more high-tech than the very basic government-subsidised model he had been wearing for the past few years.  Dad was overwhelmed with emotion by this new device which is allowing him to hear music again.  My Dad is a natural musician – with no formal training, he could pick up any instrument and start playing tunes.  With the hearing loss, his quality of life deteriorated and caused a lot of angst and frustration amongst the whole family.  So with this latest news, I was once again brought to tears, this time from joy.

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When An Angel Becomes A Star

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Less than two weeks ago, I wrote about a friend of mine, Mary, who married her long-time partner, Rodney, in a beautiful, yet simple, ceremony in Sydney (see “Picture of Love, Togetherness and Strength“).  Last Friday, I was so proud of myself for using my new-found Windows Movie Maker skills when I made a short wedding video with the photos I had taken at their wedding and put it to music with a couple of Bruno Mars songs.  It was my little gift to Mary for her 39th birthday.  She had replied back, via Rodney, to say the video had put a smile on her face.  Rodney was excited about being on YouTube.

Mary and Me in Adelaide, Nov 2009

Sadly, today, I awoke to the news that Mary had passed away this morning in Adelaide, having lost her brave battle with cancer.  The news has greatly upset me all day for many reasons and I have been trying to find the right words to express this.  The passing of a loved one is never easy to accept.  The loss of one so young – a contemporary, well, actually younger than me by several months – with a young family and so much to live for, just adds to the craziness of how the world works.  Perhaps the most frustrating (is that the right word?) part about this loss is that I feel like Mary and I only just “found” each other again 2 years ago after having only seen each other once or twice since we finished high school.  When we caught up in November 2009 in Adelaide, we had even talked about meeting up in Melbourne one time when my football team, the Sydney Swans, played hers, Collingwood Magpies.

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Stories I Tell About My Mother

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A few years ago, I told my family that the gift-giving logic is flawed when it comes to the celebration of birthdays, Father’s Day and Mother’s Day.  It is our tradition that we receive gifts for our birthdays and we give gifts to our parents for Father’s/Mother’s Days.  Always the Devil’s Advocate, I said to my family that it seems strange to be receiving gifts on one’s birthday – as if we should be rewarded for having been born.  Wouldn’t it make more sense on our birthdays to be giving gifts to our parents? For without them, we would not be here.  And following this same logic, without us, our parents would not be parents, hence they should be giving us presents on Mother’s/Father’s Days!  OK, so this argument might be slightly flawed, too, if you are not the first-born (which I am not) because your parents are already parents even if you had not been born, so…

Putting aside my silliness (it runs in the family), Mother’s Day is a day we dedicate to show our love and appreciation for our mothers.  Of course, we should do this every single day and not just on one particular day, but it is still a good reminder to us of the sacrifices they have made for us and what they mean to us.  A mother is more than the woman who gave birth to us.  She has enormous responsibilities to raise and nurture us, and most importantly, to love us unconditionally.  For some, this person could be an aunt, a grandmother, a godmother, a step-mother, a foster-mother, an adoptive mother or a guardian.  And on this day, we recognise and show our appreciation for them all because they have made us who we are today.

My Mum with my Grandmother in the '50s

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