"Train to Busan"

     On the weekends, I watched the movie "Train to Busan" with Steven. It is a Korean movie; indeed, it completely changes my attitude towards Asian movie production. As we all know, Asian movies do not process the best theatrical effects, especially when they involve dramatic action and visual impact. However, "Train to Busan", presenting devastating situation of zombie invasion, creates extraordinary visual effects to its audience. Not only does it demonstrate the drastic condition under such invasion, but it also expressively portrays the power of love from different relationships.

     Do not want to be a spoiler. I am not very interested in all the fancy actions or exciting plot of the movie. In fact, I am very into the description of various relationship in it. It has presented the selfishness and indifference of some characters. Nonetheless, through several sentimental sacrifice, the power of love is shown adequately. Furthermore, the change of the personality of the protagonist is very worth mentioning. His change from a selfish person to an altruistic father is admirable but also pathetic for the fact that he JUST discovers the kindness of himself in the last few hours of his life, and he has no chance to fix all his mistakes.

     The ending got me crying. (Steven showed no emotion at all)

     Overall, the movie is worth a look. Rated out of 10, I would recommend a 8.9. I would not say it has reached the Hollywood level, but it is a huge improvement of Asian movies.

Gyu-Kaku

     On this Thursday, I went to Gyu-Kaku with Steven and my cousins. It is a Japanese barbecue restaurant on West Broadway. Since nobody liked veggies, our meal was completely consisted with meat and seafood. The restaurant seemed very popular, because there were no empty seats even till 9. 
     The most remarkable dishes were the "Harami Skirt Steak", "Garlic Shrimp" and "Sukiyaki Bibimbap". The steak was tender and "juicy", that even without any sauce, it tasted fabulous which prolonged for minutes in my mouth. I love seafood, and shrimps are among them all. Furthermore, the shrimps in this restaurant were very well-known. We divisively ordered 4 dishes of shrimp as soon as we started. Whereas the steak and the shrimp were meant to be cooked by ourselves, Sukiyaki Bibimbap was a huge bowl of rice with beef that were already well cooked for us. I did not like it that much because it was too salty for me; however, my cousins loved it.
     Desserts were also a major part of our meal. We had three "Banana Chocolate Ice Cream",  on which bananas were cooked on the plate, and put into ice cream after they were done. It did not have an outstanding taste, but it was special.
     Indeed, beyond its satisfying taste, my primary anticipation was to augment our family relationship. Barbecue, no doubt, is a great choice for this. It created a chance for us to work together, and to share. Hence, I was very delighted about the result. Thank you Gyu-Kaku!

                                                                                                                   Coco Liu
                                                                                                             October.7th.2016

The Bubble Tea Shop

     I went to Downtown with Steven on this Saturday. I had my SAT Exam finished at around 13:00, for celebration, we decided to go shopping for the rest of the day. We headed directly to The Bubble Tea Shop for recommendation from my friend, and it was totally new for us.

     We ordered a Mango Popping Boba and an Oreo Cheesecake Supreme. The boba was more like bubble tea. It contained pearls and pudding with some small pieces of mangos. There was a spoon of vanilla ice-cream on the top, which had an awesome taste. Oreo Cheesecake Supreme was an egg waffle. What really attracted me were the small cubes of cheesecake and oreo cookies. The cheesecake cubes were extraordinarily delicious. I did not finish the whole dish eventually; however, I did eat all the cheesecake cubes. The waffle contained something called mochi in it, which made it tender and chewy. Besides the taste, cost is very rational as well. The total price was about 20 dollars, which is far more cheaper than we expected. 

     After all, The Bubble Tea Shop is a place definitely deserved a recommendation.

                                                                                                                  Coco Liu

                                                                                                              October.2nd.2016