Movie Review: Yang Yang 陽陽

Just finished watching this movie, so my impression should be pretty fresh.

The plot:

The movie begins with the marriage of Yang Yang's mother. Her biological father is French man whom she's never met before. Actually, the very first scene is of her crying. That is where the pain all begins, but at first you don't know it. She seems to have a great new life, but things keep happening to her, she falls in love with her step-sister's boyfriend, who has a thing for her. They get it on one night, and he can't stop thinking about her. Yang Yang's step-sis finds out, and gives her the cold shoulder. It is then discovered after a competition that Yang Yang took performance-enhancement drugs. She leaves this life and begins anew in the entertainment industry. We are constantly reminded of how hurt she is. One of the things that keeps coming up is her struggle with her identity. She has French blood but can't identify with it. Others have trouble looking past her looks, and she really doesn't know who she is.


The verdict:
This story is pretty heavy stuff to me...cheating, lust, tears, being independent in a ruthless world. This movie is for older audiences in that sense. The whole time I was kinda on edge, afraid of what would happen next, it was so unpredictable. It was fresh. I'll give ya that. I get the feeling there's some deeper meaning in this movie that I was supposed to pick up on, but I guess I'm not that deep... Sandrine Pinna is a great actress, as I already discovered in 'Miao Miao', which I have reviewed quite a while back. She cried a lot in this movie though, and it kinda got annoying for me. Am I heartless? Zhang Rui-jia, the celeb crush I mentioned not too long ago played a naive highschool student, whom I didn't really like. When at first I realized he was in the movie, I was like: OH. MY. GOD. But then the nature of his character sunk in, and I was like. Ehhhh. But I still love him. Just not his character. AND guess who had a cameo? Wang Bo-chieh from 'You're My One and Only' 你是我的唯一!!!! But he wasn't on screen for long. :( Cinematography and music work well.
The end is pretty dang sudden...a lot of things left hanging. I'm not sure what to make of it. I guess Yang Yang just doesn't give up and keeps on fightin'. The last shot is of her running as the camera pulls away. She slows and begins to walk, but eventually starts running again: NEVER GIVE UP! Yeah now that I think it over, it's a pretty good movie. Just need time to digest it.


Rating: 4/5

Celebrity Crushes...

Mine are

Chen Bo-lin 陳伯霖

ever since Kung Fu Dunk I think... yeah it wasn't a fantastic movie, but Jay Chou 周杰倫 was in it, and Bo-lin's character, the broken-hearted young man drinking away his sorrows (although I don't think alcohol is a solution) was pretty hot... LOL not much, but he became my major celeb crush #1. He seems like the type that likes to keep to himself in real life, mysterious and hot. I like ^^



and Bryant Zhang Rui-jia 張睿家

ever since watching Summer's Tail 夏天的尾巴 and then Eternal Summer 盛夏光年. BAM! Celeb crush numero dos. I fell in love with his character in Summer's Tail and I've been hooked ever since...although in ‘Yang Yang' 陽陽, I didn't really like his character, but still couldn't resist his charm. Not one bit. ^^

Movie Review: Speedy Scandal

The plot:
Nam Hyeon-soo is a former teen-idol, now living the good life, seemingly perfect. He works as a radio host and tells a 22 year-old young single woman who has a young child to go and meet the father she never met who made her own mother pregnant when he was in his third year of highschool.

Who knew that the careless third year is none other than Nam Hyeon-soo himself. When Huang Jung-nam, the young single mother shows up at his doorstep, his life is turned upside-down. In his thirties, he suddenly becomes father to a 22 year-old and AND a grandfather. What are the odds? While trying to keep the rest of the world turning his sticky situation into a scandal, he finds himself getting attached to his daughter and grandson, as much as he hates to admit it.

The verdict:
This movie is HILarious. I replayed SO many parts like 10 times each. Cha Tae-hyun does a smashing job as Hyun-soo. His expressions are so funny. I love the bittersweet relationship Hyun-soo forms with his grandson and daughter. The daughter is sarcastic and funny, and her own love story is impossibly sweet although complicated. She sings great in the movie too (I wonder if it really was her singing...sure hope so, even though it looks fake -.-) The grandson is SO CUTE!!!! His sleepwalking scenes are freaky but made me laugh so hard! Like many Korean comedies, there is a part of the movie in which things get serious, but it all ends happily, DUH. The story is rather unbelievable, but do I care? HECK no. Why? Cause it just works sooooooooooooooooo well. I love this movie so much it's my second time watching it ^^

Rating:
4/5

The Internet

These last two days, my internet connection has been crappy...

It has made me realize how addicted I am to the internet.



Even so, I STILL haven't finished all my homework.

Why?

Because I keep desperately clicking 'refresh' in vain....

I am so sad.

Drama Review: 你是我的唯一 You're My One and Only

I just finished watching this awesome drama.

It's unlike any drama I've ever seen, and I LOVE it.

The plot:
Qi Gang is handsome young man from Taipei, with a perfect life and a beautiful girlfriend, but his life is turned upside-down when his parents leave the country to escape from loansharks, sending him to Hualien County in the countryside of Taiwan to live with his aboriginal grandmother. It's not surprising then that he starts his new life hating every second of it. But as time wears on, he grows to love his new school, Hualien, his grandmother, and a spunky classmate named Xiao Zhen.

The verdict:
I wanted to watch this because I thought the male lead is prettty easy on the eyes, the female lead reminded me of 桂綸鎂 Gui Lun Mei

(who I'm a fan of), and because it takes place in HUALIEN <3!!!  I went to Hualien during the summer and freaking LOVED it there.
This is a sweet drama, with the essences of simple Taiwanese life and teenage love coursing through it. None of it is too heavy on the heart, but it's got some plot twists too. I really loved how real the relationships seemed, Qi Gang and his grandmother (SO CUTE!!!), Lu Dou and Xiao Zhen and their grandpa (again: SO CUTE!!), Wu Guo Yu and Ah Bao (SO CUTEEEEE) and the sweet innocence of Xiao Zhen and Qi Gang's relationship. The drama is only 7 episodes long, which pretty much guarantees you that there won't be any unnecessary plot-dragging (thank goodness). It's not too short either--it's just long enough to get the story told, which is great. One thing that irked me however, was that some characters spoke in Taiwanese (which I can't understand much of ) and during those parts I had to depend on my limited-literacy of Mandarin to understand the dialogue. But that's my own fault, so I'm not blaming anyone. I love it when people speak in Taiwanese ^_^ OH! And the acting is great too. I didn't once think : "ew. What bad acting."

This drama is one of my favorites because it isn't complicated, it doesn't have any unnecessary sideplots or characters, it just works--it's so simple.

Simply AMAZING.

OH MY GOSHHHH THE END WAS SOOOO SWEET!!!!!!!!!

I want a Qi Gang of my own....and if not, I'll take an Ah Bao <3

I can't wait to see if Wang Bo Chieh (Qi Gang) and Fion Fu (Xiao Zhen) act in any dramas soon. They're so awesome!
 Rating:
4.5/5

maybe even a FIVE. I can't decide....

我好想環島～

After watching 'Island Etude' 練習曲 (I WILL write a review for it sooner or later), I wanted to 環島 huan dao, circle the island of Taiwan on a bike. That was quite a while ago....and now, I still want to more than ever.

I love to write btw. It would be so awesome if I could 環島 and write a book at the same time.


Right now, that is one of my BIGGEST dreams.

I can't wait.

阿嬤<3

Watch from 1:00-7:04

I started crying so bad after watching this. It's a beautiful song, and it really got me thinking. All my life, I've lived far away from my 阿嬤and at most I get to see her only once a year. And it's not just her, 阿公 too, and I also have a 爺爺 and 嬤嬤 in Hong Kong. I'm not very close to any of the four, but how I wish I was. Yeah, I'll admit I'm jealous of my cousins who have no language barriers, and who can see them all the time.


I'm so afraid that I'll have regrets when they pass away. I'll wonder to myself why I didn't try harder. I want to be completely fluent in Taiwanese, Cantonese and Mandarin, I want to spend more time with them, I want to actually feel like I AM their granddaughter. School leaves me with little time to see them, and I plan to go to the US for college. What do I do?


阿嫲，阿公，爺爺， 嬤嬤， 我好想你們。

Random thought...

Is it just me, or does time seem to make everything better?













(okay not EVERYthing...but you get ma drift ^^)

Youtube: twinkieCee

Helloooo to anyone who stops by this pathetic little piece of the world wide web.

I've finally uploaded my first Youtube video! I'm hoping it'll eventually amount to something amazing...but for now, this is all I've got.

I plan to make vids in both English and Mandarin. This way I have a new way to practice Mandarin and perhaps I can help others who are learning too (how, I do not know).

Check it out ^^

http://www.youtube.com/user/twinkieCee

And our eyes met...

Ever just been scanning the room (or wherever you are) and accidentally make eye contact with someone?

Say someone you really like (and yes, I mean like. Therefore, you try NOT to look at them).

And you ALWAYS seem to make this accidental eye contact, no matter how hard you try not to.





You start to wonder if he notices too.

*sigh* 杰倫...回到過去

I'm watching Jay's old MVs nonstop...I love his old look. I can't point out exactly what it is about the way he looked back then compared to now. I think it could be the way he holds himself..? It's not only his physical appearance but also his music. It's not like I don't like his music now...far from it. But I do miss the feel of his older music.

I feel he's changed a lot. Of course this is only from the viewpoint of a fan. I don't know him in person (as much as I wish I did).

Remember the old days when he'd wear baseball caps on TV cause he was shy? He's a lot more confident now,  with many more albums, concerts and a truckload of greenbacks under his belt. When was the last time he appeared on TV or at an awards show?

Is it just cause he's ridiculously busy? Will we see a lot of Jay soon? Probably, since he's got an album, 'Pandamen' and 'The Green Hornet' on the way. Guess I'm just a stupid, impatient fangirl.

I wonder if he had an idea when he released his first album, that he would be where he is today.

Here's one of the first songs of his I ever heard, from his first album. He looks so young! I really don't get the shots of a random Caucasian woman smoking though (she looks decades older than Jay with that evil ciggie). But hey, who cares. Jay and his music are all that matters.

Maybe ten minutes ago, I was kinda frustrated. After writing this and thinking it all over, I feel at ease again :) Writing is therapeutic.

So is Youtube ^^

For you, I will continue to wait <3
對不起， 周杰倫。。。

MV Review: 楓 (Feng) and 彩虹天堂 (Cai Hong Tian Tang)

These two MVs tell one story. The first is sung by 周杰倫 Jay Chou (my one true love) featuring 劉畊宏 Liu Genghong. The second is sung by Liu Genghong, featuring Jay <3

Part I: In which one heckuva hot loner-with-a-past discovers his buddy's gonna marry a girl of great significance to him, whom we discover once was the loner's girlfriend--but she doesn't remember *gasp*



In this MV, 杰倫's (Jay/Jie lun in case any readers don't know) character, whom I shall just call Jay, is seen hanging out with 畊宏's character (whom I shall call Genghong) and his loverly girlfriend (also seen in the movie 'Miao Miao' which I reviewed a while back)...a lot. As if it ain't awkward enough hanging out with a couple that is so obviously in love, Jay seems to have some kind of past with the gf. But this info is never revealed to us curious little viewers in this MV. Anyhoo, Genghong is completely oblivious to this one-way tension between his buddy and his babe. When he reveals to Jay that they are getting married (no, him n his girl, not Jay ^^), Jay is obviously upset. He leaves the cafe quietly, conveniently forgetting his cell. Genghong has some kind of plans so asks his now-fiancee to bring the phone back to Jay. At Jay's awesome Japanese-style home, she returns the phone, and later while wandering around, she discovers billions of pictures of her and Jay. Freaky much?!?!? He appears suddenly and realizes what she saw. He asks her:

"Now do you remember?"

AHHHHH! And then it ends there, with a message saying it will be continued in Genghong's MV.


So what do you do? You watch the next MV my friend :)

Part II: In which we find out about the past (which proves to confuzzle me), and in which there are many lovey-dovey couple scenes and the loner from part I is joined by another loner, therefore neither are loners anymore haha.



We see a bunch of scenes of the girl and Jay from their past and they are oh-so-cute (esp. Jay with glasses omg<3), and then we cut back to the present and see the girl crying while looking at Jay. We see scenes of the girl with Jay at the doctor with scans of her head. Then the same scene with Genghong (WAIT how did he come along? again?) and then the lovey-dovey scenes with him. But what happened with Jay? Yea the girl's freaking confuzzled and thinks Genghong was the one with her all along, but Jay completely disappears and is replaced by Genghong (wouldn't Jay have come to look for her? :S). Anyways, later Genghong comes home to a letter...DUNDUNDUNNN and the girl leaves him. She doesn't go back to Jay either, guess cause she can't bear deciding between the two of em. It ends with Jay and Genghong standing together looking hot and memory-loss-girl-less (lol).


Well, I definitely like Part I better because it's less of a let down, and I kinda like the sad end. Also, who could possibly compete with the UBER-AWESOME presence of Jay Chou. Um. No one :) The fact that 楓as a song is amazing helps it along too.

Part II isn't very straight-forward and anyways, I was still reeling from the essence of Jay (this should so be made into a fragrance/cologne/perfume), so I am biased. Boohoo.

Part I: 4/5
Part II: 3/5

MV Review: さよなら

My best friend showed this to me just now.


I want to put it up in the hope that everyone, and anyone who comes across this blog will watch it.

It just broke my heart.


:'(

Sayonara by Orange Range


I just makes me realize how lucky I am in to have everything that I have.


Don't we all need reality checks like this, no matter how seemingly insignificant they may seem, to remind us to love life? To keep on living, to not lose hope, no matter how hard it may seem, because somewhere, someone is fighting just to see today's sun set, and be able to see it rise again tomorrow. Someone with a life much harder than our own.




Love to live.
Live to love.

I'm in waaaaay over my head...

So lately I've had quite a lot of time in my hands. When I'm busy, I don't get to keep up with my drama obsession. So what did I decide to do? Watch, watch watch. I really let myself go.

Here's the list of dramas/shows I am currently watching:


Hana Yori Dango (rewatching for the second time)


Idol Army (rewatching for the second time)



下一站， 幸福 (Autumn's Concerto)



桃花小妹 (Momo Love)



比賽開始 (Play Ball)

Dramas/shows lined up to be watched:



你是我的唯一 （You're My One and Only)


Hot Blood (going to REwatch)

Number of days of freedom left:
5

Amount of homework left unfinished:
Hours upon hours of sweat-soaked toil. Oh boy.




Someone save me from myself.

AATheory

Hello to anyone who actually reads this blog!


Just wanted to announce that AATheory, a website about Asian Americans is now up!! Ellie, the founder (check out her blog) has done an amazing job. I don't know how she does it! She must be so busy (she's also a writer on my beloved Seoulbeats) and yet she finds time to manage such a site and be so freaking awesome at the same time.


 Check it out!!

Have you ever...

...mustered up the courage to do something you were scared of doing because you thought if you didn't do it you'd hate yourself...



...and then totally hate yourself for doing it because of what did/didn't happen afterwards?



*sigh*

I just did. :(

Park Jaebeom.

I'm finally writing this post. It was inevitable, but I was waiting till all the fuss died down a bit.

On that day, when I came home from school I was anticipating the last episode of Wild Bunny like a five-year-old waiting for Christmas Day. It's habit for me to go straight to Seoulbeats, and when I did, I scanned the new articles waiting to be read. I stopped at "Jaebeom leaves 2PM", and I just thought: "Psh....it's just a joke." So I left it for later. When I finally came to read it, not only did I find that it wasn't a joke, I discovered the first boyband that I ever became a fangirl for had now just lost its leader: Park Jaebeom.

The following days, weeks were filled with sadness, but also a feeling of helplessness, because honestly there's nothing I can do to bring him back, to turn back the hour hands of the clock to the glory days of 2PM. When I see all the successful acts in K-pop now, it's really hard to think of what will become of the six-member 2PM. They were so ready to make it big... in fact they did, only for THIS to happen. The day after, in art class I spent the entire time listening to their songs. Over and over and over and over.

I'm not going to blame anyone in this post, I won't point any fingers. Because what has been done is done, and anything I say won't change it.

All I can do is wish Jaebeom the very best in whatever he plans for the future. He has so much talent and charisma stuffed into that body of his that I don't think he can lay low for long.

To all the 'fans' that boycotted the Dream Concert, who returned all their 2PM CDs, who refuse to support 2PM unless Jaebeom comes back, I'd like to say something:
I don't see how you can call yourself fans after stooping so low. I love Jaebeom as much as you all do, but your actions are not helping anyone. Don't you think that the six remaining members need even more support now than ever? Instead you're turning your backs on them.
I hope you'll all come to your senses.


I love Park Jaebeom.
But I also love Nichkhun
Wooyoung
Chansung
Taecyeon
Junsu
Junho.
I love 2PM and will continue supporting them.
2PM will always be a seven-member band to me, even if the seventh is separated from the others by the Pacific Ocean.








Instead of being sad, let's celebrate the good times.

Movie Review: Failan

I finally had time to guiltlessly watch a movie today. I watch a lot of movies on http://www.mysoju.com/. THE best place for dramas and movies I must say :) I love Korean romantic comedies. It's pretty much the only Korean movie genre that I indulge in...have I watched any other type? If I have, I can't remember doing so...

It's just that lately I've pretty much run out of Korean rom-coms that sound good. I'm a bit picky I guess...any suggestions anyone?

Well I just randomly clicked on 'Failan'. It's listed as a drama/romance, and I usually don't like this kind of stuff. It's too heavy for me. But since I have all the time in the world at the moment, I just thought: "Hey whatever. Imma go for it :P".

So I did.

And thank goodness I did :)

The plot:

Kang-jae is a sort of useless gangster, whose boss is a childhood friend. His boss can tell that Kang-jae isn't cut out for this kind of job. We as viewers first meet Kang-jae after he gets out of jail for trying to sell adult movies to teens.

One day while he's out with his boss/friend, the boss/friend gets into a fight and ends up killing the other dude and all the while Kang-jae's just standing there gaping in the rain.

Someone has to get punished for the death of the dude from the rival gang (or something), and before the police can get to the bottom of it all, the boss/friend begs Kang-jae to go to jail for him, and in return he'll give him a truckload of money.

The movie skips back in time to reveal that Kang-jae had agreed to an arranged marriage at one point to earn some extra money. His wife, whom he never meets or exchanges a word with, is a pretty woman from China who came to look for relatives who have since moved to Canada, leaving her stranded and alone. She agrees to an arranged marriage so that she can stay in Korea and work.

What becomes of the two?...

The verdict [spoiler alert]:

The plot is original, although one complaint that I have is the fact that it skips backwards and forwards in time, and when it first did that, I wasn't sure exactly what was going on :/

Kang-jae, played by Choi Min-suk is a great character in my eyes. At first, I thought he was just despicable, a littering, smoking loser. But as the movie goes on, you find out that a dream he's had since forever is to return to his hometown and get a fishing boat. He is a useless gangster because deep inside, beneath the scruffiness, the alcohol and the cigarette ash, he actually has a heart. When he goes to his dead wife, it all comes out. The scene in which he sits by the sea with his wife's ashes, reads her goodbye letter and cries.....wow. Potent stuff right there.

Even though the two never meet (besides a very close encounter), you get the feeling that there is a bond between them.

Cecilia Cheung plays Failan, and I manage to like her, even if Cecilia shall forever be tainted by the Edison Chen scandal in my mind... :/ Failan loves him even though she's never met him, and it really got me.

In the end, when he's going to go home, his friend is pulled off, and while he is waiting for his friend, unintentionally begins watching a video of his wife singing to him. He's transfixed.

It's so beautiful, and when the shot changes to the view of someone approaching from behind him, I knew what was going to happen, but I STILL didn't want to believe it. OMAGAAAD so sad...... :'( The music playing during the end credits is to die for. The tragic end is great in the sense that it isn't the cliche happy happy joy ending, but the romantic buried deeeeeeeeeEEEEp down inside me wishes that Failan and Kang-jae could have lived happily ever after.

Rating:

4.5/5

Movie Review: I'm a Cyborg But That's Okay

After watching 'Full House', I still hadn't really gotten enough of Rain. ... :) I could have watched 'A Love to Kill', but it was listed as a drama/romance. Romances filled with drama are not my thing... I need a kick of comedy to keep me going if I must watch a romance. So 'I'm a Cyborg, But That's Okay' seemed like the best option.



What a movie...

The plot:
Young-goon is a girl who has had a troubled past, and was very attached to the grandmother who raised her. She thinks that she is a cyborg and is landed in the loony bin. There, she meets many interesting people, including Il-soon a strange young man who wears masks and likes to steal things, played by Rain. During her stay, we learn more and more about her quirky character. Eventually she forms a bond with Il-soon and he convinces her to eat again, after a spell of starvation, which she brought on herself, thinking she only needed to charge her batteries...

The verdict [spoiler alert]:
Im Su-jeong is extremely believable as Young-goon with her blonde-eyebrows and strange expressions. The movie is rather abstract to say the least, and the plot is very original, I've never seen ANYTHING like it before. I like how each of the patients at the mental institution have their own stories. Il-soon's is heartbreaking... :'( There are quite a few instances where I couldn't differentiate between Young-goon's imagination and reality. Il-soon is so caring towards Young-goon. The whole thing with the rice->energy converter was so sweet. Il-soon definitely felt something for Young-goon, but I really didn't see anything coming from Young-goon. I guess it's just cause she's well...because she is how she is. OH and the kiss scene was...insanely strange. :/ Even Rain's presence didn't take the take any of the wackiness out of it. But oh well. A weird movie has a weird kiss scene. Surprise surpise. I was kinda expecting to be able to go ga-ga over Rain, but the movie was just too weird for me to think in that way!
I've used the word weird and its synonyms about a million times in this post already...
In the end, the movie didn't really go anywhere, although it left a hint that something substantial might develop between Il-soon and Young-goon. But that's it. Not really a satisfying ending, but then again, because of the nature of the characters, I can also see that it never really could've have gotten anywhere without becoming cliche. And let me tell you: 'I'm a Cyborg, But That's Okay' is ANYTHING but cliche.

Rating:
3.5/5

Changing voices?

I noticed something when I started watching 'Full House'...

Before, all I'd seen of Rain was the occasional concert fan-cam, complete with screams of legions of fierce fangirls, or a music video (#-.-#). Haha that emoticon is cute :) <3. In those two examples, he'd only ever sing. The only clips I saw of him talking were english interviews (I'm not going to start on his accent :]). So when I watched the first few episodes of 'Full House', I was like: "What the heck his voice is soooOOOooooOOooo deep!!". When he speaks English, his voice is higher-pitched, whereas when he speaks Korean, it's deep, husky and sexy. Mrow.
Korean

English

And this isn't the first time I've come across something like this either!

It's the same with Rudy Youngblood, who starred in one of my FAVORITE movies: 'Apocalypto' (if you haven't seen this, you seriously haven't lived). When he speaks Yucatec (a Mayan dialect)in the movie his voice is higher-pitched than it is when he speaks English.

Yucatec (Rudy's the one handing out organs...)

English

Other examples:
- I noticed when bi/tri/multilingual people (in Japanese and something else) speak Japanese their voice is higher-pitched than when they speak other languages.
- My dad speaks with a higher-pitched voice in English than in Chinese
- Apparently I speak with a higher-pitched voice on the phone and with people I don't know very well.


What the heck.
.
.
.
Am I just imagining things?
.
.
Has anyone besides me noticed this? :/

Drama Review: Full House

YES I KNOW everyone has already watched this...I'm latecomer okay?

A few friends had recommended this drama to me since, well, FOREVER. And I'd come across it, pondered about whether I should watch it, but in the end I never did. Why? It just looked kinda...lame :/ Boy can looks be deceiving...

After about a week of staying up late watching episodes, I have finished watching :)

The plot:

Han Ji-eun is an internet writer with big dreams. One day, her two childhood friends (who have a secret agenda) give her an all expense paid trip to Shanghai. She takes it, although hesitantly... She meets Lee Young-jae, a famous actor on the plane, but it takes a disastrous turn and he leaves as soon as he gets the chance.

When Ji-eun gets to the hotel, she finds that the trip was all a ruse, made up by her 'friends' who were in need of some dough. She goes to find Young-jae who happens to be staying at the same hotel to ask him for money. Eventually, she gets back to Korea, but now with a debt to pay to Young-jae.

As if things could not get worse, she discovers her house was sold. Defeated, she mopes around the house that was once hers--until the new tenant shows up. BADABINGBADABOOM. It's Lee Young-jae.

After a whirlwind of events, the two end up signing a contract marriage...

The verdict:

I hadn't watched a good drama for a while before Full House. I'd started watching a bunch, but none of them turned out to be any good. Full House is definitely addicting, especially since it uses the smartest, yet most annoying tactic I've seen in dramas: ending the episodes with cliff-hangers. It works.

Rain (Jeong Ji-hoon) and Song Hye-kyo have great chemistry. Rain managed to be sexy and unbelievably cute. Song Hye-kyo's great--that's an important thing, because for me, I can't watch a drama if I dislike the leads in anyway (like 'Boys Over Flowers'). Han Eun-jung as Kang Hye-won was very successful in her character, as I hated her through and through (before she went good). The soundtrack was catchy and suited the drama. Just yesterday, someone's ringtone sounded uncannily like one of the songs in the drama, and I, who had been half asleep, found myself totally awake and smiling like the Cheshire cat.

*sigh* But every drama has its bad points right? Here we go:

Like I said, Rain, Song Hye-kyo and Han Eun-jung were successful in their lead roles, but I felt that Kim Sung-soo as Yoo Min-hyuk didn't do so well. His facial expressions all seemed rather similar to me, nevermind that he is very good-looking.

Also, there was quite a long stretch of episodes in which I was practically pulling my hair out in frustration because of the plot. I guess they might have done this on purpose, to keep the audience on their toes, but it was a liiiiiiiittle too much, I think.

And then there was the non-existing baby bump. This point is pretty unimportant compared to the others, but really: Ji-eun's friend gets pregnant in the beginning, manages to look as slim as a stick of celery and yet in the last episode, a baby pops out of nowhere. WHY?!?!?

The end was satisfying, albeit a little awkward. I don't know why, but I thought the karaoke scene was a bit strange. Their dating scenes outside were perfect (aww...the one with the monkey ^^) but once they went into the karaoke room, the mood vanished. I dunno...it just kinda ruined it for me.



All in all a good drama though :)

Rating:

4/5


Xtras: I watched Smiling Pasta (微笑Pasta) quite a while ago, at the time not knowing it was based on Full House. It was nice when I watched it, but now that I've seen Full House, I must say that Full House is much better.

Moview Review: 渺渺 (Miao Miao)

The plot: Xiao Ai is a spunky Taiwanese teenage girl who is obsessed with baking, although her culinary creations never come out right. One day after arriving late in class, she discovers there's a new kid, a transfer student from Japan, and is immediately fascinated with her. The transfer student is Miao Miao, and she makes wonderful tasting pastries and cakes, and has what Xiao Ai calls 'sunshine hands', naturally warm hands perfect for baking. The two become instant best friends, but naturally the story doesn't end there.

Miao Miao meets a mysterious man who always wears headphones in a second-hand CD shop that used to be a pastry shop. She falls for him and constantly drags Xiao Ai along to hang out in the shop and try to find out more about the man. At first Xiao Ai eagerly helps her best friend, but as one thing leads to another, Xiao Ai realizes that her relationship with Miao Miao is not what it used to be...


The verdict: [Slight spoiler alert(?)]
The plot of 'Miao Miao' is not one which is particularly original, and quite a few parts I found rather predictable. Especially when Xiao Ai was a little too friendly towards Miao Miao almost from the beginning. I knew she wouldn't see Miao Miao as just a friend for long. However, the little back stories of the characters (Xiao Ai and her father, Miao Miao and her grandmother, Chen Fei and Bei) add a little depth to the story, which I liked. I really liked Xiao Ai's character, and the way she dresses, though her behavior towards Miao Miao makes her feeling extremely obvious to me, almost too much so. Chen Fei is also a cool character, I think I'd probably fall for someone like him if I ever came across his type. The movie is filled with beautiful shots and the soundtrack invoked that feeling of carefree teenage summers. I particularly liked Cheer Chen(陳綺貞)'s song, 旅行的意義 (Lu Xing De Yi Yi). Even with its flaws (or rather the just flaws that I picked out), I still enjoyed 'Miao Miao', and after watching it, I felt...how should I describe it... mmm...I guess free of worries, just simply happy.

I love movies that leave me feeling like that.

Trailer:

Rating:
3.75/5

I admire Rachel Liang(梁文音)'s strength so much.

I have so many ideas for new blogposts that I have put aside for later because I am just too dang lazy. But I just had to write this one, right here, right now, before I go to sleep. I want to capture these raw emotions right now before they are watered down by waves of drowsiness.

I just finished watching a charity event, on Taiwanese TV that was raising money to help those in need after the horrible Typhoon Morakot, the worst typhoon to hit Taiwan in the last 50 years. Viewers called in to donate money to the Red Cross, and tons of celebrities came to take phone calls and perform.


The host, asked Rachel Liang, who was taking phone calls to stop for a little while and chat. Because the typhoon did a lot of damage in Southern Taiwan, and because that area is home to a lot of Taiwan's aboriginal people (原住民), most of the aboriginal celebrities on the show were asked about the well-being of their families. Rachel Liang, who is a Taiwanese aborigine of the Rukai tribe, was asked this question too, and it was revealed, not by her, but by the host to the viewers, that the graves of Rachel Liang's parents located by the riverside in her hometown are now gone. The camera switched to a closeup of Rachel's face, and we could see that there were tears in her eyes.

Now this alone I find heartbreaking. But for those who don't know it, I think I need to write a bit about her parents. Rachel's father died in a gas explosion accident at work when she was 10. Her alcoholic mother was not very capable of taking care of her and her siblings, so Rachel often lived with others. Her mother then died when Rachel was 12, and she and her siblings were left to grow up in an orphanage.

So when I heard what had happened to the graves of her parents, which she had visited every Mothers' and Fathers' Day even after she broke into the entertainment industry, I started tearing up.

The thing that made me notice Rachel Liang was the MV of her single 最幸福的事 (Zui Xing Fu De Shi). The storyline is so beautiful, as is her voice, and the first time I saw it while watching MTV, I cried. I just watched it again, and yeah I teared up again. And I don't cry very easily, don't get me wrong. This is some strong stuff.



At the end, on the phone, Rachel Liang says: "Dad, Mom, how are you? I've grown up already. Can you hear my voice now? Being able to become your daughter, is the most happiest thing to me."

That just kills me.

I know 梁文音's parents would be SO proud of their daughter, and who she has grown up to be. She is so beautiful inside and out.

2PM's my favorite time of the day ^^

Get ready for a long one ^^:

So quite a while ago, I was browsing Seoulbeats (http://www.seoulbeats.com/). Just gotta say I love that site and check it everyday :D I came across a post that mentioned the name Jaebeom, and I casually typed it in Google...and KA-BAM!! After a chain of random coincidences I'd officially landed headfirst in the world of 2PM.

To be dead honest, I actually am not a big fan of boy bands. Then why the heck do I love 2PM? I think part of the reason I am so dannng obsessed with them now is because I watched the season of 'Idol Army' that they starred in. It just showed me that 2PM is made up of seven acrobatic dudes JAM-PACKED with personality all their own. They're all such awesome guys that I can't really bring myself to pick one favorite!

Jaebeom:
One of the first things that got me interested in him was that he's from Seattle like me! But it's definitely not just that. Jaebeom can dance, and he was dancing way before he became the leader of 2PM. He says he's been going to the gym every morning for THREE YEARS. That's plenty of time to develop a body that has fans clambering all over each other just to get a glimpse. He's funny, and can be both cute and sexy. The buff b-boy, Jaebeom :)

Nichkhun:
He's just downright adorable and occasionally reveals a sexier side, which brings girls to their knees all over the world. His winks are to-die-for, and he's sweet, caring and neat! An all-round amazing guy. The one everyone is jealous of, Nichkhun :)

Wooyoung:
He's cute, with his chubby cheeks (though they're not as pudgy anymore due to his dieting) and loverly lipsss. He's one of the funniest when the gangs on variety shows, and is pretty flexible, a talent often displayed on TV. He can dance really well too, and I can't help but laugh everytime I see his ssanti dance. Look it up :D The mandu-cheeked Wooyoung :)

Chansung:
He's the youngest of the group, although he doesn't look it. As I found out while watching Idol Army, he LOVES to eat. He once ate five clusters of bananas. CLUSTERS?!?! Yeah. That's Chansung. He looked to me like the sort of serious type, but he can be amazingly cute. Makes me happy to think that he's only two years older than me....not that anything would ever happen, but you know, it just makes me happy. The eatinator, Chansung :)

Junsu:
This dude's got pipes, I'll tell ya that. Junsu actually has a great voice, which is not always the case in your average boy band. He's a great guy from what I gather, and what I saw in Idol Army. He's the artistic type. He writes (this made me fall harder for him. I love to write) and really does have a passion for music, composing songs into the night. He's really cute too. The serenader, Junsu :)

Taecyeon:
Tall, dark and handsome :) His face is so chiseled...and his smile makes us all swoon ^_^ Like Chansung, he seemed likek the serious type, but he can be so cute! I love his eyes, and the fact that he loves drawing cats :D When he raps, his voice just kills me...in a good way of course! And he's got weird, adorkable talents. He can play songs on his teeth by running his fingernails over them, as well playing songs by flicking his throat while his mouth is open. He often dresses somewhat formally for TV appearances, and as a result, is called Ok (his last name) Daeri (meaning assistant manager) The dorky Daeri, Taecyeon :)

Junho:
I just want hug him and never let go :) When he smiles, I smile because his smile is so cute. In Idol Army, I think he was overshadowed by the other six members, but that only made me notice him more. He looks like Rain's twin...but more lovable. He's a great dancer, and seems like the member that I'd most likely be friends with, if I actually knew 2PM. ...As if THAT would ever happen! The prince of smiles, Junho :)

Hello, hello, hello :)

So I originally decided to start this blog because so far this summer I've been watching a movie almost every single night. I think this is a good way to write down what I think of each one right after I watch it. Maybe it'll help others too, because I always look for reviews of movies before I watch them, to make sure I'm not wasting my time.

So yeah, that was the original idea. After thinking about it, there's actually a lot of other stuff that I could write about in this blog, so here I am :)

I'm new to blogging, but I'm not new to thinking, and when I have a lot on my mind, I like to write.