Final prediction for TVB Anniversary Awards 2018 before the ceremony this evening.

With the Hong Kong’s TVB Anniversary Awards 2018 presentation ceremony just hours away from now, it’s time for me to make my final prediction which will be slightly different from what I have posted before. This is because my view is updated after watching the last airing drama of the year, The Learning Curve Of A Warlord. The drama has only aired its 10 episodes and will be up already for contention of awards later this evening. This is a disadvantage for the series. Same goes to Fist Fight which will only be airing its final episodes end of next week.

(Image source: TVB.com)

Without wasting further time, here’s my final prediction for the TVB Anniversary Awards 2018:

Best Drama:

Top 5: Daddy Cool, Deep In The Realm Of Conscience, Life On The Line, The Learning Curve Of A Warlord, Fist Fight

Shouldn’t be in Top 5: Deep In The Realm of Conscience, Fist Fight

Should be in Top 5: The Forgotten Valley, Succession War

Should win: Succession War / The Learning Curve Of A Warlord

Will win: Life On The Line

Best Leading Actor:

Top 5: Ruco Chan (Succession War), Benjamin Yuen (Another Era), Joe Ma (Life On The Line), Vincent Wong (Fist Fight), Dicky Cheung (The Learning Curve Of A Warlord)

Shouldn’t be in Top 5: Benjamin Yuen (Another Era), Joe Ma (Life On The Line)

Should be in Top 5: Lau Kong (The Forgotten Valley), Wayne Lai (Daddy Cool)

Should win: Dicky Cheung (The Learning Curve Of A Warlord)

Will win: Dicky Cheung (The Learning Curve Of A Warlord)

Best Leading Actress:

Top 5: Alice Chan (Deep In The Realm Of Conscience), Ali Lee (Who Wants A Baby?), Mandy Wong (Threesome), Natalie Tong (Stealing Seconds), Nancy Wu (Deep In The Realm Of Conscience)

Shouldn’t be in Top 5: Natalie Tong (Stealing Seconds), Nancy Wu (Deep In The Realm Of Conscience)

Should be in Top 5: Louisa So (The Forgotten Valley), Selena Li (Succession War)

Should win: Mandy Wong (Threesome) / Ali Lee (Who Wants A Baby?)

Will win: Mandy Wong (Threesome)

Best Supporting Actor:

Top 5: Willie Wai (Deep In The Realm Of Conscience), Joel Chan (Succession War), Bob Cheung (Life On The Line), Jonathan Cheung (Succession War), Jimmy Au (Come Home Love: Lo And Behold)

Shouldn’t be in Top 5: Willie Wai (Deep In The Realm Of Conscience)

Should be in Top 5: Hugo Wong (OMG, Your Honour)

Should win: Jonathan Cheung (Succession War)

Will win: Jimmy Au (Come Home Love: Lo And Behold)

Best Supporting Actress:

Top 5: Mandy Lam (Come Home Love: Lo And Behold), Jacqueline Wong (Deep In The Realm Of Conscience), Vivien Yeo (The Learning Curve Of A Warlord), Angelina Lo (Who Wants A Baby?), Crystal Fung (Apple-Colada)

Shouldn’t be in Top 5: –

Should be in Top 5: –

Should win: Angelina Lo (Who Wants A Baby?)

Will win: Vivien Yeo (The Learning Curve Of A Warlord) / Jacqueline Wong (Deep In The Realm Of Conscience)

Most Favourite TV Male Character:

Top 5: Carlos Chan (Daddy Cool), Benjamin Yuen (Stealing Seconds), Kenneth Ma (Deep In The Realm Of Conscience), Chris Lai (Who Wants A Baby?), Dicky Cheung (The Learning Curve Of Warlord)

Shouldn’t be in Top 5: Benjamin Yuen (Stealing Seconds), Kenneth Ma (Deep In The Realm Of Conscience)

Should be in Top 5: Matthew Ho (Life On The Line), Edwin Siu (Deep In The Realm Of Conscience)

Should win: Carlos Chan (Daddy Cool)

Will win: Benjamin Yuen (Stealing Seconds)

Most Favourite TV Female Character:

Top 5: Mandy Wong (Threesome), Ali Lee (Who Wants A Baby?), Selena Li (Succession War), Grace Wong (OMG, Your Honour), Alice Chan (Deep In The Realm Of Conscience)

Shouldn’t be in Top 5: –

Should be in Top 5: –

Should win: Selena Li (Succession War) / Mandy Wong (Threesome) / Ali Lee (Who Wants A Baby?)

Will win: Alice Chan (Deep In The Realm Of Conscience)

Most Improved Actor:

Top 3: Matthew Ho, Hubert Wu, Owen Cheung

Should win: Matthew Ho

Will win: Matthew Ho

Most Improved Actress:

Top 3: Crystal Fung, Roxanne Tong, Gloria Tang

Should win: Crystal Fung

Will win: Roxanne Tong

Most Favourite TV Partnership:

Top 3: Benjamin Yuen, Pakho Chau, Gloria Tang (Another Era), Matthew Ho, Joey Law, Arnold Kwok, Bob Cheung (Life On The Line), Edwin Siu, Raymond Cho (Two Men In A Kitchen)

Should win: Matthew Ho, Joey Law, Arnold Kwok, Bob Cheung (Life On The Line)

Will win: Matthew Ho, Joey Law, Arnold Kwok, Bob Cheung (Life On The Line)

No prediction for the remaining other categories (best theme song, best host, best non-series programme). Can’t wait for the result this evening. Hope the deserved ones win but usually TVB will give us some shocking outcome.

Top 10 Tallest Buildings in the World (as of April 2017)

The two cities that witness the birth of skyscrapers are Chicago and New York City in United States. That was over a hundred years ago after the introduction of steel framed construction and passenger elevator that enables buildings to be built much taller. Now in 2017, only one building in United States that is placed within the top 10 tallest buildings in the world currently. The other 9 are generally all located in Asia. Here below is the current top 10 tallest buildings in the world as of April 2017. The list only includes completed buildings and does not include television towers, observation towers, masts, antennas or buildings with very little percentage of habitable floors.

1. Burj Khalifa, 828 metres, 163 floors, Dubai, United Arab Emirates (completed in 2010).

2. Shanghai Tower, 632 metres, 128 floors, Shanghai, China (completed in 2015).

3. Makkah Royal Clock Tower, 601 metres, 120 floors, Mecca, Saudi Arabia (completed in 2012).

4. Ping An Finance Center, 599 metres, 115 floors, Shenzhen, China (completed in 2017).

5. Lotte World Tower, 555 metres, 123 floors, Seoul, South Korea (completed in 2017).

6. One World Trade Center, 541 metres, 104 floors, New York City, United States (completed in 2014).

7. Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre, 530 metres, 111 floors, Guangzhou, China (completed in 2016).

8. Taipei 101, 508 metres, 101 floors, Taipei, Taiwan (completed in 2004).

9. Shanghai World Financial Center, 492 metres, 101 floors, Shanghai, China (completed in 2008).

10. International Commerce Centre, 484 metres, 108 floors, Hong Kong, China (completed in 2010).

This list will change drastically from year to year due to rapid increase of construction of supertall skyscrapers in the world in recent decade. More and more new buildings are reaching further to the sky. Out of the current top 10 tallest buildings in the world, half of them are in China (this doesn’t even include Taipei 101 in Taiwan). 8 of them soar above 500 metres in height respectively too. Also noted is that every buildings in this top 10 tallest list has over 100 floors respectively. The tallest in the world, Burj Khalifa has been on the top of the list for over 7 years now. By 2020, it is expected to be defeated by Kingdom Tower, a skyscraper currently under construction in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. That tower is projected to soar above 1000 metres (1 km!) when completed in 2020.

The oldest supertall in this list is Taipei 101 which is only 13 years old by now as it is built in 2004. More and more new buildings are joining the list with two newcomers this year; Ping An Finance Center and Lotte World Tower at No.4 and No.5 placing respectively. Former world’s tallest buildings and still the current world’s tallest twin buildings, the Petronas Twin Towers are kicked out of the top 10 list this year as they are now placed at No.11 (and 12) with height of 452 metres. Too bad…my home coutry’s famous twin towers are now out of the ranking. Anyway, in few years to come, Malaysia will have another new supertall; PNB 118 Tower that will certainly join this top 10 list with a height of over 600 metres.

(Images in this post are from various sources throughout the world wide web)

World’s 10 Tallest Buildings in 2016.

It’s been quite some time since I last compiled a list of the world’s top ten tallest buildings. I think the last time I worked on that was about a year or two ago and I’m very sure that the data in that particular post would be inaccurate as of now due to the world’s high interest on building supertall skyscrapers in recent years. So, if you are looking for the latest and the most accurate list of world’s top 10 tallest buildings as of June 2016, this is the right place to be.

The list only includes buildings (structures that contain mostly habitable or functional floors) and excludes tv masts, telecommunication or observation towers, antennas, etc. This list also includes the buildings that are still under construction but have already topped out (reached final height).

< 1 > Burj Khalifa, 828 metres, 163 floors, Dubai, United Arab Emirates (completed in 2010).

< 2 > Shanghai Tower, 632 metres, 121 floors, Shanghai, China (completed in 2015).

< 3 > Makkah Clock Royal Tower, 601 metres, 120 floors, Makkah, Saudi Arabia (completed in 2012).

< 4 > Ping An International Finance Center, 599 metres, 116 floors, Shenzhen, China (topped out, to be completed in 2016).

< 5 > Lotte World Tower, 556 metres, 123 floors, Seoul, South Korea (topped out, to be completed in 2016).

< 6 > One World Trade Center, 541 metres, 104 floors, New York City, United States of America (completed in 2014).

< 7 > CTF Finance Centre, 530 metres, 116 floors, Guangzhou, China (completed in 2016).

< 8 > Taipei 101, 509 metres, 101 floors, Taipei, Taiwan (completed in 2004).

< 9 > Shanghai World Financial Center, 492 metres, 101 floors, Shanghai, China (completed in 2008).

< 10 > International Commerce Centre, 484 metres, 118 floors, Hong Kong, China (completed in 2010).

Burj Khalifa remains as the world’s tallest building, holding on to the title for the 6th year. It is also still the world’s tallest man-made structure and is likely to remain at the top of the list for another few years before being taken over by Kingdom Tower (now under construction in Jeddah) in 2020. Half of the 10 buildings in this list above are in China, further displaying the country’s massive economic boom and interest on constructing tall buildings. Also discovered from the list above is that for the next newly completed building to be able to be ranked in the world’s 10 tallest, it has to be at least 500 metres high. 500 metres (above 100 floors as well) is now the minimum mark to get into top 10 tallest’s ranking. Back in 10 years, 400 metres is the mark. Now, an extra 100 for that.

My beloved Petronas Twin Towers are out of the list since they are only 452 metres tall. They are now placed at 11th (and 12th) tallest. Goldin Finance 117, a tower planned for completion this year and nears topping out in Tianjin, China is currently on-hold and is awaiting funding. Its completion date is now pushed to end of year 2017. The tower is expected to reach final height of 597 metres (117 floors) and will be the 5th tallest once topped out either by end of the year or early next year.

(Images in this post are from various sources throughout the world wide web)

More updated details for KL118 Tower.

Finally, after months and months of speculation and secrecy surrounding Malaysia’s plan for the next tallest building of the country, more details had been revealed recently from the officiating ceremony. What is the project that I’m talking about? It’s the KL118 development. Now, it is renamed to PNB118 since PNB is the name of the owner’s company for this project. Well, I prefer KL118 more as it has more international appeal than ‘PNB’. Nobody knows (not only foreigners but also locals) what does PNB stands for.

Also known as ‘Warisan Merdeka’ (Heritage Independence), this development is located on a site just adjacent to the historic Stadium Merdeka and Stadium Negara. It is also located nearby to some very old buildings like Victoria Institution, Methodist Boys School (my former secondary school), Chin Woo Stadium, and Petaling Street (Chinatown). The project has been receiving heavy criticism due to its location on low-lying area which is also full of historical buildings and that this new modern supertall would not fit into this site context. I agreed. This project also receiving strong objection as the money put into this can be more beneficial for other purposes as the city does not need another supertall yet.

The iconic feature of this development would be the construction of an 118-storey tower, now named PNB 118 Tower. The final height of this skyscraper is still not confirmed but it is now fixed to be between 600 metres to 650 metres. Some sources said 610 metres or 630 metres while some even said it would be 644 metres tall which would make it even taller than the Shanghai Tower, the current world’s second tallest building. No matter what the final height is, this PNB118 Tower would still easily be the country’s new tallest building as well as one of top five world’s tallest buildings once it is completed. And it is announced recently that it is expected to be completed in 2024. Years ago, it is planned for completion by 2020 to coincide with Wawasan 2020 (Vision 2020) when the country would become a developed nation by year 2020. However, the project faced delay and it’s getting back on track now. It is now officially under construction.

The tower is designed by Fender Katsalidis Architects, an architecture office based in Melbourne, Australia which is previously famous for designing Eureka Tower in Melbourne. The design is also not that well received as many people commented that it is too simple, too glassy and do not possess timeless elegance like what Petronas Twin Towers achieved. I agreed to these opinions too. However, after its official rendering and an animation clip of the tower are out recently, some changed their mind and started to like the design. I’m one of them, but I still think that the design needs further improvement especially on its treatment to the top where it meets the spire. The spire is also a bit too long and out of proportion in comparison to the building form and volume. I knew it is just there to increase a substantial height for the building just to have it to be placed higher in the list of world’s tallest buildings later on.

So, here below are some new (latest) renderings, plan view and models’ images of the PNB118 Tower and also an animation clip for it by RSP Architects, the local design consultant for this project.

Looking forward to see this new skyscraper dominating the skyline of Kuala Lumpur as soon as possible. Hmm…I suddenly changed my mind and think that KL needs a new supertall now since Petronas Twin Towers have been here for almost two decades already. However, it is undeniable that the twin towers are still elegant and remain as icon of the country forever.

(Images in this post are from various sources throughout the world wide web)

 

Ten tallest buildings in KL (as of 2014).

Kuala Lumpur, besides than its iconic Petronas Twin Towers which still stand today as the world’s tallest twin buildings, the city is also home to plenty of soaring skyscrapers. Currently, Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, has 17 buildings above 200 metres high respectively (including topped out or almost completed buildings). That figure does not includes telecommunication tower. Hence, the 421 metres tall KL Tower isn’t counted in. According to The Skyscraper Center from Council of Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH), Kuala Lumpur is ranked 10th ‘tallest’ city in the world, and 15th in the world by number of buildings exceeding 150 metres height.

The city still has plenty of space, but people loves to build tall buildings anyway. Building skyscrapers is a symbol of strength to a nation’s economy and image to the rest of the world. The last time I wrote about the city’s top ten tallest buildings was on last year, and I’m sure I have to update the list now as it changes every year. That’s a good sign and indication that KL is on course to build tall buildings rapidly, but just not as ambitious as those cities from China or Dubai. The first two in the list never change for many years already, and it’s the Petronas Twin Towers (everybody knew it). But what are the next tallest buildings in the city after the twin towers? Here you go…

1 & 2. Petronas Twin Towers, 452 metres, 88 floors.

3. Telekom Tower, 310 metres, 55 floors.

4. Ilham Baru Tower, 298 metres, 64 floors. (Topped out, will complete next year).

5. Naza Tower 1, 273 metres, 50 floors. (Pending spire installation to reach its full height, will complete next year).

6. Petronas Tower 3, 267 metres, 60 floors.

7. Maybank Tower, 244 metres, 50 floors.

 

8. Vista Tower, 238 metres, 60 floors.

9. Felda Tower, 216 metres, 50 floors.

10. Maxis Tower, 212 metres, 49 floors.

I would like to include seven more (below) that has also surpassed 200 metres in building’s height respectively.

11. AmBank Tower, 210 metres, 50 floors.

12. KKR2 Tower, 210 metres, 37 floors.

13. The Troika Tower 3, 204 metres, 50 floors.

14 & 15. Berjaya Times Square Tower A & B, 203 metres, 48 floors.

16. K Residence, 202 metres, 52 floors.

17. Lot G Office Towers, 200 metres, 42 floors.

In two to three years time, there would be more than 20 buildings with over 200 metres high respectively in the city. Also not to forget the on-going construction of some supertall projects in KL like the KL118 Tower (618 metres, 118 floors) and Four Seasons Place (343 metres, 65 floors). Kuala Lumpur, my home city, has plenty of tall buildings, which made the city a pleasant sight to skyscrapers’ lovers like me.

More statistics regarding the city in terms of skyscrapers can be found here: http://skyscrapercenter.com/city/kuala-lumpur.

(Images in this post are from various sources throughout the world wide web)

 

Top 10 World’s Tallest Buildings (Update – 2014)

It has been quite some time (few years I guess) since I last compiled a list of the top ten tallest buildings in the world. As a reminder, this list does not includes TV towers (like CN Tower, Tokyo Sky Tree, Oriental Pearl Tower, etc), antennas, masts or other non-habitable structures. I think it’s time now for me to update the list as of year 2014 as I observed that there are two new skyscrapers set to be completed this year (and had already topped out now) which would be eligible to join this prestigious ranking by now. Without wasting any more time, here I reveal to you the latest official list of world’s top ten tallest buildings as of year 2014:

1. Burj Khalifa, 828 metres, 163 floors, Dubai (United Arab Emirates).

2. Shanghai Tower, 632 metres, 121 floors, Shanghai (China).

3. Makkah Royal Clock Hotel Tower, 601 metres, 120 floors, Mecca (Saudi Arabia).

4. One World Trade Center, 541 metres, 104 floors, New York City (United States of America).

 

5. Taipei 101, 508 metres, 101 floors, Taipei (Taiwan).

6. Shanghai World Financial Center, 492 metres, 101 floors, Shanghai (China).

7. International Commerce Center, 484 metres, 108 floors, Hong Kong (China).

8 & 9. Petronas Twin Towers, 452 metres, 88 floors, Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia).

10. Nanjing Greenland Financial Complex / Zifeng Tower, 450 metres, 89 floors, Nanjing (China).

A quick analysis or I shall say, 10 interesting facts to share from the list:

• 9 out of 10 buildings in the list are in Asia, while 4 of them are in China alone.
• One World Trade Center is the only one in the list from USA, a country that first observed the race to compete for the world’s tallest titles in history of building construction, before the momentum switched to Asia from late 1990s onwards.
• By now, only buildings exceeding 450 metres in height will be placed to the top 10 list.
• With only 2 metres higher than the minimum height of 450m as mentioned earlier, Petronas Twin Towers which are both once the tallest buildings in the world will be out of the list by next year. However, both would remain as the record holder of world’s tallest twin buildings for many years to come as there isn’t any taller planned or proposed twin buildings development.
• Burj Khalifa maintains its position as the tallest in the world. It is also the current world’s tallest man-made structure of any kind. It has been taking the title for over 5 years by now, and is expected to remain so for another five years or more.
• 5 buildings in the list exceeded 500 metres in height. That’s half a kilometre.
• In the list, Petronas Twin Towers have the lowest number of floors (88). Same goes to Zifeng Tower (89). The towers still reached amazing height of over 450 metres due to high floor-to-floor level and also the crowning architectural pinnacles that are counted in official building’s height measurement.
• Willis Tower (previously named as Sears Tower) has a total height of 527 metres including the antenna on top of the building, but it doesn’t count into the official measurement. Hence, its official height is only at 442 metres. That made it out of the top ten list. The building was once the world’s tallest building too, but now placed at No.11.
• Shanghai Tower and One World Trade Center are the two new skyscrapers joining the list this year onwards. They have topped out earlier, and their constructions are expected to complete by this year.
• Extra facts: There are now about 20 buildings in the world that are over 400 metres in height respectively. That’s an amazing feat.

(Information and images in this post are from various sources throughout the world wide web)

Official result and my analysis of TVB 45th Anniversary Awards (萬千星輝頒獎典禮) 2012

Huh…I have to hold back and keep myself calm while writing this. The result turned up very satisfying in earlier categories presented, but then went on disastrously bad particularly on the last two heavyweight awards. If you don’t know, the prestigious annual TVB anniversary awards is held in December every year to honour artists and series presented along the respective year. The 2012’s TVB Anniversary Awards concluded just now, and I will list down the official result below along with my comments.

Lifetime Achievement Award: Liza Wang.

Comment: This is the most prestigious award every year, honouring one who have serviced TVB for at least several decades and had been successfully contributing to Hong Kong entertainment industry. Liza Wang winning this is quite deserving since she made priceless effort on her 41 years of service in TVB. Congratulation to her for winning this, and I like her speech when she said that this award doesn’t mean an award for the old, as she would promise to continue to commit to this work.

Best Actor: (* is in top 5, bold is winner)

1. Wayne Lai in The Confidant*
2. Moses Chan in The Last Steep Ascent*
3. Kevin Cheng in Gloves Come Off
4. Kenneth Ma in The Hippocratic Crush*
5. Raymond Lam in Highs and Lows*
6. Bosco Wong in Witness Insceurity
7. Damian Lau in Silver Spoon, Sterling Shackles*
8. Roger Kwok in Queens of Diamonds and Hearts
9. Joe Ma in Tiger Cubs
10. Raymond Wong in Gloves Come Off

Comment: This result is very unexpected and I’m seriously not satisfied with it. Since Kenneth Ma won the Most Favourite TV Male Character, he had lesser chance in this and that paves a bigger chance for Raymond Lam. He had a large fanbase and this one-person one-vote system is an advantage to him. He did exceptionally well in ‘Highs and Lows’ too with extreme emotion poured into the character. But in the end, unbelievably, he turned out empty handed. Many including I myself is predicting he would win. Wayne Lai contributed solid performance as always, but I find it’s already enough for him in winning TV king twice before. Unexpectedly, a lot of people vote for him and he won it again this year.

Best Actress: (* is in top 5, bold is winner)

1. Michelle Yim in The Confidant*
2. Charmaine Sheh in When Heaven Burns*
3. Myolie Wu in Ghetto Justice 2
4. Tavia Yeung in Silver Spoon, Sterling Shackles*
5. Fala Chen in Queens of Diamonds and Hearts
6. Linda Chung in Wintess Insecurity*
7. Kate Tsui in Highs and Lows*
8. Aimee Chan in The Last Steep Ascent
9. Liza Wang in Divas in Distress
10. Niki Chow in Bottled Passion

Comment: This is fair and acceptable. Most of us have predicted that it’s the time for Tavia to be crowned TV Queen, and she finally did it. Congratulation to her! But then, I find her role in SSSS isn’t a breakthrough, and people picked her just because her time came, just like how it turns out to Myolie last year. Anyway, she still deserves to win. However, extra credit is given to Michelle as she delivered outstanding performance in ‘The Confidant’. Her eyes and facial expressions are brilliant and impacting in the drama. This is what acting is actually. But since she won it before back in 2008, having her in top 5 is a consolation already.

My Favorite TV Male Character: (bold is winner)

1. Kevin Cheng in Ghetto Justice 2
2. Moses Chan in The Last Steep Ascent
3. Wayne Lai in The Confidant
4. Raymond Lam in Highs and Lows
5. Kenneth Ma in The Hippocratic Crush
6. Bosco Wong in Witness Insecurity
7. Bobby Au Yeung in House of Harmony and Vengeance
8. Michael Miu in Highs and Lows
9. Raymond Wong in The Confidant
10. Damian Lau in Silver Spoon, Sterling Shackles

Comment: I like this result the most. It’s the most right judgement of all. Kenneth Ma totally deserved this award. His character as ‘Cheung Yat Kin’ in ‘The Hippocratic Crush’ is very likeable. He did extremely well and his acting has been now on par with those of TV king’s standard. He had a very bright future ahead and soon it would be his turn for TV king. Raymond Lam as Happy Sir is also a nice character but still lacks a bit behind Yat Kin Tou. Really happy for Kenneth to win this. Congratulation!

My Favorite TV Female Character: (bold is winner)

1. Michelle Yim in The Confidant
2. Charmaine Sheh in When Heaven Burns
3. Myolie Wu in Ghetto Justice 2
4. Crystal Tin in King Maker
5. Tavia Yeung in Silver Spoon, Sterling Shackles
6. Tavia Yeung in The Hippocratic Crush
7. Kate Tsui in Highs and Lows
8. Fala Chen in Queens of Diamonds and Hearts
9. Eliza Sam in Divas in Distress
10. Niki Chow in Bottled Passion

Comment: Another good and satisfying outcome. Kate Tsui delivered an extreme breakthrough performance as a drug queen in ‘Highs and Lows’. There is a very high potential in such controversial character and Kate nailed it. She improved a lot in acting. Eventhough she is disliked by many people in her early years of acting, she finally gain some recognition and I’m happy with it. Once this award is given to Kate, I’m sure the best actress must be Tavia already.

Most Improved Male Character: (bold is winner)

1. Gam Kong
2. Him Law
3. Edwin Siu
4. Oscar Leung
5. Vincent Wong

Comment: A very good pick indeed. Oscar Leung had been in acting career for many years as far as I have known. However, there isn’t any great things or characters for him in earlier years, not until this year, when he is given so many interesting characters like in L’escargot, The Confidant, Tiger Cubs, etc. He totally deserved this award after so many years of contribution and with such a breakthrough year of 2012 for him.

Most Improved Female Character: (bold is winner)

1. Mandy Wong
2. Eliza Sam
3. Christine Kuo
4. Katy Kung
5. Cilla Kung

Comment: Another very much predicted and acceptable result. I find Mandy Wong’s performance to have excel so fast. Probably, she had a great talent on acting. Furthermore, she had been given so many potential characters to portray and that she did all amazingly well too. I would find it very weird and illogical if this award goes to one of the other four nominees on which I think is still far behind from this recognition.

Best Supporting Actor: (* is in top 2, bold is winner)

1. Power Chan in The Confidant*
2. Koo Ming Wah in Divas in Distress*
3. Oscar Leung in L’Escargot
4. Elliot Ngok in The Confidant
5. Vincent Wong in Silver Spoon, Sterling Shackles
6. Alex Lam in Ghetto Justice 2
7. Kenny Wong in The Last Steep Ascent
8. Ram Tseung in Witness Insecurity
9. Him Law in The Hippocratic Crush
10. Edwin Siu in Daddy Good Deeds

Comment: Everyone knew top 2 would be Power Chan and Koo Ming Wah. And yes it is. Koo Ming Wah won it finally. I didn’t watch his performance as critically-acclaimed So Kei in ‘Divas in Distress’ but I heard a lot of good things about him from this drama. So, there must be something exceptionally fascinating from him. But I find that this result would be a big disappointment to Power Chan. He portrayed an eunuch in ‘The Confidant’ in a very interesting manner and his acting is well received. But then, his role gets diminished as the series progresses. Hence, the award still goes to Koo Ming Wah that made a bigger impact from his much earlier released drama. Fine, I’m still okay with this outcome. Really feel sorry for Power Chan. Power Chan, I think next year TVB would tries to give to you this award through another interesting character.

Best Supporting Actress: (* is in top two, bold is winner)

1. Mandy Wong in L’Escargot*
2. Rachel Kan in Master of Play
3. Mary Hon in Three Kingdoms RPG
4. Florence Kwok in King Maker
5. Law Lan in The Last Steep Ascent
6. Christine Kuo in Ghetto Justice 2
7. Nancy Wu in Gloves Come Off*
8. Elena Kong in Silver Spoon, Sterling Shackles
9. Eliza Sam in Divas in Distress
10. Aimee Chan in The Confidant

Comment: I prefer Elena Kong and Nancy Wu to be in top two. I find Mandy in top two is a bit too fast for her. She is still not there yet eventhough her character is very much likeable too. Elena Kong delivered impressive performance in SSSS but is not emphasized in awards. Too bad. Okay, I’m still fine with Nancy Wu winning this since she had been in this industry for many years too and that her acting is no doubt good as well.

Best Series: (* is in top three, bold is winner)

1. When Heaven Burns <天與地>*
2. Bottled Passion <我的如意狼君>
3. Wish and Switch <換樂無窮>
4. L’Escargot <缺宅男女>
5. Let It Be Love <4 in Love>
6. The Hippocratic Crush <On Call 36小時>*
7. Queen of Hearts and Diamonds <東西宮略>
8. Daddy Good Deeds <當旺爸爸>
9. The Greatness of  Hero <盛世仁傑>
10. Gloves Come Off <拳王>
11. House of Harmony and Vengeance <耀舞長安>
12. Come Home Love <愛．回家>
13. Master of Play <心戰>
14. No Good Either Way <衝呀！瘦薪兵團>
15. Tiger Cubs <飛虎>
16. Witness Insecurity <護花危情>
17. Three Kingdoms RPG <回到三國>
18. Ghetto Justice 2 <怒火街頭2>
19. King Maker <造王者>
20. Divas in Distress <巴不得媽媽…>
21. The Last Steep Ascent <天梯>
22. Highs and Lows <雷霆掃毒>
23. Silver Spoon, Sterling Shackles <名媛望族>
24. The Confidant <大太監>*

Comment: This is the result I had a shock when it is first announced. Are the Hong Kong audiences lack of serious and rational judgement when picking the most coveted best series award? Sorry for hurting. I had to be clear on this. I am 100% and totally opposed to this result. Many are rooting for ‘The Hippocratic Crush’ and ‘The Confidant’ (everyone knew only these two battle it all out), and in the end, ‘When Heaven Burns’ win this! I find this result to be very awkward and nonsense to the max. This is so unbelievable. Really a big disappointment and NO to me. I didn’t watch ‘When Heaven Burns’ as I find it so boring even in earlier episodes already. ‘The Hippocratic Crush’ or ‘The Confidant’ should have win this as they had good scripts, wonderful performance by the casts, and so many other good things surrounding them. This is unbelievable. Many earlier polls also show that ‘When Heaven Burns’ not even entering top 5, and now winning is a big mystery. ‘Something’ is behind the win. Ahh…sometimes, I find 100% voting by audiences isn’t truly reflective of who the artists or which the series deserves for the awards. ‘When Heaven Burns’ winning Best Drama is totally sick!

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Huh…really unbelievable. In earlier part of the awards presentation when every result revealed is so satisfying, I thought that this year’s result would be the most fair and proper. In the end, it really turned out disastrous and terrible, and ignoring some other very good series (The Confidant only win one from Best Actor but lost out most others) and artists (Raymond Lam unexpectedly win nothing eventhough I have to say he did very well this year too and that 2012 is time for him already to get big award). I find there is something wrong to the last two awards (Best Actor and Best Series). Others are all okay and satisfying and correct according to most prediction.

And then, it’s quite low-class and a sign of disrespect when the crew keep on requesting people on stage to cut off their time to speak. Stop that stupid thing and keep the awards presentation longer next year onwards so that the winning people can voice out their full-of-emotion feeling a bit longer. And one more thing good about this awards presentation is that there are quite a few interesting and funny lines to keep us entertained throughout this two and a half hour show. And I’m so glad to see two heavyweight awards presenters attended this awards ceremony; Miriam Yeung for presenting best actress award and Deanie Ip for presenting best actor award. And last but not least, I also like the part when TVB decided to award several artists who have been contributing to many series for many years but given no recognition earlier. They (Chin Ka Lok, Benz Hui, Sunny Chan, Lee Sing Cheung & Carol Cheng) deserved the award. Anyway, congratulation to all the winners, eventhough some don’t deserve to get it in any point. That’s it.

List of Top 10 World’s Tallest Buildings in 2012

A decade or two ago, the list of top ten world’s tallest buildings would be the same for many years. But for now, it appears that we have to update the list every year as more and more taller skyscrapers eligible to be in top 10 are built in recent years. Ten years ago, we have less than 5 buildings that rise above 400 metres in height. But by now in 2012, we had 16 skyscrapers reaching above that impressive height. So, in few years time, it would be over 20. People now are building taller and taller, not only because of having limited land space especially in dense cities, but also to break records and to get famous.

Now, here it is, the official list of the current top 10 world’s tallest buildings as of end of this year (2012) which doesn’t include telecommunication towers or other non-occupied structures. The height taken in account is according to height to architectural detail which doesn’t include antenna but includes spire as the latter is counted as part of original design of a particular building. I’m quite certain that this list differs slightly from the list in previous years, and so I decided to have this new post as an update. Well, I believe this list is going to be updated again next year too.

The description that follows start with height, number of floors, year completed, and finally the city and country the building is located.

1. Burj Khalifa – 828 metres, 163 floors, 2010, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

2. Makkah Royal Clock Tower Hotel – 601 metres, 120 floors, 2012, Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

3. Taipei 101 – 508 metres, 101 floors, 2004, Taipei, Taiwan.

4. Shanghai World Financial Center – 492 metres, 101 floors, 2008, Shanghai, China.

5. International Commerce Centre – 484 metres, 108 floors, 2010, Hong Kong, China.

6. Petronas Tower 1 – 452 metres, 88 floors, 1998, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

6. Petronas Tower 2 – 452 metres, 88 floors, 1998, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

8. Zifeng Tower (Nanjing Greenland Financial Complex) – 450 metres, 66 floors, 2010, Nanjing, China.

9. Willis Tower  – 442 metres, 108 floors, 1974, Chicago, United States of America.

10. KK 100 Tower – 442 metres, 100 floors, 2011, Shenzhen, China.

I have decided to mention the other 6 buildings that reach above 400 metres, but without any images.

11. Guangzhou International Finance Center – 439 metres, 103 floors, 2010, Guangzhou, China.

12. Trump International Hotel and Tower – 423 metres, 98 floors, 2009, Chicago, United States of America.

13. Jin Mao Tower – 421 metres, 88 floors, 1999, Shanghai, China.

14. Princess Tower – 413 metres, 101 floors, 2012, Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

15. Al Hamra Tower – 413 metres, 80 floors, 2011, Kuwait City, Kuwait.

16. Two International Finance Centre – 412 metres, 88 floors, 2003, Hong Kong, China.

There are huge number of skyscrapers under construction currently which many would top over 400 metres in height once completed. Some would definitely join into the proud top ten list too, and then I need to update again. By the way, as of current standing, it appears that Asia rules in world’s tallest list in continent category. In top ten list, the top two are in Arab nations, while one is in West, four in China alone and the other three in other parts of Asia. And I’m glad, the Petronas Twin Towers (in my country, and I have been seeing the beautiful twin towers everyday) still stay in the top 1o. But after five years, I’m sure the twin towers are out of top 10 definitely. The overwhelming Burj Khalifa still tops the list and is also the world’s tallest man made structure ever built. Makkah Royal Clock Hotel Tower is not in CTBUH’s list as the overall complex isn’t completed yet, but I include it into my list as the tower itself is already completed and open to the public.

(The information from the list is obtained and studied from Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitats, CTBUH’s official website and list at http://skyscrapercenter.com/list.php?list_type=1 , as well as from SkyscraperPage.com’s list at http://skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?searchID=200 , while the images in this post are from various sources throughout the world wide web)