Tuesday, July 17, 2007

I couldn't think of a title for this entry. Eri Murakami (25), was a popular model in Japan until she died on July 8th. Murakami had been feeling ill for awhile when she went to the doctor and discovered she had cancer. I was going to just pass this article by on Mainichi as a sad result of nature, but then I read further and was dumbstruck by one particular quote from the author:


"Murakami was not informed of her condition -- an approach not unheard of in Japan -- and she had hoped to resume her showbiz activities after recovering, the office said."


How is this possible? You can perform an operation on a patient without telling them that why or how they're sick and need the operation? Did the doctor with hold the information from her, or did her production/management company? I don't get Japan sometimes. I learn things like this and it starts to really bother me. Hopefully they will fix the problem in the future, and I hope Eri Murakami rests in peace.

Leaky Reactor


Another side effect from the devastating earthquake that hit Niigata Prefecture yesterday is that nuclear radiation was leaked into the ocean. I would be a bit freaked out but they explain it away in this statement:

"About 1.2 tons of water apparently leaked from a pool containing spent nuclear fuel in the No. 6 reactor that was not working at the time of the temblor. The water contained 60,000 becquerels of radiation, equal to the amount contained in six liters of radon hot spa water, and is not harmful to the health of people." --Mainichi


If you ask me they were actually pretty lucky, considering that they were only 9 kilometers from the epicenter of a high 6 earthquake. In case you haven't read it, the death total is up to 9 and the injured is somewhere around 930 people.

Snow White and the Seven Jet Li's?


A report is out that Jet Li has signed up for a movie with Natalie Portman for Disney Studios. Apparently a futuristic twist on Snow White and the Seven Dwarves and Jet Li is protecting the evil Queens mirror. Sounds funny. What do you think?

P.S. - Like my picture? I made it at work in Paint. LOL

Monday, July 16, 2007

Strong love.


On Friday, a trio of women set out from their native island of Sado to re-create the arduous journey of a local heroin. Omitsu, is a local folk-heroin who crossed the Sea of Japan to find her lover on the mainland. The women, all in their 20's used traditional tub-boats and wore traditional clothing, for their crossing. It took them 24 hours to paddle their way across, with a couple of fishing boats watching over them. The women were glad to be the first to complete the crossing in over forty years. This takes a lot of nerve to accomplish in the first place, but imagine that they also were facing the possible arrival the typhoon Man-yi. Good job ladies!

(Thanks Lisa, of TokyoMango for this tid-bit. I missed it in my Mainichi readings.)

Disaster strikes Japan






In the wake of typhoon Man-yi, Japan was hit with a devastating earthquake. The earthquake hit when the faults slipped early on Monday, July 16th, 2007. Niigata prefecture was hit the hardest, with 7 reported deaths and hundreds injured people. Houses were destroyed and landslides occured in great numbers. The local power company had to shut down their nuclear reactors after a fire broke out in an electricity transformer. TEPCO reports that there was no radiation leakage. Trains were de-railed in various areas, causing all the bullet trains to be shut down and other area's were suspended. Shinzo Abe, Prime Minister of Japan, left his campaign trail to return to Tokyo in order to better handle the disaster and direct aid to the affected areas.




Credits to Mainichi for the photos.

Friday, July 13, 2007

My Everyday

You might be interested to know where I wander on the great wide internets everyday.
Tokyo Mango is an awesome blog about Tokyo life, random Japanese toys, gadgets and news bits. Lisa Katayama is brilliant!
I'm on Myspace bloggin' bout life (Jenanime is EVERYWHERE BWAHAHAHA...),
I'm on http://www.alivenotdead.com/ checking out the lives of Kelly Hu and Daniel Wu. (Haha rhymin')
http://www.clotinc.com/ is another good haunt, hip-hop culture of Hong Kong and China at it's very best! Lots of cool people blogging and representing!
The original Edison blog I read for info on what he's been up to.
Japanese News
Korean News
Chinese News (I've got to stay up to date!)
JAME keeps me on my toes with Japanese music releases.
Of course, Strapya has new stuff everyday. Yuuki keeps a nice blog that I check too.
Obviously, there are a lot of other places I find things, but this is the list of ones I go to religiously. Enjoy my secret stash of cool spots!

Extreme Opposites


A day after his wedding, Bao Xishun met the exact opposite of himself: He Ping Ping. A man applying to be the Guinness Book of Worlds Records shortest man. Standing at a mere 28.74 inches tall, he must appear to cower before Bao Xishun. Xishun, is the worlds tallest man, standing at 7.74 feet tall. I wonder what their impressions of each other were?

Thursday, July 12, 2007

Oh NO!


Ok, so if you read my blog at any kind of regularity, you KNOW my feelings about re-makes. I just started to tear up because of this one. The stupid people in Hollywood are remaking my favorite Hong Kong romance Love Undercover. The original stars my FAVORITE Hong Kong actor Daniel Wu, and my favorite Hong Kong actress Mirium Yeung. I'm sorry if you like re-makes, but this is so depressing. I have no faith in the American producers because they either change the story, or don't bother giving credit to the original story. The American's need to start coming up with their own stuff, and stop steeling from the Asians. Full story here.

*Edit* ::sigh:: I also found out that they are re-making the Stephen Fung film Enter the Phoenix. Daniel starred in that one too. Too bad he won't get any of the credit for the movies, Daniel OR Stephen. Am I making too much of this?

New World Record!


The Chinese are pretty excited by Guiness World Records, and happen to hold quite a few. The newest one is set for jump-rope. Yep, three thousand Chinese folks got together with three thousand jump ropes and jumped away for three minutes. The Changsa natives broke the previous record of 2,474 Hong Kong people set in 2005. Jump! (Did I ever mention that Edison Chen set a Guiness World Record too? NO? Well, he did.)

It's about "Time"


The new Arashi album is out! I received it this morning via Fed-Ex from YesAsia. (Being the crazy die-hard fan that I am, I pre-ordered it so it shipped quickly.) Now, it’s not as revolutionary as the new Edison Chen album, but it’s still wonderful. To me, Arashi represents a different side of my musical tastes. It’s the left over remnants of being an N’Sync fan that allows me to love them so whole-heartedly. I don’t have a favorite song on the album yet. I love the single “We Can Make It” that’s from Matsu-Jun’s Bambino drama. But, I have a tendency to over-play my current favorites, so I’m a bit burnt out on that track. The rest of the album flows nicely and has the traditional perfect harmonies and Sho-raps. I bought the limited edition with solos from each member. I’ll admit, I don’t particularly like any of their voices separately. I love their harmonies and the songs they sing together so much more than when they sing solo. It’s funny, because most of the time I’m the opposite. But, I digress. Once I’ve listened a few times, I’ll update further, for now, check this album out in all of it’s J-Pop glory!

1 – Oh Yeah!
2 – Love So Sweet (Hana Yori Dango Season 2 Opening Theme)
3 – WAVE
4 – We Can Make It (Bambino Theme)
5 – Firefly
6 – Taiyou no Sekai
7 – Carry On
8 – ROCK YOU
9 – Cry For You (I really like this track)
10 – Love Situation
11 – Kaze
12 – Be With You
13 – Life
14 – Aozora Pedal
(15 – Everybody Zenshin is only on the normal edition CD)

Bonus Tracks (Limited Edition only)
1 – Song for me (Satoshi Ohno solo) (Fun - techno beat)
2 – Friendship (Masaki Aiba solo)
3 – Niji (Kazunori Ninomiya solo)
4 – Can’t Let You Go (Sho Sakurai solo)
5 – Yabai-Yabai-Yabai (Matsumoto Jun solo) ((Hey - I actually really like this one))

Allow Me to Introduce:



It’s here, and it’s amazing. EDC’s new album: Allow Me to Re-Introduce Myself is amazing. Free from constricting and cookie-cutter management Edison Chen has found himself a new life. With the album hitting #1 in Taiwan and #2 in Mainland China, it is obvious that the general population agrees. It’s hard to believe that with such negative press, and disapproving views, the man has been able to prove them all wrong. Of course, fans have never doubted his ability and have been waiting patiently to see what the man can present us free of strings and using nothing but his own talent and ingenuity. I waited very impatiently to receive my copy of the album from YesAsia in today’s mail. Where was the dang mail-man (no, I’m not being politically incorrect, he’s a dude)? When finally I spotted him pulling into the drive and ripped open my package to find my EDC album. It’s the first one I've had the pleasure to actually OWN. The rest are downloaded from fans wanting to share the love. His music is hard to find. L If I had my camera with me, I would have taken pictures of it. My initial favorite is track number 1: 记得我吗? The song begins with a traditional Chinese instrumental introduction, much like what is heard during a Lion Dance at festival time. There is a female vocalist (once I get it translated, I’ll let you know more) singing part of the chorus, but I love the music. My good friend, Yixuan said that it means “Remember Me?” and it fits. I hear Edison saying it too. I’m sorry this took so long to post; I got caught up in life! But, if you are looking for an album that is up-beat, and has lots of soul – BUY this one. It’s worth it. I will be truthful; I download a lot of my stuff from fan-sites. But I buy the important ones. I am beyond glad that I bought the new Edison Chen album, it’s great. The CD case itself is designed to look like the Alienegra camo only in blue. I love it. The case is held together with little Chinese straps and is just too adorable. The CD is printed to look like an old record or LP. The printed material is on a nice paper, with lots of Chinese calligraphy and traditional drawings of EDC inside. But, don’t take my word for it – get it for yourself.

Track Listing:


1 记得我吗? (My Favorite)
2 拳头
3 Act Like u Know (Very Powerful song)
4 精神分裂
5 泪
6 是我
7 凌晨1:37
8 My Baby (For Vincy!)
9 又一年
10 不可能

Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Cunundrum

I love Hong Kong film. Jackie Chan is one of my favorite actors. Yes, he is sort of silly, but that's his role for a lot of his movies. I think anyone willing to do all their own stunts like him is really brave. That's why, when I try to watch his movies in the United States, it drives me crazy. They dub them all. Yes, some of them are Jackie's voice now that Jackie speaks English so well; but to re-name the movies and put crappy voices on the movies drives me nuts. I watched Police Story (1) and it was in it's perfect Cantonese glory. The stunts were AMAZING. You have to take into account that it was made in the 1980's and they did it on a 2 million dollar budget. Modern day movie's re-create scenes from it. I loved it. Police Story 2 was good as well, but when you get to Police Story (3) it's renamed "Supercop" and they act as if the story isn't a continuum of something else. The fourth one was called "Jackie Chan's First Strike." Ka-kui disappears. I don't know, it's a cultural thing, I just wish they'd learn to appreciate the originals. So - to watch or not to watch is my question.I think I'll just buy this from YesAsia and save myself from the horror! 32.00 for the entire set. You can't buy two of the bad dubs at Best Buy for that...


Current obsession.

Rain




No, not the water that falls from the sky - something much better. This singer/actor/celebrity is pretty amazing. He's number 1 in 8 different countries. (Korea, Japan, Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, China ((Mainland, Hong Kong, Taiwan)), Vietnam and Cambodia.) He is currently filming Speed Racer in Germany, playing the part of Taejo Togokhan. His recent attempt to reach into the North American market has been plagued with complications. A Beatles cover band and their production company sued him for his name and ended up losing the case; allowing Rain to use his stage name in the U.S. However, the lengthy law suit cost him all of his scheduled concerts and the different concert halls and promoters are now seeking legal action against Rain and his production companies. It is uncertain whether or not the concerts that were originally post-poned will ever actually see the light of day. For now, I remain one of many faithful "Clouds" and hope for the best. As they say in Korea: Aja! Fighting!

晚安,宝贝 Wan An, Bao Bei (Goodnight, Darling)


Small as it is, I just understood my first full lyric in Mandarin!


Wo ai ni, xiao bao bei. = I love you, little darling/baby!


Hooray! I'll be translating before you know it. Hehehe.


Thanks Nicholas!

Massively Expensive Purse

I found this picture awhile ago, and never remembered to write about it until now. Awhile back, there was a large jewelry show in Japan and this was one of the pieces. All I can recall was that it cost 200,000,000 JPY (Japanese Yen.) Which, if you aren't aware of the exchange rate for USD to JPY is about $1,642,160.92. So, if you happen to be a billionare with some spare change in your pocket - why not pick this up for your girlfriend? Or me, for that matter, I could wear it for a day then sell it and be super rich!


On the same note...

I found a picture taken somewhere (so specific - I know!) in Japan of a GIANT golden unchi. If you have more information, feel free to share. But for now:

Unchi Light


I've mentioned the strange belief that Unchi (poop) is believed to be lucky in Japan. Here is a new little cell phone strap from toy maker Epoch. It's a 2" light-up Unchi, that comes in yellow or pink. Whenever I see pink "unchi" it makes me think of a pink soft-serve ice-cream, so it's not that icky to me. I only found one picture of it, and I don't know what the other versions look like, but I will update when I find out more. Perhaps Strapya will pick this up and sell it?


Tuesday, July 10, 2007

Creepy and Disturbing


Albeit for a good purpose, this story just weirds me out. A group of scientists in Seoul have figured out how to clone dogs. Yep, so the story I just wrote about a bit ago could mean lots of heart-marked puppies! Not really. The program is restricted by the South Korean government to only use the stem cells of the countries elite drug-sniffing dogs. Any way you look at it though, they are re-creations of something living, which to me is just bizarre and pretty wrong. I understand the idea's and theories behind cloning; if something is good, a copy of it will be just as good. But, you have to wonder where the line between what is acceptable and what isn't acceptable is drawn, and who draws it? So, I sit and ponder the possibilities and follow myself in theoretical circles.

<3


This little guy was born in May to a breeder in Japan. He is not for sale, although I feel that he would reach astronomical prices if he were to be put up for sale. Not only is he already featuring many "rules" of cuteness (being small, little beady eyes, looking over his shoulder at you) he has his very own HEART! Yep, that's a real mark on this tiny cuddle buddy. His name is:

Heart-kun!

Couldn't you just eat him up?

Monday, July 9, 2007

Honesty is the best policy.


I would have to think pretty hard before doing what this guy did. Especially at his age. This extraordinary gentleman of 66 from the Chubu branch of a concrete recycling company actually TURNED in $55,000 (apx. USD) worth of gold he found on the job. He just traipsed on over to his local police box and said "here you go - give it back to the rightful owner, please!" Or I assume something of that affect. Now, honestly, how many of you out there would just hand this on over to the police without thinking of keeping it for yourself and figuring out a way to use, or sell it? I don't know the law in Japan, but it's not like he stole it, and it WAS in the trash, so isn't it his now? I don't know, but this man should get some kind of honesty award. Six months and 14 days from now, the gold COULD go to....the factory. Not the honest old sir that brought it in! Oh, well. Japanese folks - check your stash, maybe it's yours!


Friday, July 6, 2007

Would if I could...




So, there is this book. Not just any book, but a charity book for the recovery of the 2004 Tsunami victims. It's also a photo book of Leslie Kee's work. It happens to have 300 Asian Celebrities in it too. I blushed at some of them, but I believe it's art, and that you don't really see in everyday life. I desperately want this book - but the original price was just under $300.00USD, and they don't have any available because it was limited to 7,000 sales copies. There's a copy on e-bay right now for about 495. Seriously - sell it for what you got it for and a little extra, keep the little, give the rest back to charity! Anyway - the book contains some racier photo's, but most of them are just gorgeous representations of great Asian entertainers. Such as: Gackt (!), Daniel Wu (made me blush) , Aaron Kwok, Cyndi Wang, Shu Qi, Wentz Eiji, Teppei Koikei, Edison Chen (yay!) and a world of others. So, if you manage to find it - pick it up for a good cause and try to just enjoy the photography.

The photos are obviously taken at the actual exhibition. All credits for the original work go to the amazing Leslie Kee.