Everyone I know, including me, is in thesis-writing mode right now and sometimes it's tedious and sometimes it's scary... I'm reminded of this quote from the uplifting (and hilarious and addictive) Jdrama 'Atashinchi no Danshi':
I used to hate Kelly Chen because of her angry face, but watching her in movies you can see her versatility in expression and become enamored with the way she shows the character's inner life.
In "And I hate you so", her character Luna Ng is that combination of tough on the outside, vulnerable on the inside that is required of leading ladies. Unfortunately, the movie is about two boring and slightly melancholy people that find each other, so there's not much in the way of exciting developments. Nonetheless, I love the way it's paced like a mood piece about finding your lonely way in Hong Kong. I also love Luna Ng's clothes and apartment, books, cockroaches and all.
This movie even got me to appreciate Aaron Kwok, which is something I thought I'd never say. If you look closely at the end, you can see he is shorter than Kelly Chen :)
I think I've discovered the only blog I need to read for the rest of my life (besides this one, duh): Kdramafood
Where have you been all my life? All those times that I watched Coffee Prince and wanted to eat jajangmyeon and wipe the sauce with pickled daikon, every time I watched a variety show where they have a barbeque outdoors in the middle of winter, that awesome episode of Invincible Youth where they went to the Korean traditional preserved foods company and made the most epic bibimbap of all time... for me one of the central pleasures of watching Kdrama and K-variety shows are the food experiences that all the important moments revolve around. And now I've finally found a blog that shares my enthusiasm :D
Another favorite Korean tv food moment: Lee Yoonji's obsession with grilled sweet potatoes on We Got Married. SO DELICIOUS.
I have so many things saved to my computer that I intend to blog about, so here's a start. Last fall (!) my sister and I went to see 'Sawako Decides' at the cinema. It is a very funny and heartfelt story about the very average Sawako. I always love seeing knitting in popular culture, so the fact that Sawako's boyfriend was constantly knitting was adorable. His own handknit vest even had a little mistake in the pattern near the collar.
With the terrible events in Japan this week, my thoughts are with the Japanese people.
I just watched The Sure Thing featuring John Cusack and Daphne Zuniga and was surprised by how good it is. Straightforward but entertaining all the way through, this movie hasn't become dated in the way of other 80's teen flicks (although that has its charms too) and I desperately want both of the lead characters' clothes. In her first scene, Alison is briefly seen in a lilac sweater and lilac/cream long skirt. I have a lilac sweater, but I never look that good!
Check out Alison's awesome Navajo-style pullover sweater. I love it in movies when characters actually wear the clothes a number of times instead of each thing once. Although I'm sure I have enough clothes to furnish multiple cast members for a whole film... I'm also really into the rugby-type shirts Gib wears a couple of times, even though they probably don't play rugby.
The totally natural use of turtleneck shirts under their sweaters (and plaid scarves seem to be a must) is refreshing since I personally really like turtlenecks, but almost nooooo one wears them nowadays. Alison's baby blue and burgundy combination is lovely. She also has these sweet mittens that go with everything.
Gib's grey marl sweatpants seem like the kind of thing vintage sportswear lovers would geek out over, since they actually seem to be cut pretty well and not crazy baggy or tight, which seem to be the two options nowadays. I've been looking for a pair like that myself.
How cuuuuuute is Alison's mohair beanie and how woooonderful is her pink and purple chevron sweater?!! Is it woven?!!! And although Nina Garcia claims that pearls should never be worn in a 'precious' way, they still look pretty great on Alison in this traditional way.
I'm really crazy about Gib's parachute/cargo pants and, yet again, would love to have them myself. It complements all this trad New England style nicely. I think the tapered ankle keeps them more on the sporty side and less messy.
Last but not least can you believe John Cusack was only seventeen when he made this movie? SEVENTEEEEEN? I was wondering why he still had such a baby face. It's because he was seventeen, everybody. Geeeez!
Now I feel Christmassy! I love Invincible Youth so much- all those shiny girls, happy and sad moments, eating farmy food, mombbae pants, and friendliness. Like my pal N said, it makes you want to go and help out on a farm or go fishing for a day with your friends.
I'm going to start knitting and get caught up on all the episodes this holiday!
My interest in a particular food or dish is often piqued by a scene in a drama or variety show, such as the croquembouche in Antique, Yoonji's obsession with bakes sweet potatoes in We Got Married or any cooking scene in Invincible Youth. So it is that in my brain, the Korean chive pancake, pajeon, is irreversibly linked to the scene in The First Shop of Coffee Prince where they are having Eunchan's father's memorial dinner and Eunsae is making these terrible pancakes.
Of course her admirer MinYub says oh, she's so great at cooking, and it's so delicious, etc. He's so funny! Eunsae the whole time has her usual devil-may-care attitude and dumps the broken pancakes on a plate. Meanwhile Soon-ki watches the cooking with a kind of disgusted look and finally pushes Eunsae aside to show us all how it's done.
The rest of this scene is funny too, but I always get stuck focused on Soonki's pancake-making technique. First he puts some batter in the pan, then he spreads the chives on top and adds more batter. Most recipes call for 'Korean chives', but since I'm not sure what they are exactly I use garlic chives, while spring onion is also an option. Enjoy!
I'm not sure which genius decided to turn the BTS photos from 'SungKyunKwan Scandal' of Yoochun into a photobook, but I sure am glad they did! It's such a sweet and simple series of portraits, plus Yoochun can be so funny. I miss this natural side! And I totally mean to watch this show when I have time.
I'm just going through my links and saw some on Juri Ueno and Eita. Ever since Nodame Cantabile, I love the way they are not romantically linked in their productions or in the public eye, but work together synergistically to set off each other's qualities. It's no wonder they are known as the "Golden Couple of the Heitei Era".
Last week I watched a handful of Cantonese romantic (comedy) movies: Lavender, Every Dog has its Date, Bakery Amour, Undercover Love, Undercover Love 2 and Drink Drank Drunk. All of them were enjoyable if you like that kind of genre, which, clearly, I do.
But actually what I want to say is, in light of recent developments in my RL, I've been thinking about how I've been overly using internet and fandom and pop culture as a form of escape. Of course, it's made for entertainment and for escapism, but if I use it as active procrastination- not even from working per se but from THINKING, anyway, it's not fair for me and for the entertainers right? When I think back about the past ten months I can remember the different shows I watched, the different pop topics that I followed, and the times I cried and laughed with the movies and the shows and the idols. But somewhere I just started using these things to avoid my RL issues, luxury issues as they may be. And because of this I think I both enjoy the entertainment less and I make the problems worse. Do I want my life back? It was boring to begin with. In fandom, I really do care for the idols and the ideals, but I need to care for myself first.
I'll still be here, but I'll try to be less serious ;)
From part two of the Japan-Taiwan movie About Love (featuring my favorite, Ryo Kase!)
Seriously, about this movie: part one made me gag, part two made me lol, and part three made me (want to) cry. Part three was bright but haunting and perfectly made for that short length of film, and I just can't forget it.
Watching the first episode of 2PM's Nickhun and f(x)'s Victoria on We Got Married brought back all the dear memories of when I was into WGM in the winter of 08-09. It's no wonder these two have hiked up the ratings of WGM because they are adooooorable together already (even though I also like Jokwon+Gain and Jonghwa+Seohyun).
Since I already know a bit about Nickhun, it was Victoria I was most curious about. (Although, I was already a bit smitten by her Drunken Fists.) She is too cute! Admitting up front how much she loved girly childish things despite her chic appearance, Victoria showed an honest and warm personality from the beginning.
It reminds me of how in the season of WGM that I followed, I started out as fans of the husbands on basis of their fame/charms, but ended up loving the wives most. All the women were so vulnerable in their pretend marriages, yet so strong and steadfast. Their loyalty and devotion were truly touching, despite all the awkward and difficult moments in the marriage.
Of course one of the more notorious couples could be said to be Gundam couple, Junjun and Lee Si Young. They got off to the worst start ever and were bickering and fighting like crazy over everything, although they tried to accomodate each other. In the end, after the show was over they actually continued into a real-life relationship for a while.
Lee Si Young is sooo sexy. I love her brattiness. After WGM put her in the spotlight, she had to reveal some of the difficulties she's had in the entertainment business, such as lying about her age to get work. Even then, she wasn't ashamed of it. I really admire how she doesn't back down for anyone.
It was actually the Acorn Jelly couple (Kangin + Lee Yoon Ji) that got me into WGM ♥ From the beginning Kangin was something of a cad, but Lee Yoon Ji tried so hard to understand him and get along with him. I think she was something of a saint! And along the way Kangin came to appreciate it too and did some lovely things for her. But it was frustrating road, lol!
Again, it was the parts where Yoon Ji revealed her dreams that really touched me- when Kangin arranged a surprise recital by Yukhi Kuramoto, Yoon Ji was moved to tears. She described how she used to listen to his piano music while sitting on a bench after school and dreaming about her future. Kangin's parents were right when they said he would be lucky to marry a girl like her.
The funny thing about Yoon Ji is, she's so beautiful, graceful and talented, her fashion sense is quite poor. Mostly she just wears very trendy cool clothes, which look nice, but would suck the personality out of a lesser person. Still, she manages to come out of it all looking amazing, although I would personally like to see her in more natural styles to complement her natural appeal.
And finally of course I can't go without mentioning the other two couples. I didn't follow them from the beginning, but starting from the 'Couple challenge' onward I became fans of them too :) Shin Sung Rok + Kim Shin Young obviously couldn't look dorkier together with him tall and lanky and her short and round. However, underneath that was Kim Shin Young's worries about being an appropriate wife and she didn't dare to get close for that reason. I love Kim Shin Young and I hope Shin Sung Rok and every other man appreciates how wonderful she is.
Lastly there was Taeyeon + Hyungdon (or 'Jelly' and 'Pudding'). I can't believe Taeyeon is barely 20 because she was definitely the more mature of the two, handling the delicate sensibilities of marriage with ease. Never once did she fail to take Hyungdon's side or any of those other pitfalls of jealousy, etc that they like to set up on WGM. She was amazing until the end.
Now I'm going to have to start backtracking this season's WGM to get more Seohyun, Gain and Victoria. ♥
When it started raining in episode 5, it started pouring here.
Family - Della Ding
Don't pull open the ribbon on the gift At first it's filled with expectation, then it ends with corruption Don't turn on the midnight radio station Don't let the love song fool you again and again
And love didn't teach me how to survive It only taught me to trade vanity for innocence Yet love made us strangers but couldn't change the nobler souls
Don't kiss me, just hold me Don't love me, be my family instead Lend me your hand one minute a day Be my closest family Not somebody's lover, somebody's somebody Even if I'm all drenched I will never be again led by the nose If I'm still holding a fist It could be I'm scared of my dream flying away
And love is not all powerful as you thought It couldn't stop our fights But love is not so merciful The one who loves the deepest gets sacrificed the easiest
Don't kiss me, just hold me Don't love me, be my family instead Lend me your hand one minute a day Allow me to keep dreaming my dream Be the greatest smiling hero in my dream
Gu Hye-Sun is my new role model now that I've discovered her truly independant and unique nature by reading this article on Dramabeans: "Jack-of-all-trades Gu Hye-sun's secret: 'I'm a workaholic.'". As the pretty and kooky lead Geum Jandi on last year's hit k-drama Boys over Flowers, she won Hallyu fans all over the world.
Despite criticisms of Gu Hye-Sun's weird acting or any prejudice towards her ulzzang beginnings, her whole career thus far has demonstrated her strong will. 1. She got a scholarship to study at university and reached no.1 in her department, but quit to join the show Nonstop. 2. She trained to be a singer, but made her name as an actress. 3. She became well-known as Geum Jandi, but went on to direct her own film, release her own music, exhibit her illustrations, and write a novel.
It was truly amazing to read about Gu Hye-Sun's accomplishments so far, all driven by her own ideas and her hard work. I really had a paradigm shift. I hope Gu Hye-Sun will continue to be an independant spirit and a true idol.
Everyone I know, including me, is in thesis-writing mode right now and sometimes it's tedious and sometimes it's scary... I'm reminded of this quote from the uplifting (and hilarious and addictive) Jdrama 'Atashinchi no Danshi':
I used to hate Kelly Chen because of her angry face, but watching her in movies you can see her versatility in expression and become enamored with the way she shows the character's inner life.
In "And I hate you so", her character Luna Ng is that combination of tough on the outside, vulnerable on the inside that is required of leading ladies. Unfortunately, the movie is about two boring and slightly melancholy people that find each other, so there's not much in the way of exciting developments. Nonetheless, I love the way it's paced like a mood piece about finding your lonely way in Hong Kong. I also love Luna Ng's clothes and apartment, books, cockroaches and all.
This movie even got me to appreciate Aaron Kwok, which is something I thought I'd never say. If you look closely at the end, you can see he is shorter than Kelly Chen :)
I think I've discovered the only blog I need to read for the rest of my life (besides this one, duh): Kdramafood
Where have you been all my life? All those times that I watched Coffee Prince and wanted to eat jajangmyeon and wipe the sauce with pickled daikon, every time I watched a variety show where they have a barbeque outdoors in the middle of winter, that awesome episode of Invincible Youth where they went to the Korean traditional preserved foods company and made the most epic bibimbap of all time... for me one of the central pleasures of watching Kdrama and K-variety shows are the food experiences that all the important moments revolve around. And now I've finally found a blog that shares my enthusiasm :D
Another favorite Korean tv food moment: Lee Yoonji's obsession with grilled sweet potatoes on We Got Married. SO DELICIOUS.
I have so many things saved to my computer that I intend to blog about, so here's a start. Last fall (!) my sister and I went to see 'Sawako Decides' at the cinema. It is a very funny and heartfelt story about the very average Sawako. I always love seeing knitting in popular culture, so the fact that Sawako's boyfriend was constantly knitting was adorable. His own handknit vest even had a little mistake in the pattern near the collar.
With the terrible events in Japan this week, my thoughts are with the Japanese people.
I just watched The Sure Thing featuring John Cusack and Daphne Zuniga and was surprised by how good it is. Straightforward but entertaining all the way through, this movie hasn't become dated in the way of other 80's teen flicks (although that has its charms too) and I desperately want both of the lead characters' clothes. In her first scene, Alison is briefly seen in a lilac sweater and lilac/cream long skirt. I have a lilac sweater, but I never look that good!
Check out Alison's awesome Navajo-style pullover sweater. I love it in movies when characters actually wear the clothes a number of times instead of each thing once. Although I'm sure I have enough clothes to furnish multiple cast members for a whole film... I'm also really into the rugby-type shirts Gib wears a couple of times, even though they probably don't play rugby.
The totally natural use of turtleneck shirts under their sweaters (and plaid scarves seem to be a must) is refreshing since I personally really like turtlenecks, but almost nooooo one wears them nowadays. Alison's baby blue and burgundy combination is lovely. She also has these sweet mittens that go with everything.
Gib's grey marl sweatpants seem like the kind of thing vintage sportswear lovers would geek out over, since they actually seem to be cut pretty well and not crazy baggy or tight, which seem to be the two options nowadays. I've been looking for a pair like that myself.
How cuuuuuute is Alison's mohair beanie and how woooonderful is her pink and purple chevron sweater?!! Is it woven?!!! And although Nina Garcia claims that pearls should never be worn in a 'precious' way, they still look pretty great on Alison in this traditional way.
I'm really crazy about Gib's parachute/cargo pants and, yet again, would love to have them myself. It complements all this trad New England style nicely. I think the tapered ankle keeps them more on the sporty side and less messy.
Last but not least can you believe John Cusack was only seventeen when he made this movie? SEVENTEEEEEN? I was wondering why he still had such a baby face. It's because he was seventeen, everybody. Geeeez!
Now I feel Christmassy! I love Invincible Youth so much- all those shiny girls, happy and sad moments, eating farmy food, mombbae pants, and friendliness. Like my pal N said, it makes you want to go and help out on a farm or go fishing for a day with your friends.
I'm going to start knitting and get caught up on all the episodes this holiday!
My interest in a particular food or dish is often piqued by a scene in a drama or variety show, such as the croquembouche in Antique, Yoonji's obsession with bakes sweet potatoes in We Got Married or any cooking scene in Invincible Youth. So it is that in my brain, the Korean chive pancake, pajeon, is irreversibly linked to the scene in The First Shop of Coffee Prince where they are having Eunchan's father's memorial dinner and Eunsae is making these terrible pancakes.
Of course her admirer MinYub says oh, she's so great at cooking, and it's so delicious, etc. He's so funny! Eunsae the whole time has her usual devil-may-care attitude and dumps the broken pancakes on a plate. Meanwhile Soon-ki watches the cooking with a kind of disgusted look and finally pushes Eunsae aside to show us all how it's done.
The rest of this scene is funny too, but I always get stuck focused on Soonki's pancake-making technique. First he puts some batter in the pan, then he spreads the chives on top and adds more batter. Most recipes call for 'Korean chives', but since I'm not sure what they are exactly I use garlic chives, while spring onion is also an option. Enjoy!
I'm not sure which genius decided to turn the BTS photos from 'SungKyunKwan Scandal' of Yoochun into a photobook, but I sure am glad they did! It's such a sweet and simple series of portraits, plus Yoochun can be so funny. I miss this natural side! And I totally mean to watch this show when I have time.
I'm just going through my links and saw some on Juri Ueno and Eita. Ever since Nodame Cantabile, I love the way they are not romantically linked in their productions or in the public eye, but work together synergistically to set off each other's qualities. It's no wonder they are known as the "Golden Couple of the Heitei Era".
Last week I watched a handful of Cantonese romantic (comedy) movies: Lavender, Every Dog has its Date, Bakery Amour, Undercover Love, Undercover Love 2 and Drink Drank Drunk. All of them were enjoyable if you like that kind of genre, which, clearly, I do.
But actually what I want to say is, in light of recent developments in my RL, I've been thinking about how I've been overly using internet and fandom and pop culture as a form of escape. Of course, it's made for entertainment and for escapism, but if I use it as active procrastination- not even from working per se but from THINKING, anyway, it's not fair for me and for the entertainers right? When I think back about the past ten months I can remember the different shows I watched, the different pop topics that I followed, and the times I cried and laughed with the movies and the shows and the idols. But somewhere I just started using these things to avoid my RL issues, luxury issues as they may be. And because of this I think I both enjoy the entertainment less and I make the problems worse. Do I want my life back? It was boring to begin with. In fandom, I really do care for the idols and the ideals, but I need to care for myself first.
I'll still be here, but I'll try to be less serious ;)
From part two of the Japan-Taiwan movie About Love (featuring my favorite, Ryo Kase!)
Seriously, about this movie: part one made me gag, part two made me lol, and part three made me (want to) cry. Part three was bright but haunting and perfectly made for that short length of film, and I just can't forget it.
Watching the first episode of 2PM's Nickhun and f(x)'s Victoria on We Got Married brought back all the dear memories of when I was into WGM in the winter of 08-09. It's no wonder these two have hiked up the ratings of WGM because they are adooooorable together already (even though I also like Jokwon+Gain and Jonghwa+Seohyun).
Since I already know a bit about Nickhun, it was Victoria I was most curious about. (Although, I was already a bit smitten by her Drunken Fists.) She is too cute! Admitting up front how much she loved girly childish things despite her chic appearance, Victoria showed an honest and warm personality from the beginning.
It reminds me of how in the season of WGM that I followed, I started out as fans of the husbands on basis of their fame/charms, but ended up loving the wives most. All the women were so vulnerable in their pretend marriages, yet so strong and steadfast. Their loyalty and devotion were truly touching, despite all the awkward and difficult moments in the marriage.
Of course one of the more notorious couples could be said to be Gundam couple, Junjun and Lee Si Young. They got off to the worst start ever and were bickering and fighting like crazy over everything, although they tried to accomodate each other. In the end, after the show was over they actually continued into a real-life relationship for a while.
Lee Si Young is sooo sexy. I love her brattiness. After WGM put her in the spotlight, she had to reveal some of the difficulties she's had in the entertainment business, such as lying about her age to get work. Even then, she wasn't ashamed of it. I really admire how she doesn't back down for anyone.
It was actually the Acorn Jelly couple (Kangin + Lee Yoon Ji) that got me into WGM ♥ From the beginning Kangin was something of a cad, but Lee Yoon Ji tried so hard to understand him and get along with him. I think she was something of a saint! And along the way Kangin came to appreciate it too and did some lovely things for her. But it was frustrating road, lol!
Again, it was the parts where Yoon Ji revealed her dreams that really touched me- when Kangin arranged a surprise recital by Yukhi Kuramoto, Yoon Ji was moved to tears. She described how she used to listen to his piano music while sitting on a bench after school and dreaming about her future. Kangin's parents were right when they said he would be lucky to marry a girl like her.
The funny thing about Yoon Ji is, she's so beautiful, graceful and talented, her fashion sense is quite poor. Mostly she just wears very trendy cool clothes, which look nice, but would suck the personality out of a lesser person. Still, she manages to come out of it all looking amazing, although I would personally like to see her in more natural styles to complement her natural appeal.
And finally of course I can't go without mentioning the other two couples. I didn't follow them from the beginning, but starting from the 'Couple challenge' onward I became fans of them too :) Shin Sung Rok + Kim Shin Young obviously couldn't look dorkier together with him tall and lanky and her short and round. However, underneath that was Kim Shin Young's worries about being an appropriate wife and she didn't dare to get close for that reason. I love Kim Shin Young and I hope Shin Sung Rok and every other man appreciates how wonderful she is.
Lastly there was Taeyeon + Hyungdon (or 'Jelly' and 'Pudding'). I can't believe Taeyeon is barely 20 because she was definitely the more mature of the two, handling the delicate sensibilities of marriage with ease. Never once did she fail to take Hyungdon's side or any of those other pitfalls of jealousy, etc that they like to set up on WGM. She was amazing until the end.
Now I'm going to have to start backtracking this season's WGM to get more Seohyun, Gain and Victoria. ♥
When it started raining in episode 5, it started pouring here.
Family - Della Ding
Don't pull open the ribbon on the gift At first it's filled with expectation, then it ends with corruption Don't turn on the midnight radio station Don't let the love song fool you again and again
And love didn't teach me how to survive It only taught me to trade vanity for innocence Yet love made us strangers but couldn't change the nobler souls
Don't kiss me, just hold me Don't love me, be my family instead Lend me your hand one minute a day Be my closest family Not somebody's lover, somebody's somebody Even if I'm all drenched I will never be again led by the nose If I'm still holding a fist It could be I'm scared of my dream flying away
And love is not all powerful as you thought It couldn't stop our fights But love is not so merciful The one who loves the deepest gets sacrificed the easiest
Don't kiss me, just hold me Don't love me, be my family instead Lend me your hand one minute a day Allow me to keep dreaming my dream Be the greatest smiling hero in my dream
Gu Hye-Sun is my new role model now that I've discovered her truly independant and unique nature by reading this article on Dramabeans: "Jack-of-all-trades Gu Hye-sun's secret: 'I'm a workaholic.'". As the pretty and kooky lead Geum Jandi on last year's hit k-drama Boys over Flowers, she won Hallyu fans all over the world.
Despite criticisms of Gu Hye-Sun's weird acting or any prejudice towards her ulzzang beginnings, her whole career thus far has demonstrated her strong will. 1. She got a scholarship to study at university and reached no.1 in her department, but quit to join the show Nonstop. 2. She trained to be a singer, but made her name as an actress. 3. She became well-known as Geum Jandi, but went on to direct her own film, release her own music, exhibit her illustrations, and write a novel.
It was truly amazing to read about Gu Hye-Sun's accomplishments so far, all driven by her own ideas and her hard work. I really had a paradigm shift. I hope Gu Hye-Sun will continue to be an independant spirit and a true idol.
Cross Road 