JenAnime Theater

MV HD l Vanilla Unity (바닐라유니티) - Hey! Monster「K-Pop September 2010」

2010-10-02T13:36:00.000-05:00

I'm checking out the add to blog feature on youtube. I quite like it. This might have to be 1 knock against my wordpress account. I might have to switch back to blogger ...Enjoy the fabulousness of K-Rok! :D

Yanawaraba

2009-03-01T01:41:00.002-05:00

A favorite of mine. :) Love their voices.

Testing.

2009-02-21T15:34:00.002-05:00

I'm (maybe) moving!

2009-02-16T22:14:00.003-05:00

I've been posting on Wordpress for awhile now under a different name and title. I'm trying it out to see if I like Blogger or Wordpress better. For now, this blog will probably die off, but will remain a portal for randomness whenever I find interesting tid-bits. If you read this blog and are interested (even if you never comment) follow along. I've already posted a few new reviews. :)

http://daydreaminglotus.wordpress.com

How it all started. Part II -

2009-01-20T01:05:00.015-05:00

As a young woman, I fell victim to the most common anime-fan (otaku, if I may) cliche's: Hello Kitty, Kerropi, and other Sanrio characters now adorned my school supplies and and I spent time searching for places to buy them. Indeed, I found a small store very close by that sold a variety of character goods and to my delight, they sold CD's as well. A few anime soundtracks (it's where I picked up my Cowboy Bebop complete collection CD set!) were always available, but also a section of cd's with cute Asian boys and girls all smiling and dancing across the brightly colored covers. I experimented and bought a few that simply LOOKED good. I ended up buying Lee Jung-Hyun's Magic to Go To My Star, BoA's ID; Peace B, and Baby V.O.X.'s Why. Thus, my true introduction to Asian pop music was launched. From there, I began to expand my fan base and buy other albums to experiment with and see if I liked the music and it's grown to gigantic proportions today. I have so many artists that I listen on a regular basis it takes several hard drives to contain them. I remember buying the Lee Jung-Hyun album most, probably because of the distinct packaging। I was a little creeped out by the doll, and a bit taken aback by the sound of the album too. Her voice was so high, and I really don't think I was expecting such a techno-heavy album after the bubblegum pop of BoA and Baby V.O.X. For the longest time I didn't really know what she looked like, because none of her early albums didn't have pictures, and I guess I didn't think to look up Lee Jung-Hyun on the internet. There was no Google image search at that time, and it was just something I didn't know how to do. I quietly enjoyed my Korean and Japanese pop. I also started to find some common Japanese artists too, Koda Kumi, Utada Hikaru, Maaya Sakamoto and others who were somehow related to the anime industry.
In order to get to where I am now, there was a step that I had to take and it came about the time I was leaving my first college to move to Florida. I was still quite obsessed with anime, but I was beginning to get my toes wet in the waters of Asian cinema. It was a good thing that ADV and other anime distributors were putting out a few Japanese and Korean movies here and there, because with out easy access I might not have discovered the whole new world I did. Princess Blade was one of the first live-action Japanese movies I remember actually sitting down and watching. Then came the miracle of Netflix. If you live far away from any really good Asian communities it is hard to find places to get or watch Asian movies. I joined Netflix in order to save money, up until that point I had been buying everything that I wanted to watch out of necessity. No one else I knew was really that into the same things as me, so it wasn't possilbe to borrow anything. Netflix opened up a giant door for me and allowed me to easily expand my repertoire of movies. I started out renting The Returner, starring Takeshi Kaneshiro. It was a great action movie starring Anne Suzuki. I liked her too, so I added the only other movie she was in to my queue: Moon Child. And to my Gackt-obsessed delight it was the only movie HE was in too. I won't describe the process of each movie, it would be obnoxiously long and boring. But, this is how I tend to find new artists (musicians & actors.) I like someone, watch a lot of their work, and then find someone else in one of their movies that interests me and watch their work and the process repeats over and over again. The lucky thing for me is that I love music as much as I love movies. So, when I find a double or triple threat it's very exciting and usually leads to a larger discovery. (Double threats are singers/actors and triple threats are singers/actors/dancers - not everyone can dance. ::cough::Gackt::cough::) I find it interesting however, that I will still be drawn to the same actor or actress without knowing it. I am currently watching a series called Room of King, starring a new favorite of mine; Mizushima Hiro. All I really knew about it while downloading the fan-sub was that he was in it. I watched the first episode and lo and behold, Anne Suzuki shows up. It's not uncommon, but it still seems odd that I should gravitate towards the same people without knowing it.

A couple of years ago, I discovered IRC and that there were scanlators; people who scan Japanese, Korean and Chinese manga raws and then work tirelessly and for free to translate and create English language versions for fans. I have since left the IRC world, but it lead me in a new direction through a friend I met there. He suggested that I watch a movie called Bride and Prejudice. Bride and Prejudice is a culturally different take on Jane Austin's Pride and Prejudice, created by a Desi director from London. While not an actual Bollywood movie, it was my first introduction to Indian related cinema and my first time seeing the beautiful Aishwarya Rai. I immediately loved the colorful traditional outfits, the catchy and fun bangara music. Immediately following this I rented Monsoon Wedding and decidedly loved that movie too. ((It is odd that at this time my mp3 player picked the Punjabi Wedding Song from the B&P soundtrack to play out of over 7500 songs on it...))Sadly, at the time I was very caught up in a Chinese movie kick and left Bollywood hanging. I think that my introduction to Indian culture through Gurinder Chadha's films Bride & Prejudice and Bend It Like Beckham was essential. If, perhaps I had chosen another path into Bollywood and just watched something random, I might not have liked it or understood anything. As it stands today, I'm sure that I don't quite understand a lot of what is going on in the films, but that will take time. I have surely addapted to and learned about Korean, Japanese and Chinese culture by watching more and more of their movies and television shows, it is easy to assume that I will learn just as much about India and all it has to offer if I watch more of their entertainment too.

Looking back, it's been a very kinetic experience, one thing leads to another and then to another snowballing into a giant ball of actors, singers, movies, and music that I adore and wouldn't trade for anything. I am fortunate enough to have the drive and passion to follow all that I do and I just hope to share that passion with anyone who will listen (or read as the case may be here.) Today I am an international person, no longer simply "white," as my friend says - I'm just as much Asian as she is. I think that if other people in the world could be half as open-minded as I am, then we would be a lot better of. If you got this far - thanks for reading! Feel free to leave comments or questions here or on any other posts!
Thanks:
JenAnime. (A name that I use in many places online, it should change to JenAsian now probably, but it still suits me.)

How it all started. Part I (In case you were wondering.)

2009-01-19T23:39:00.025-05:00

and even if you weren't I'm going to tell you.

I have been thinking about my interest in Asian culture a lot lately and thought I might take a few minutes to jot down the story of my growing and insatiable thirst for knowledge in all things Asian.
It all started in about 8th grade, when I discovered Pokemon. Ahhh...I remember scheduling my life around Pokemon. I would make sure that I made it home in time to catch the afternon episodes and if I was going to miss it, I set the VCR to tape it. Some days I even paused the tapes and drew the characters while they were frozen on screen. I researched them on the Internet and eventually learned that my favorite show was called an "Anime." I temporarily became obsessed. I still have drawings from those days tucked away in an old sketch book. This was my first taste of true Asian culture, even if it was watered down and Americanized.
Fast forward a few years and to my Junior year of high-school, while still struggling with teenage angst, establishing self-worth and figuring out what to do with my future I became mildly obsessed with anime and borrowed as much as possible from my friends and even friends of my older brother. The next thing I acutely remember about anime was going to visit my brother on his college campus and seeing posters and post-cards advertising the release of Princess Mononoke (Mononoke Hime as I now refer to most of the time.) He told me that it was an anime and that it was one of the first to really be promoted in the United States. He said his friend Bryan was more into it butt he thought it was pretty cool himself. My first few experiences with anime also included series such as Martian Successor Nadesico, Dual!, Photon: Idiot Adventures, Trigun, Neon Genesis Evangelion, and my favorite even to this day: Cowboy Bebop. I was so into my new world, that I bought chopsticks, and sat down to many a piping bowl of Ramen noodles while staring at my small bedroom television watching Nadesico and the like. I started an anime journal. Where I would write the lyrics to songs, small reviews and episode summaries to my favorites. I loved the karaoke subtitles of the opening and closing credit songs. I started to try and find the songs online and would spend hours on end, into the early morning looking for them.

I continued this way into my first year of college, where I was lucky enough to go to Minneapolis College of Art and Design. Not only did they have an anime club, once a year they had a workshop called Schoolgirls and Mobilesuts where you could EARN CREDITS FOR WATCHING ANIME!!!! Oh man, was I excited. I think it was the highest grade I got while at that school actually. MCAD was able to get in contact with Disney that year and talked them into giving us a subtitled copy of Spirited Away for our own private screening just before it's official release in theaters around the United States. I remember sitting in the Minneapolis Institute for Art theater wondering how I had arrived there, and just being thrilled to be a part of something so wonderful. I was also blessed to have been able to listen to Susan Napier speak as well. As author of Anime from Akira to Princess Mononoke, Napier was able to give thought provoking insite into the literal and deeper side of anime that I hadn't really opened up to before. (It is now a revised version taking the reader through the time in Hayao Miyazaki's career up to How's Moving Castle) I began to practically inhale manga at this time. I read everything I could get my hands on, from Sailor Moon to Battle Royale. I still have my old favorites and regularly read many new titles. I think the local book stores and comic shops ran out of manga because of me. I currently own over 1,000 graphic novels, although I'm liquidating my collection to less than half that (It's hard to move them all!) On the outskirts of my vision there were starting to be other things other than just Japanese anime and manga. I realized that several of the titles I was reading had non-Japanese names and the style of art were slightly different as well. At the time, Demon Diary was one of my favorites and I was somewhat surprised to find out that it was actually a "mangwha;" Korean in origin, unlike the majority of my other books. So, another one of my great loves was finding it's way into my life.

Singer, Dancer, Actor. . .Designer?

2009-01-15T14:42:00.005-05:00

Rain has spread himself out to many corners of the entertainment world and is now going to expand it with a design company headed by himself. He is going to be one of the creative heads of the line called Six to Five. The first of many designs is being auctioned off to benefit a campaign against breast cancer. The winning bid will receive this:
,
What an interesting shirt, it definitely looks like it's something he would wear, so I suppose that is the idea behind having one's own line of clothing - is it not?

Taiwanese Drama Review: Fated to Love You (命中注定我愛你)

2009-01-15T12:44:00.012-05:00

Starring:
Chen Qiao En (陳喬恩) as Chen Xin Yi Ethan Ruan (阮經天) as Ji Cun Xi Baron Chen (陳楚河) as Dylan/Dai Jian Ren
Bianca Bai (白歆惠) as Shi Anna
Tan Ai Zhen (譚艾珍) as Ji Wang Zhen Zhu (Nini)

Chen Xin Yi is the most common name in China. It's also the name of our heroine for this series. Boorish, dumpy and ready to please, Xin Yi thinks only of others and takes nothing for herself. In a failed attempt to capture the attention and love of her boyfriend she mistakingly goes into the wrong room with a different man and they end up making love and only realizing they were with the wrong partner after all is said and done. Ji Cun Xi is the man she stumbled into bed with and they immediately have some chemistry, but neither one is aware of it at first. After a few weeks Xin Yi comes to find that she is pregnant. Through coincidence and happenstance Ji Cun Xi finds out and his grandmother and Xin Yi's family coerce them both into marriage. Ji Cun Xi is happily in a relationship with a ballerina however and swears to keep his relationship with Anna despite his marriage and the child on the way. With so much against them, it is hard to imagine how they can really be fated to love eathother.

After painstakingly searching and downloading the subtitled version of this drama I was not disapointed. I had a feeling that they weren't going to disappoint me when there were such high ratings (the highest ever in Taiwan!) for this show and people I already liked were in it. (Chen Qiao En and Tan Ai Zhen) I am also now a fan of Baron Chen and Ethan Ruan as well. They were both very charming and I loved them very much in this series. If you are looking for a serious drama, this is not it. I found it to be overly silly at times, but as I've learned over the years about my taste - I just love some cheese! The story line was very steady until episode 11 when there was a major dramatic event and the story shifted completely (to a different city even!) The main characters were able to grow and change, but still have a lot of their original charm, and I think that was hard for the actors. The crew even packed up and headed to Shanghai for filming, with is original, since they usually stick around Taiwan for most of the dramas I can find. I was really quite impressed by some of the scenes as well. I can't pick an absolute favorite part, but the most memorable one was episode 11 and this scene:

Usually for Asian drama's they tend to look really fake and unbelievable, I think they did a great job here. The idea of a "sticky note girl" is also interesting. I wonder how many women are such type of person, who tends to try and please everyone else first and not ever think of themselves. I bet the general population of China was able to identify with Chen Xin Yi because she is dutiful and never steps out of bounds. I find myself being that person at times, but I would never put up with what she does from Ji Cun Xi.

Ethan Ruan was a newcomer for me, and he really proved himself in this series. I always beleived him as Ji Cun Xi, whether he was angry, sad, or just being silly I was completely drawn him by his expressions and his ability to portray each emotion with honesty.

Baron Chen wasn't as new, I had seen him in Kung-Fu Dunk, but he was not that memorable for me since I didn't even recognize him! But, here in Fated to Love You, I often found myself unsure of who I should cheer for, Ji Chun Xi or Dylan. He has a great smile and a kind of goofy charm that I adored.

(Baron Chen looking positvely vulnerable - hao ke-aiyo!)

Qiao En was delightful. I can tell that she has matured since Prince Turns to Frog. I remember one of the behind the scenes from this series and she started to cry happily because the director told her their ratings and she was told by Ethan that she successfully made her comeback. If this is any indicatino Qiao En is going to stay on top for awhile.

And what can I say about Tan Ai Zhen? She is a lovely woman who gets to play the meddling NiNi that we all love. I hated her silly wig though, that was one of the things that drove me crazy about the show, it was obvious she had on a wig, but no one noticed and it never changed. (Here she is in her natural state - very charming.)

If you can stand some real silliness (Qiao En dancing around in a giant chicken suit, or Ethan pretending to be hurt by gangsters and getting shoved into a giant barrel and rolling down a hill.) in order to get to a great story, I highly recommend this series if you can find it.

It's a sweep!

2009-01-11T23:35:00.003-05:00

Slumdog Millionaire swept the Golden Globes tonight! I was so excited and a little proud (for the country of India and all that it meant for their culture.) while I was watching. I also loved that King Khan introduced the clip for Slumdog Millionaire. It was a lot of fun and I giggled like a school girl. They won each of their nominations, Best Motion Picture- Drama, Best Original Score, Best Director - Motion Picture, Best Screenplay. I think my favorite part was when Anil jumped up and cheered, it was funny. Congratulations!
Sorry I didn't have a better picture! I don't have a way to capture from my tv to my computer. :(

Japanese Drama Review: Anmitsu Hime (Special #1)

2009-01-02T08:27:00.007-05:00

Starring: Inoue Mao as Anmitsu Hime
Koide Keisuke as Sembe
Yuki Imai as Amagurino Suke "Amaguri"
Masaki Kyomoto as Kitsubanu Ryu
Morisako Ei as Ohagi-chan

This manga-turned-drama-special is about a young princess in a made up land of Japan that laments her status and the necessity for an arranged marriage. She decides to "escape" out into the streets and explore live and find love. Along the way she meets a group of street kids who help her see the real world and to understand that life isn't just black and white.

I adored this "special." They only ran an hour and half "made for tv movie" of Anmitsu Hime, but it was a very fun and charming show. I have been a fan of Inoue Mao for a long time, so she was what really drew me into the show. Her acting is getting better and better and this role of a "tomboy princess" suited her just fine. I also liked Koide Keisuke in his role as Sembe. I saw him before in Nodame Cantabile and he was hilarious, it was nice to see him in a more serious role. In general this is a comedy and I had a lot of laughs watching it. The names of the characters alone (Anmitsu Hime means "Syrup covered bean jam princess") were enough to send me into a fit of giggles. It's hard to keep a straight face when the characters are named after different foods - kind of like Sorcerer Hunters where the main character is named Carrot. The silliest of shows can sometimes become my favorites. I think that Yuki Imai and Ei Morisato stole the show though. They were charming and amazing as their respective roles. I think that acting at such a young age is amazing and to do it well is quite a challenge. I guess I am a sucker for a pretty man as well because I loved Masaki Kyomoto's character of the playboy "secret guardian." I hope that you can find the time to watch this short gem that SARS-fansubs has distributed kindly. You can always find great things at their website.

Xin Nian Kuai Le!

2009-01-01T20:51:00.004-05:00

Happy New Year to everyone! My New Year's Eve was quiet and enjoyable. I received a few lovely gifts that will bring me good luck in 2009. I hope that you all have had a great start to this year and that you have many blessings. So, here is to a new year filled with gossip, random tid-bits, lovely movies, fun music and random oddities from all over Asia. May you enjoy each and every day that you are given.

Movie Review: Slumdog Millionaire

2008-12-24T10:19:00.003-05:00

Starring:
Dev Patel: (Older) Jamal Malik
Anil Kapoor: Prem Kumar
Madhur Mittal: (Older) Salim
Freida Pinto: (Older) Latika
Ayush Mahesh Khedekar: Young Jamal
Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail: Young Salim
And a longer list of great cast members.

I had the pleasure of seeing Slumdog Millionaire in the movie theater the other night. It is most unusual because the movie theaters here where I live rarely show independent or artsy films, so I ran to see it before they took it out of the theater.

Slumdog Millionaire is the story of a young man who goes on the Indian version of Who Want's to be a Millionaire? and makes it to the second to last question all in one night. After the show wraps he is whisked away by Indian authorities under suspicion for cheating., how could a young man from the streets of Mumbai know all the questions so easily? Through Jamal's answers to the detectives' questions we learn of his hard life and his connection to the woman of his dreams - Latika, a fellow "slumdog" whom he has lost in the chaos of the Mumbai underground. The main question of the movie is can Jamal convince everone that he isn't cheating and reunite himself with his lost love?

I loved this movie. I laughed and cried and probably annoyed people by my silly giggles at times that I noticed things they probably didn't because of my new-found familiarity to some of Indian pop-culture. The scene in which young Jamal runs to get Amitab Bachchan's autograph had me rolling in a fit of giggles. The story brings to light the darker side of Mumbai, the side that most Bollywood movies ignore. I am glad that they decided to use such a great ensemble cast and as Dev said on the Today show a few weeks ago "they couldn't get a Bollywood actor that looked as Geeky as me" (I'm para-phrasing beause I don't remember the exact words.) I tried to imagine this movie with Salman Khan, Shahrukh or anyone else, even John Abraham, would have seemed to not really fit this role. Dev Patel was wonderful, I feel that he deserves all the fan-fare and awards that he has been getting already. I hope that they do well at the Golden Globes - the movie is nominated for four of them. I know this isn't a Bollywood movie, but it is about India and i tseems to tell the story of real India, instead of the fanciful one portrayed so much more often. It's like our movies here, they usually show the bright side of things, and it takes quiet, independent films to show the real parts of our society that everyday citizens face. It's a great movie, and if you get a chance to see it I recommend going to see it in theaters.

India Movie Review: Koi...Mil Gaya (I Found Someone)

2008-12-23T20:16:00.008-05:00

Starring:
Hrithik Roshan: Rohit Mehra
Preity Zinta: Nisha
Rekha: Sonia Mehra

The basic story of Koi...Mil Gaya is the tale of Rohit Mehra, a young man who was born with a mind that would never progress past the age of a young boy. While in the process of trying to grow and overcome his disability he meets Nisha, who sees his naiive mischivetey as bad manners and ill-natured jokes. After correcting the mis-understanding Nisha and Rohit become friends and she agrees to teach him how to use a computer. Rohit digs out an old computer belonging to his late father and un-knowingly contacts extra-terrestrials. They land in the small town, but leave a one of their own behind. Eventually Rohit finds and befriends this strange creature and names him "Jadoo." Along with his 6 friends and Nisha, Rohit changes with the magic of Jadoo and becomes an adult, but can the magic last?

I originally rented this movie in order to see Preity Zinta in it. And through my viewing of it became enamored with Hrithik Roshan. He is a delightful actor and when he smiles, it's a genuine smile that makes me happier for simply having seen it. Don't even get me started about his eyes! They are stunning! Back to my impression of the movie. :) I thought at first that it was going to be awkward to watch someone act as a developmnetally disabled person and then switch to a "normal" person and then fall in love. I also was concerned with how well it would be handled in a Bollywood movie. I obviously have nothing against them, I just think that they are traditionally melodramatic and that this particular role is a hard one to act. (On a side note the best role of a mentally disabled person was played by Kang Hye-Jeong in Herb - her acting was superb and emotionally touching.) I was worrying over nothing though, Hrithik was believable and charming as Rohit, either way that he played him as an adult-minded or under-developed version. Preity was also lovely, and it was believable that her love for him was genuine as a friend and then again as a lover later on in the film. It was fresh change for a Bollywood film too, since it had a science fiction feel to it versus the simple love, love lost, love found combination that most of them tend to have. (I love them either way!) Sadly, during three of the picturizations the disc I rented was scratched so I missed out on a lot of the songs. (I had shoes just like Preity that were black back in my high school days!)

That's all right though, since I will probably buy this one as it is a full five star rating. It's one of the movies that right after I see it I'm not sure how much I liked it, then after a few days or even weeks I find myself thinking about it more and more. The longer I think about a movie, the more I enjoy it. In all, a lovely movie and I will gladly watch it again.

Adventures of a Bollywood Newbie.

2008-12-15T17:43:00.019-05:00

I'm going to take some time and pay tribute to my new and current obsession: Bollywood film. I've been inhaling them as quickly as possible, even increasing my Netflix to three a month again because I finally have enough to fill it. So, I've been barreling through as much as I can. I've seen some ho-hum ones and some that have pushed their way into the top 10 of my all-time favorite movies (Om Shanti Om) (regardless of genre or country of origin.) In the last few months I managed to watch over 30 Bollywood films. (A select few are not made in Mumbai, and are actually British or American films, but they are related to the genre.) Here's the full list of my initial foray into Bollywood: (with my star rating, out of five) Asoka (4), Baabul (4), Bombay to Bangkok (4), Chak De! India (5), Chalte Chalte (4), Chori Chori (3), Dhaai Akshar Prem Ke (4), Dhoom (3.5), Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (4), Jab We Met (3), Jhoom Barabar Jhoom (5), Jodhaa Akbar (4), Kal Ho Naa Ho (4.5), Koi...Mil Gaya(4.5), Krrish (4), Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (4.5), Lakshya (4.5), Lucky: No Time for Love (4), Maine Hoon Na (5), Maine Prem Ki Diwani Hoon (4.5), Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya (4), Maine Pyar Kiya (3.5), Monsoon Wedding (3), Na Tum Jaano Na Hum (4), Om Shanti Om (5), Paheli (4), Phir Milenge (4), Provoked (3.5), Rangeela (4), Salaam-E-Ishq (4), Swades (4), The Hero (3), Veer-Zaara (4.5), Baadshah (2.5), Ladies Taylor (2), Boothnath (4), Namastey London (4), The Namesake (4). I want to eventually review and type synopses for many of these, but at the moment I don't have the time! I've watched some in the presence of my mom, who tries to watch, but gets a headache from watching the sub-titles. I love that she has already started referring to Shahrukh as "our guy." So, it's spreading. Not that I really needed another language and culture to overtake my life. I already have my head stuffed full of Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Spanish and obviously English. Now I'm squishing little bits of hindi in there. Matlab? Hehe.

Here is one to start:
Lucky: No Time for Love. I wasn't sure what to think about this movie and tried to keep an open mind while watching it. I know that a lot of people took issue with the age difference between Salman Khan and Sneha Ullal. It was a little strange for the main love interests to have a 22 year age difference (in real life), but I was able to move past it. She was charming, if a little over-dramatic (even for Bollywood) at times. I think she did well for her first movie. Salman Khan is starting to grow on me; I wasn't instantly drawn to him like Shahrukh. He was actually heart warming in certain scenes of this movie. I know that the style of Bollywood is to ...hm over-act or be over-dramatic is wrong, but they tend to play their roles with excess emotion a lot of the time, or heightened emotion I suppose is a better way of saying it, so I keep that in mind when judging the acting.
There will be lots more to come, but I'm out of time for the moment. Stay tuned!

Just in Time!

2008-11-27T01:05:00.003-05:00

One of my favorite Japanese artists just released a Christmas mini-album. Bonnie Pink is a Japanese singer who has made a name for herself by being original and having a jazz influenced sound to her music. She also writes her own music; which is pretty rare for mainstream Japanese musicians. I am a sucker for Christmas music and am the leader in a few forum threads for Asian Christmas music. So, I have already reviewed this album despite it being released on the 26th. The title track, Chain, is a lovely song and easily the strongest song on the album. The rest of the tracks are traditional Christmas song with the typical Bonnie jazz/pop twist to them. Check this little gem out if you have a chance. At least her English pronunciation doesn't drive me up the wall like others!

Track Listing:
1: Chain
2: Wonderful Christmastime
3: I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Clause
4: Let It Snow
5: CHAIN 乣The Birth Cry乣
6: The Christmas Song

...

2008-11-26T22:51:00.004-05:00

I couldn't think of a title for this entry. I am very saddened and humbled by the news of the attacks on Mumbai today. A group of militants have attacked locations all through out the major city of India, for unknown reasons (at this time.) They have specifically targeted places around Mumbai that are tourist favorites and purposefully gathered foreigners using their passports as identification. The group attacked a train station, two high-end hotels and a restaurant that is a well known tourist destination. They rounded up Americans and Britains and held them hostage in different areas of the city. News is still breaking about the situation so I don't know all the details. The number of people wounded and killed are still rising so I don't know what to say there, it's in the hundreds already. I find it disheartening that this is still going on, but I realize the nature of society and that this is a part of life. It is unfortunate, and sad, but there can only be peace if everyone in the world is willing, and that is a hard concept to get everyone to agree on. I am going to keep myself informed on the situation, and I will keep the people of India, and the visitors involved in my thoughts. I know they will never read this, but I would like to say that I respect the police officers and officials of Mumbai for dealing with this as best that they could. I hope that in the future they will have the ability to stop things like this from happening in the first place. For more up-to-the-minute coverage do what I do and check out msnbc.com.

A welcome change.

2008-11-26T22:09:00.002-05:00

The Korean Fair Trade Commission just issued an ultimatum to several Korean entertainment companies: change or be changed. The so-called "slavery contracts" that many Korean entertainers are bound to. I've always felt that the companies have too much control over the people that they are in charge of. I think they forget they aren't just money makers and are living, breathing beings who have feelings, lives, families and ideas that are different than that of the company. Among the companies involved are SME, JYPE, and M.net. A large portion of the biggest acts are under these labels. I hope that these new rules reduce the invasion of privacy that the entertainers are subjected to. I also hope it allows them to have a little freedom, and even a little less stress. I give big kudos to the Korean Fair Trade Commission for this.

Another one bites the dust...

2008-11-26T21:34:00.002-05:00

I have a feeling I will hate this one. Gore Verbinski is going to produce the remake of The Host. It is actually in my top...40? 30? I've seen SO many movies, but it's really one of my favorite Korean movies and I try to show it to people when I can. My friend Sheri thought it was sad, but I felt the acting was superb and the story line was very believable and fairly reasonable for a horror movie. It will be pretty low on my check list.

BoA is coming! BoA is coming!

2008-11-20T22:44:00.003-05:00

BoA is a powerhouse of Korean entertainment. I saw her CD; ID; Peace B forever ago at a small Korean Hello Kitty store in Minnesota and bought it out of curiosity and I have been a fan of hers ever since. I've backed off the intensity for awhile, but I've always gotten her albums and listen to her when I'm feeling stressed or particularly nostalgic. She is in the middle of her American release. Her single has done well on the digital music charts and is in the process of adding a cd single release with re-mixes and a guest appearance by Flo Rida. The full-length album is slated for release in early 2009 with the name Look Who's Talking. I wish her the best, and I will do what I can to support her efforts. Just like I do with any artist who tries to come over to the other side. Haha. I hear that Utada is trying again after her flop a couple years ago. If they both stay true to their current style and fan base, I feel they can be very successful.

Watch BoA - Eat You Up (Korea Version) in Music Videos | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

Re-Make Update:

2008-11-20T21:48:00.007-05:00

The Korean movie "Addicted" has been renamed Possession and is staring Sarah Michelle Gellar and Lee Pace (star of Pushing Daisies.) The American re-make is slated for a January 23rd release. The actors are pretty decent, so the movie might not be too bad. I'll have to wait and see. I know that the version of My Sassy Girl has been released on DVD - I saw it at Blockbuster awhile back and ran the other direction. I don't like re-makes, they lose the original flavor of the movie. I might see it sometime though. And, the re-make of my favorite Korean horror movie A Tale of Two Sisters has had a name change as well, it's now being called "The Uninvited." Which, coincidentally is the name of another Korean horror movie. I doubt it can hold up to my favorite that has Moon Geun-Young. I love her and she just has a great innocence about her and her acting is superb. I also wrote about Sympathy for Lady Vengeance, but there is no other news on it at all. If you know of a re-make that I missed, comment and let me know. I'll keep updated as I learn about more.

On a similar note, I have plans to watch God Tussi Great Ho, a Bollywood re-envisioning/re-make of Bruce Almighty. I say re-envisioning because it has some differences and they also have traditional Bollywood musical numbers in it too. But, in the end, it's just a re-make. I'm curious to see it though. I'm pretty sure that Morgan Freeman does a better job at playing God than Amitabh Bachchan, but I will report on that later in a review.

Gackt's New Single!

2008-11-20T20:44:00.004-05:00

I was very excited to find that Gackt had a new single coming out. The title of it is "Jesus" and it is basically a man praying for help from Jesus to overcome his challenge. I love the return to rock, he has been leaning towards his acoustic side lately. I've uploaded it to Veoh, hopefully the link will work. If I get permission from the person's lyrics I read to use them, I will add them here. Otherwise, enjoy some fun Gackt action.

Watch Gackt - Jesus in Music Videos | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

Here are the lyrics: (I didn't translate them, Keesaiox from YouTube did.. Thanks to her!)

傷ついた抜け殻をただ抱きしめていた
降り注ぐ雨は静かな君の涙

Wake me up
Wake me up
Wake me up
この夢から
Real or dream?
Real or dream?
Real or dream?
教えてくれMaria!!!

「殺して」と微笑みながら頬に触れた
見えない目に涙を溜めて消えて行く
Take me Out
Take me Out
Take me Out
この夢から
Real or dream?
Real or dream?
Real or dream?
答えてくれ JESUS!!!

God said when you die,
Your life will pass before your own eyes.
If you want to feel it right now，
Just do it, do it, do it!

Wake me up
Wake me up
Wake me up
この夢から
Real or dream?
Real or dream?
Real or dream?
教えてくれ

Take me Out
Take me Out
Take me Out
この夢から
Real or dream?
Real or dream?
Real or dream?
答えてくれ JESUS!!!

==================================

kizutsuita nukegara wo tada dakishimeteita
furisosogu ame wa shizuka na kimi no namida
Wake me up
Wake me up
Wake me up
kono yume kara
Real or dream?
Real or dream?
Real or dream?
Oshietekure Maria!!!!

「koroshite...」 to hohoemi nagara hoho ni fureta
mienai me ni namida wo tamete kieteyuku
Take me Out
Take me Out
Take me Out
kono yume kara
Real or dream?
Real or dream?
Real or dream?
Kotaetekure JESUS!!!

God said when you die,
Your life will pass before your own eyes.
If you want to feel it right now,
Just do it, do it, do it!

Wake me up
Wake me up
Wake me up
kono yume kara
Real or dream?
Real or dream?
Real or dream?
Oshietekure

Take me Out
Take me Out
Take me Out
kono yume kara
Real or dream?
Real or dream?
Real or dream?
Kotaetekure JESUS!!!

===========================

Please note my Japanese is poor and this is MY interpretation of the song. It may be right, it may be wrong. Depends on how you want to read into the lyrics I guess ;_;

Tightly embracing only the empty broken shell
The pouring rain is your silent tears
Wake me up
Wake me up
Wake me up
from this dream
Real or dream?
Real or dream?
Real or dream?
Please tell me, Maria!!!!

Smiling, I touched your cheeks and said "kill me..."
Tears gathered in my blinded eyes, and then disappeared
Take me Out
Take me Out
Take me Out
from this dream
Real or dream?
Real or dream?
Real or dream?
Answer me, JESUS!!!

God said when you die,
Your life will pass before your own eyes.
If you want to feel it right now,
Just do it, do it, do it!

Wake me up
Wake me up
Wake me up
from this dream
Real or dream?
Real or dream?
Real or dream?
Please tell me

Take me Out
Take me Out
Take me Out
from this dream
Real or dream?
Real or dream?
Real or dream?
Answer me, JESUS!!!

Return of an old favorite. Anime Review: Niea_Seven

2008-10-23T18:21:00.003-05:00

I just finished re-watching an old anime that I loved the first time. Niea_7 is a quiet anime that has sad and kind of lame humor, but that was the point. I like the shows that are unassuming and don’t expect to be a hit. They tend to be more open to putting them selves on the line and making a fool out of themselves. Niea_7 is realistic in most ways, except the existence of aliens being part of everyday life on Earth. There is a down to earth feeling about it, as if it’s a study of real life put into anime.

The story is based around Mayuko Chigasaki, a poor cram school student living in a small suburb of Tokyo trying to support herself on three part time jobs with a freeloading alien named Niea to feed as well. The majority of the anime is about their relationship and the choice they both make to learn more about themselves. But, with a “perverted” mini-mart alien making a constant appearance, “mysterious” bathhouses to be inspected and the mother ship looming in the distance, this is no ordinary anime. I’m glad that I decided to watch it again.

CD Review: Rain - Vol. 5: Rainism

2008-10-22T11:36:00.005-05:00

After a two year absence from the recording studio Rain is back again with a new album and a brand new sound. Free from the control of JYP he has written his own material and changed the general flavor of his songs. From the catchy beats of Rainism he changes to slow ballads like the first single released off the album "Love Story." According to Rain it's a true story about his love life. I wasn't sure at first if I liked the new sound. After giving it a few listens, I'm addicted and I love his more mature sound. I hope that you will give his new album a try, because it's a little different from the cookie-cutter hip-pop that JYP creates, but I hope that his solo work proves that he deserves his place in the entertainment top circle. My current favorite song: Fresh Woman. :D

Asia Fest 2008

2008-10-19T12:04:00.007-05:00

I was in Nirvana yesterday. My community put together a celebration of Asian culture yesterday. I was surrounded by people of Chinese, Korean, Indian and Japanese decent. They had food from local Asian restaurants and also little booths with henna tattoos, Japanese candy art, and lovely Asian tchotchke's. I was there volunteering with my friend Yixuan since she is a part of the Chinese Association. The program involved Korean fan & drum dancing, Taiko drums as well as a few Indian dances too. My favorite one was an Indian dance by the Indian Association of Fort Myers. I was also excited to have two (I splurged!) pineapple bubble smoothies. I missed them so much, they used to be available to me when I was living on campus in Minneapolis I could just walk down to the cafe that served them. They were yummy, apparently not up to par with one's served in China, Yixuan said they were better there (she used to get one everyday for like 1 yuan.) I also ate some yummy pork skewers mmm. I didn't buy anything, I'm carefully watching my budget, but it was a fun day of entertainment. I loved watching the Korean drum dance. If you live in Southwest Florida, plan on checking this event out when they have it again next year. It's inexpensive culturally diverse fun for the whole family.

It's Coming.

2008-09-26T23:19:00.000-05:00

Create yours at BlingyBlob.com!

Movie Review: Om Shanti Om

2008-09-25T22:24:00.004-05:00

Shahrukh Kan as Om Prakash/Om Kapoor

Deepika Padukone as Shantipriya/Sandhya

Shreyas Talpade as Pappu

Arjun Rampal as Mukesh Mehra

Some people say that India is In the Middle-East. And some argue that it is part of Asia. Either way you look at it, the culture of India is expressive and exciting. I have made a few ventures into Bollywood film, and just found a movie that shoved it’s way into my top 10 favorite movies. Om Shanti Om. It’s a movie about love, reincarnation and following your dreams until they come true. The best thing is; that it’s all toped off with song and dance, true Bollywood style. Despite controversy about some of the tongue-in-cheek jokes and claims that the movie was plagiarized from various people, the movie was a great success in India and all over the world, bringing in over 39 million dollars world wide.

The movie starts out with Om Prakash, a second-rate extra in the 1970’s Bollywood film industry. He aims to become a top-star and adores the most popular female actress – Shantiprya. He dreams of meeting her and falling in love, believing that only if he is a “Hero” will he meet her. One day, while filming he happens to be the only person brave enough to jump into a burning fire to save Shanti, and because of this encounter they become friends. Om begins to fall in love with her, but Shanti remains distant. He eventually stumbles across the truth that Shanti is married, and decides to leave her alone to her happiness. But her happiness is short lived, when her husband decides to kill her. Om happens to witness this and tries to save her, but dies in the process.

Cut to 30 years later. Om Kapoor is a spoiled, rich, and arrogant top Indian movie star, son of the famous Rajesh Kapoor, whom Om Prakash looked up to. Om Kapoor uses his fathers’ celebrity to advance his career, instead of actually depending on himself and his own abilities. We watch as he enjoys his life, but there is a secret he has yet to discover. While getting ready to film a new movie his is taken to a dilapidated studio where he has flashes of memories that don’t belong to him. Om Kapoor soon realizes that he is the reincarnation of Om Prakash. Intent on getting revenge for the death of his beloved Shanti and his own life, he plots to get the murderer to confess his crimes.

I LOVE this movie. I have very little knowledge of all the dozens of big stars in this movie. But I could feel the electricity in this movie and that there was something special about it from the very beginning. The music, and the people and the story were all supurb. The movie was pretty long, but in order to tell the entire story it was necessary. If you are ready for a lovely story that will make you laugh and that will raise your spirits. Head out and find yourself a copy.

ORESKAINVASION

2008-09-02T21:05:00.002-05:00

ORESKABAND ((Literally translated as "We're a Ska Band")) is planning a US release for next year. They are a fun band that play ska music and have a strong following. They are lucky enough to be touring in the Van's Warped Tour this year. It's nice to find a band that features strong females who create their own music and aren't over-produced into something fake. I'm very happy that more and more bands, singers, and actors are making attempts to come here to the United States. If I was fluent in any language, and had my Asian Studies degree, I would be working for a company that would help them. Or being fighting to start one that could. For now, I am settling for being a fan, and supporting them as best I can.

Do The Return!

2008-09-02T20:29:00.004-05:00

My favorite band of all time has decided to re-unite. Do As Infinity has announced their reunion into the live performance circuit. They have intentions to create and maybe released new material in the spring of next year. Good news for fans that can't fly to Japan to see them live. I'm very excited.

(Cheer up guys, you're getting back together!)

Speed to DVD!

2008-09-02T12:20:00.004-05:00

Speed Racer is coming to DVD this month. :) The release date is September 16 here in the states (September 11th in Korea) We all know I loved the movie in theaters - so I will try my best to be able to afford the dvd and give a review of the features and everything. :) How exciting!

Wo Ai Beijing!!!

2008-08-24T22:02:00.004-05:00

I watched the closing ceremonies with sadness and excitement. I was happy to see Wang Leehom singing Wo Ai Beijing. (A really fun song, that I enjoyed.) Then, to my girly, giddy surprise - I saw Rain!!! I was very happy to see him. The last 16 days have been emotional for me, as I am very emotionally connected to Asian culture. I cheered on USA, China, Japan, South Korea and lots of others. I cried watching the Olympics a lot. I am not entirely sure why, I think because I am so excited for them and I feel like I belong over there and am stuck here. I loved watching scenes of Beijing, and learning bits of Chinese culture during commercial breaks. I understood the background cheers "Zhongguo Jaiyou!!" and was having fun noticing bits of culture I understood that many others might not have even noticed. (The Chinese divers always put on slippers after getting out of the pool unlike the rest of the countries) One of my favorite moments had nothing really to do with any of the competitions. One of the American volleyball players lost her wedding ring and all of the volunteers assigned to that area combed the sand for it. Finally, after a lot of searching, a cute Chinese man found the ring. While on camera she thanked him and gave him a traditional volleyball love pat on the rear-end. He looked confused and a little embarrassed, then noticed the US camera on him, smiled and gave the ever-present V (Peace) sign into the camera! How cute! I love the unity and peace that the Olympic games create, and enjoy the atmosphere they create. Thanks for reading my blog on something that gave me so much to be happy about. :)

I really LOVE the new haircut too!

A little something.

2008-08-14T21:36:00.002-05:00

Rain's hard work on Ninja Assassin is now over, and he is "getting fat" again back in Korea. He is supposedely working on his album that is due out in October. Here is a quick look at his time filming in Berlin. (The movie is due out mid-January, just in time for my birthday!)

"Styrodome" housing future of Japan?

2008-08-14T20:03:00.002-05:00

Apparently there is a large market for odd little houses made out of Styrofoam in Japan. Strange as it sounds, they are remarkably resilient, resisting fire, typhoons & earthquakes while not being vulnerable to termites, wood-rot or rust. They are easily assembled, and are growing in popularity. Here is a link to their website. Learned about from: Pink Tentacle

Drama Review: Nodame Cantabile

2008-07-01T21:25:00.003-05:00

Starring:
Juri Ueno as "Nodame" Noda Megumi
Hiroshi Tamaki as Chiaki Shinichi
Eita as Ryutaro Mine

I am not a classical music lover, but I am slightly addicted to it at the moment because of this Japanese tv show. (I'm currently listening to Sonata for 2 Pianos in D Major 1st Movement) The series itself aired in 2006 and a two-night two hour a piece special aired early this year. I just breezed through the show, because after I watched the first episode I was completely enchanted.

Nodame (Noda Megumi) is a spacey, outgoing, emotional woman who is a very talented pianist that plays according to her moods more than following the exact music at it is written. She meets her sempai at a well-respected music college and he is disgusted by her personal habits, but intrigued by her playing. Chiaki Shinichi (Chiaki-sempai!) is a pianist by major, but aspires to become a conductor. He is regarded as the most talented student in school and is very strict, and well manured. Together, they embark on a new journey to learn from one another. Nodame learns to play consistently and with more accuracy, while Chiaki learns to feel the music and enjoy it with his soul. There is a great ensemble cast for the rest of the characters including Eita as Ryutaro Mine, Keisuke Koide as Masumi Okuyama, and Naoto Takenaka as the wacky conductor Franz "Milche" Von Streseman.

I have rarely enjoyed a series as much as I have this one. The 11 episodes of the original series are wonderfully fun. I found the two special episodes to be a bit of an emotional roller-coaster. I explored the manga after watching the series, and what I have read so far seems to be accurately portrayed in the live-action series. I am currently waiting to start watching the anime that aired in 2007. There is another anime coming out this October in Japan, but I am unsure if it is a continuation, or a re-vision of the entire story. I'll let you know when I find out. But for now, whether or not you enjoy classical music, you should check out this series, it's a fun show about finding your dreams, and following them, friendship, and eventually, love. I'd give it my top rating. 5 out of 5 stars~!

Actor Spotlight: Michelle Yeoh

2008-06-24T19:11:00.003-05:00

Quite possibly, the most powerful Asian actress I have seen. Like many others, I believe my first introduction to her was as a "Bond Girl" in Tomorrow Never Dies. She was very well spoken and a lot stronger than any of the other women in Bonds' life. The next time I saw her was in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, where she proved herself to be a kick-ass woman worthy of being the only woman that Jackie Chan allows to do her own stunts! She's been in another of my favorite movies too, Memoirs of a Geisha. Despite the controversy surrounding Memoirs of a Geisha it was a very stunning film. I loved the visuals, and colors they used and Michelle played a wonderful Mameha.
This summer, Michelle has been very fortunate to have two movies coming out here in the United States. The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor and Babylon A.D. I have been excited for the threequel of The Mummy for a long time, since my favorite American actor, Brendan Fraser stars in all of them. But, when I learned that they were setting it in China with Jet Li, Michelle Yeoh (pronounced "yo") and Isabella Leung, I was even more excited. I have seen some of the previews, and am glad to say that it looks like they kept a lot of the same feel of the other movies. Babylon A.D. looks like it will be an interesting movie, and she stars alongside Vin Diesel. The credits show her playing "Sister Rebecca," which I am very curious about. I have a feeling she will be a very strong character despite this.
It is rumored that Michelle is the highest paid Asian actress, and it is for no other reason than that she is a wonderful actress. I have seen some of her less-known movies, but I still enjoy them because she lights up the screen when she is on it. I bill see both of these movies this summer, so stay tuned for reviews.

Military Duty for Rain

2008-06-24T19:01:00.003-05:00

(Photo courtesy of Rain-Jihoon.com) (I love it because it connects me and Rain since I live in Florida)

I have often been curious about whether or not Rain will be serving his required term in the military in South Korea. It wasn't that I thought he would shirk his duty, more of a curiousity about the policy. I know that he is a very big influence on the Korean people as well as someone that is helping Korean slowly get attention from the rest of the world because of him. I was just wondering before, if his mother passing away and him being the only son, if he actually would have serve (I can't find much information on all of the exemptions that exist for the military conscription.) But, after a few articles have popped up regarding Hallyu stars possibly getting new exempt status, Rain and J.Tunes have come forward to declare his intentions. After three years, Rain will join the army. He intends to wrap up his filming, and music projects by then, to ensure that he has enough time to fulfill his duty to his country. To be honest, I'm on the fence on this one. One one hand, I admire him for sticking to his determination and being loyal to his country. On the other, he has a earned the country a lot of attention it would not have gotten any other way, and probably has inspired many people to visit the country, learn the language or many other number of things. I hope he works everything out and that we will still see him once he gets back out. (My main fear is that after his time in the military he will disappear from the entertainment world and settle down, never to be seen again.)

Is a trend starting?

2008-05-19T02:45:00.003-05:00

After these last few months, I have noticed a dramatic increase in Asian stars entering the US scene. It has started with The Forbidden Kingdom, where a large group of amazing Chinese actors worked to bring a traditional story to new people. I'm referring to the tale of the Monkey King, of course here. Next came Rain in Speed Racer, breaking into Hollywood for the first time along side veteran actor Hiroyuki Sanada (who also acted in Rush Hour 3). Now, The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor is getting ready to come out in August featuring another great Asian cast consisting of Michelle Yeoh, Isabella Leong, and Jet Li. I just posted about Bunraku, in which J-rocker Gackt gets a chance to showcase himself to the English speaking world as well. I'm hoping this is a trend that spreads and increases enough that it is not just a passing fad. Maybe with more dual country actors and actresses, they will see fit to cast them in roles that don't necessarily require they be Asian and eventually we might see some of the great Asian movies released here with sub-titles instead of re-making them. The more exposure these great Asian artists get, the better. (Even if they publish articles about them with the wrong picture...)

Bunraku!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-05-19T02:38:00.003-05:00

I have been a fan of Gackt-sama for over 5 years now. I randomly found his music online and bought all of his albums. I love his voice, how unconventional he is, and I think he is very handsome. So, imagine my excitement when I found out that he will be staring in a Hollywood movie! It is called Bunraku and he will be staring alongside Josh Hartnet. I will anxiously await this movie despite that fact. Josh is from Minnesota - like me- but has a bad reputation. I know people who know him and from what I heard he just isn't someone I can respect. I do not care for any of the roles he has played over the years either. I don't know if Gackt is speaking Japanese or English in this movie, but I will be curious either way. When he said a few lines in Moon Child in English I had to re-wind the movie and listen again because it was so heavily accented that I thought he was still speaking in Japanese. Maybe he, like Rain, has been practicing and will sound great! How exciting!

Beyond Excited.

2008-05-19T02:26:00.005-05:00

I have always had a very strong interest in other cultures. Before my vast interest in Asian cultures, I had a passion for Egypt. And therefore, when my favorite American actor stared in The Mummy, I was in heaven. I the entire script memorized (yes the Arabic too.) I saw The Mummy Returns about 5-6 times in the movie theaters, and skipped school with my big-brother to see the first showing in my town. So, imagine my excitement when considering the fact that these to passions are going to collide this August? Brendan Fraser AND Jet Li? In one movie? It gets even better when I consider that Michelle Yeoh (an amazing actress who has made a good name for herself here in the states on top of in Asian films) and Isabella Leong are going to be in it too. I can't wait for this movie to come out. I will be biased, obviously, but I doubt there is too much that can happen in it that would make me not like it. I know that since Jet Li is in it, they will keep to tradition and truth at least a believable amount. I hate when shows play to stereotypes of Asia and make movies cheap and sad. I bet with Jet in this movie they have to watch their toes. He gives off the impression that he demands the best, and is proud of his country and wouldn't let them get away with too much crap. So, this August plan to head to the theaters for a fun action-adventure, you can be sure I'll see it opening day!

By the way - the only thing that will upset me in this movie, is Rachel's refusal to reprise her roll as Evie. I will really miss her, as I don't care for the actress that is actually playing her.

This:

2008-05-15T11:58:00.005-05:00

is why I love Jackie Chan. As soon as he heard the news about the horrifying earthquake in central China he rallied and got an amazing donation ready. He had been working on an anti-piracy campaign in Beijing and dropped everything to get money to the people in the hardest hit areas of China. Together with Albert Yeung he donated 10 million yuan! (approximately a million and half dollars) I love that he is so giving and caring despite being the biggest star in China. And whenever there is bad press about him, he does his best to fix the problem and make sure that his side of the story is heard. I hope he never changes that about himself. (He COULD change his glasses - those are worse that Rain's!)

Note: This picture is from his official site, and if you want to help the Chinese and donate to the relief fund you can do so right here on his site. Be sure to select China Earthquake Fund from the drop down menu!

Spoiler Alert: Speed Racer

2008-05-09T02:00:00.003-05:00

Ok, so I'm just getting home after being one of the only dorks at the movie theater for the first showing of Speed Racer. Rain was awesome. If you don't want any spoilers DO NOT READ ANY FURTHER than this. ((or if you don't want a fan-girls opinion))

"Justice - that's a commodity I don't waste my money on." Totally my favorite line from the flick. At least as far as Rain is concerned. I was totally devastated by his first scene - all bloodied and sad looking! I'm pretty sure I was the ONLY person in the theater who even knew who Rain was. I had a few major girlie fan moments where I giggled (Rain? in a dress?) or even squealed/gasped at what happened. As far as his acting goes, I will say he did very well. Not his best though - that remains with his role as Il-Soon in "I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK." He was very real and sincere in that role and I loved it. As Taejo Togokahn he was good. His English has gotten better since the filming of Speed Racer, and some of his lines are pretty heavily accented. His fight choreography was perfect though. We got to see some of his less "intense" faces towards the end of the movie, where his fun side showed through. All in all - a good performance. And, I was slightly surprised that when the credits rolled, they ended up using Rain as his name. There was lots of speculation on whether he would be credited as Ji-hoon Jung or Rain. Guess he stuck with his stage name. Either way, he was good, and I loved the movie. I admit, that in scenes with him in them, I searched for him, even when the camera was following the action somewhere else. Emile did a great job as Speed Racer, and I was thoroughly entertained by the movie as a whole. I was pretty into the action and was never really sure where the races would end up. Even if you aren't a big Rain fan, you should check it out. My ONLY beef with the film really is, that it to tell what country Taejo was REALLY from. I know that Rain had a hand in making the character/car/racing suit seem Korean but Togokahn SOUNDS Japanese and the sister and father didn't appear to be Korean or have Korean names. And they designed a lot of the background sets and music to seem Chinese during his scenes "at home." So, it's hard to pin down what nationality Taejo Togokahn actually is. Perhaps that was intentional, but I know that Korean fans are already upset that Rain was called Japanese by a journalist, and I hope that they don't get upset by the indecisive nationality of the character. I still loved the movie, and might actually see it more than once in theaters. (I very rarely do that with a movie - last time was The Mummy Returns and I think I saw that a crazy 3-5 times.)

Opening and Closing

2008-05-04T10:56:00.002-05:00

One country is ready to open it's doors, while another fights to get them closed. Japan is passing a new law that will make it easier to get a long-term visa for certain professionals and people that have a high level of Japanese language proficiency. The hope is that they will be able to increase the number of foreigners that come into the country based on current economic and cultural trends. (ie: the lack of births happening recently in Japan.)

South Korea, on the other hand, is fighting against their own government to close the door in the face of the United States. Not all of it, however. The South Korean government has made moves to re-open trade of United States beef, after it banned the importation of it in 2003 after mad-cow disease struck the US. The general public of S. Korea is protesting against this change, over irrational fear that this will cause unnecessary grief and illness to the people of South Korea. The U.S. government is starting to get involved and are releasing statements on the strict health codes that beef must go through internationally. While the S. Korean government is trying to get the people on their side. The entire incident threatens to create anti-American feelings in much of the country.

Let's drive.

2008-04-30T17:39:00.002-05:00

A company in South Korea just came out with something incredibly useful: a digital map of S. Korea. It's used in navigation systems (GPS driving systems) in cars and is marketed towards foreigners living in or visiting Korea. The names of almost 4,000 different places, streets and buildings have been romanized for people who can't or haven't yet learned how to read Hangul. I hope they have to make a bunch! That means there are lots of folks interested in S. Korea. I know I can't wait to get over there for the first time.

Go Go!

2008-04-30T15:16:00.002-05:00

I am continuously getting more and more excited for Speed Racer to come out. I watched Stephen Colbert the other day when Rain-oppa came on and challenged him. It was kind of funny to watch him speak English. I have a bad habit of laughing when they do that. In lots of the tv shows and movies I watch the actors and actresses suddenly switch to English and it makes me giggle. I hope Rain displays wonderful diction while delivering his lines in Speed Racer. He's still learning now, and filming wrapped up forever ago. The premeire was this last weekend and there are a few fan-vids floating around on Youtube. It would have been great to be there and see Rain so close up. I really do use him as an inspiration. I can't wait! Only another 9 days. :)

Remember: Aja! Aja! Hwaiting!

Book Review: Trail of Crumbs by Kim Sunee

2008-04-30T14:57:00.003-05:00

I was shuffling through my step-mom's copy of People back in February and found a little blurb on this book and it piqued my interest. So, I immediately requested it from the library and a little less than two weeks ago it finally became available. New books take bee longer to get, you see. Well, I just finished it. I have mainly been trying to find a job these last couple weeks but I really wanted to read it, so I made time. Now, what does this have to do with THIS site you say? Everything and nothing. The author, a American woman, was adopted as a toddler from South Korea. I have read a few books about adoption - from the parents point of view and from the child's point of view and I suppose they have a pretty common theme and story, but this one was quite different. It was, for lack of a better word, sensual. The story oozed romance, even when she was just talking about food. It wasn't a romance novel at all, but a rich story about a woman who is desperately searching for her way in the world and trying everything she can to feel whole or "at home." I can understand some of her feelings, because I myself feel torn at times. It is no real news to those who know me, but I am very much Asian, even if I am white. Ha ha. My friends all call me their "little Asian" and my best friend (Yixuan, who is Chinese) just recently told me that I know pretty close to as much about China as she does. She swears I was born Chinese inside. So, in the way that she was born Korean, but lives in America kind of rings a bell for me. The book also contains some yummy looking recipes that follow along with the story. If you are a cook you should give them a try. The book is also being released in Korean soon, so tell your Korean friends too! If you are looking for a story that is moving and inspirational, I would recommend reading Trail of Crumbs: Hunger, Love, and the Search for Home.

p.s. - you can check out her site and her own blog here. I find it interesting that she is going on the South Korean tv show "I Miss You." It makes me think of Daniel Henney in his role in My Father. I somehow have been connecting with adoption stories lately.

I am worried.

2008-04-28T00:40:00.003-05:00

I was reading a Chinese news web-site that said there was a really bad accident involving two trains, one leaving Beijing and the other leaving Yantai. My best friend lives in Yantai and they said that it is the train that leads to Jinan, her home town. I don't think she was going home this week, but I am worried and have not yet heard from her. More information here.

Edit: By a very lucky chance, my friend was in Meifang instead of Yantai - she actually might have been on that train otherwise. She was taking a test - yay TOEFL!

Kirei!

2008-04-26T23:35:00.002-05:00

I saw these on a Korean news site and had to post about them. As long as I can remember, my grandmother has been collection Swarovski crystal figurines. If I had a nice big pile of money, I would buy a pair of these sets for her and for me. The panda's are a part of a few year set to raise awareness for endangered species. They are a bit expensive though, so hopefully they do something worth while with the proceeds!

Rice-ess Crises.

2008-04-24T23:12:00.005-05:00

I was watching the local news and found it odd that local super-stores were limiting the amount of rice people can buy. I found it odd, but not too surprising in our crappy economic situation. I also found out that it's become an issue in other countries too. It's so hard to believe that we are so close to recession and depression in the world. I have a lot of things in my life that are indicative of this. I really hope that we can get away from this trend. Let's hope that things get better soon for everyone.

China Goes Green

2008-04-22T22:48:00.002-05:00

Well, sort-of. It's a nice start for them anyway. They are starting a government subsidy that is creating light bulbs. Not just any light bulbs - energy efficient light bulbs. And because they are through subsidies, the common consumer pays fifty percent less than the MSRP and businesses pay thirty percent less. Since China makes the majority of the worlds light bulbs, hopefully their mass production will trickle into other countries. :) Nice little Earth Day message I think.

Sorry about not posting, there has been more drama in my life.

CD Reveiw: Koda Kumi - Kingdom

2008-03-16T15:32:00.002-05:00

Despite the controversy swirling around her at this time, I’m going to go ahead and review this album. Personally, I liked Black Cherry better than this album, but it’s still a great album. She starts out a little to Mariah Carrey for me on the intro, so that turns me off right away because I don’t enjoy her music at all. She included past singles on her new album, which is unlike Koda, usually she puts only new content on her albums, and sticks to single collections to round up any stray singles out there. Track number two is Last Angel featuring Tohoshinki. I love that on their interview on Utaban they called her “Sempai.” Last Angel is a fun song, and I enjoy listening to it, even if it gets a little repetitive. Amai Wana is reminiscent of Shake It, in that it has a bit of a middle-east flavor to the music. Himitsu, is a slower track but still pretty up-beat with a little R&B feal to it. Ai no Uta is one of the previously released singles to appear on the album, a very slow song of decidedly sad nature. Freaky, and But are on this album as well, both very fast, fun songs. My favorite song on the album is Koi no Maho (The Magic of Love) it takes me back to Birthday Eve, and the fun, happy feeling you get from that song. In all, it’s a very diverse and well, established album. I have a feeling though, that the controversy and consequent banishment of Koda from the spotlight is not helping the album sales. I think Black Cherry is still her best selling album, maybe after awhile they will get over what she said and bring her back up to the top notch of Japanese society. Good luck Koda! I’m rooting for you.

1. Introduction For Kingdom
2. Last Angel feat. Tohoshinki (東方神起)
3. Amai Wana (甘い罠; Sweet Trap)
4. Himitsu (秘密; Secret)
5. Ai no Uta (愛の歌; Love Song)
6. Anytime
7. Under
8. But
9. Koi no Mahō (恋の魔法; The Magic of Love)
10. Aishō (愛証; The Proof of Love)
11. Anata ga Shite Kureta Koto (あなたがしてくれたこと; What You Did for Me)
12. Wonderland
13. Freaky
14. More
15. Black Cherry (Bonus Track)

Re-makes a-plenty!

2008-03-16T14:50:00.001-05:00

Here comes another slew of great Asian movie re-makes. First on the chopping block is one of my favorite horror/thriller movies: A Tale of Two Sisters. The original was suspenseful and intriguing, and stared one of my favorite Korean actresses: Moon Geun-young. She just LOOKS innocent and you want to curl her up in a ball and put her in your pocket to keep her safe. Now, why they don’t just leave these movies well enough alone, I’ll never understand. The second one is Addicted (2002) being renamed as “Possession” slated for a 2008 release as well. My Sassy Girl is being remade (another one where they aren’t even bothering to change the name) with some small-bit actors that I’ve never really heard of (I think I recognize the main guy, but he’s never really been in anything noteworthy.) The final one is Sympathy for Lady Vengeance. Apparently Charlize Theron is directing and acting in the remake of this amazingly popular Korean movie. Those of us enlightened enough to watch these movies in their original form are happy that they were successful, but mostly want the US to leave them the way they are. No news yet on the remake of Love Undercover, but I’ll let you know if I find something else out.

CD Review: Wish - Yuna Ito

2008-03-09T16:39:00.004-05:00

What's that? You miss my reviews? Ok, here's a good one for you:

Wish by Yuna Ito. The powerhouse is back and just as good as before. If you've never listened to Yuna Ito's music before, you're missing out a lot. Her music is a great pop blend that you can listen to whenever you want. I have found that, even though I really love a certain group or singer, I can only listen to them if I am in the right mood. Not so with Yuna. She has a an uplifting tone to her voice. It's clear as a bell and when she belts something out it sounds effortless. Case in point: the title song. Wish is a track that is just beautiful and she sings it with grace and such power. The track Anata ga iru kagiri - A World to Believe In is a very moving song in which Celine Dion and Yuna harmonize beautifully. Tokyo Days is a fun song, upbeat and happy. If you want something that will raise your spirits and sooth you after a long day - pick up this album.

1: Power of Love

2: Alone Again

3: Anata ga iru Kagiri ~ A World to Believe In (feat. Celine Dion)

4. Urban Mermaid

5: Heartbeat

6: Colorful

7: Unite as One

8: Mahaloha (feat. Micro)

9: A Long Walk

10: Moon Rabbit

11: I'm Here

12: Wish

13: Tokyo Days

14: Bonus Track: My Heart Will Go On (which I like better than the original, because, personally, I do like Celine, but can only take her in small doses because I have SUPER sensitive ears and when she sings her high notes it's too much for me. Yuna's is a little quieter, a little calmer, but still powerful.)

Another Strapya Post. :)

2008-03-09T16:26:00.003-05:00

I found something even cooler! Stylus' (styli?) that are actually COOL. I have found that my DS Lite lacks anything special in the stylus department mostly because no one is manufacturing anything that is different. Someone just squeezed into the niche marketing for DS owners with a line of metal stylus' that are unique and interesting. There are hearts and butterflies for the girls, as well as wings and swords men would like. Check them out! I want the winged one (I'm not too girly.)

Shiny DS Decorations

2008-03-09T16:06:00.004-05:00

In the same vein as the sparkly gem covered ketai are the sparkly gem-covered Nintendo DS Lites. I've seen pictures of decked out DS's before, but never a product I could put my greedy little fingers onto before. Thanks to Strapya I can get one and so can you! They have a new line of the same sticker-type gems that you can attatch to your DS Lite and make it as girly as you want. How exciting!

I want this one:

Follow Up: Cellphone bling

2008-03-09T15:54:00.004-05:00

I really liked this one from Strapya. (I still swear by them!) They have a whole slew of cell phone decorations from sparkly to dark and gothic, to fun and some that are practical. This one is one of the ones in between it all. They have a nice line of stick-on gems in great designs, the one I'm refering to is Astroboy~ :) It's a fun twist on an old favorite. I just bought a new cell phone and have to see what I can decorate it with! LINK to STRAPYA

See how easy they apply:

1st Oriental Supermarket : Orlando

2008-03-06T17:01:00.002-05:00

I went to this market the other day, wanting to find a new Asian market - and YAY! It was huge~ The biggest Asian/Oriental market in Florida actually. There was an entire aisle of tea that had me drooling (and I don't even like tea.) They have a great selection of items from the tea, to fresh fruit and vegetables, sea food, a meat/deli section, Asian cell phones (yay!) and a plethora of other items. If I had noticed earlier I would have applied there when I was living in Orlando. They have automated check outs (where they actually scan your food and have a color screen and stuff.) Most markets here in Florida and in back in Minnesota have just stickers and use a generic old cash register. I was impressed and flustered at the same time. I wanted to spend lots of money, but have very little but managed to splurge on a giant bottle of original flavor Ramune. If you live in Orlando, or are planning a vacation, be sure to check them out - it's well worth a visit. Site linky!

Another scandal. Koda Kumi

2008-03-06T16:29:00.004-05:00

I read about this briefly and didn't think much of it, but apparently it spiraled out of control over in Japan. Apparently Koda Kumi said something on a radio program that sparked outrage and offended lots of people she said the equivalent of "a woman's amniotic fluid goes rotten after 35." Obviously, this is her opinion, and she's entitled to it if you ask me, but she was shut out of awards shows and performances because of it and has basically gone into hiding until today when she officially and publicly apologized. She stated: "I’d like to reflect on my remarks thoroughly, looking forward to the day when I can sing in front of you again." I feel so bad for her. I think that the general public of Asian countries need to lighten up a little. No, I don't want them to be exactly like the Americans, because I think some of our celebrities are crass idiots, but they need to have respect for them and know that sometimes, even celebs have a problem making their mouth work in conjunction with their brain. I hope she'll be released from her hell soon and will be back singing for everyone in no time.

Jero - Umiyuki

2008-02-26T09:02:00.003-05:00

Jero is a young man who has amazed me. He has achieved a feat that no one else has ever done - he is an African American Enka singer. His grandmother was Japanese and wanted him to be a famous Enka singer. Enka is a traditional or "country" way of singing for the Japanese. After a lot of work, he has pulled it off, his single Umiyuki was released on February 20th and has already sold over 3 million copies. If I had only heard his voice, I would never have known he was anything but Japanese. Congratulations! (omedeto!)

100th Post!

2008-02-26T08:41:00.004-05:00

A bit of hopeful news for the 100th post (at least I think it's hopeful.) The North Korean stronghold opened a little on Tuesday. The New York Philharmonic became the first major foreign entity to play in the country. With foreign music cut off from North Korea, (they can't listen to anything made after 1900) it was an amazing opportunity to let the people expand their horizons. I hope little steps make a difference, and that over time (and in my lifetime) North Korea will open back up and be free. They played the North Korean and American National anthem for the opening songs in Pyongyang. Let's hope this is just a beginning for more and more small changes in North Korea!

The End?! (T_T)

2008-02-22T22:52:00.003-05:00

I am incredibly saddened. I just read on a Chinese news site that Edison finally went to Hong Kong and admitted that the pictures were real and he never intended them to be public. I will say that in my opinion, those kind of pictures should never be taken in the first place if you don't want them to get out - they almost always find their way out in the public. He is leaving Hong Kong show business INDEFINITELY! This decision saddens me deeply. I know lots of people find him offensive, or don't like him, but I really did think he was a genuine person (I read his blog a lot.) It's really sad that this is going to ruin his career, and that NONE of the other celebrities are coming out to support or defend him. I hope that he puts his talent to use here in the United States and that he doesn't disappear entirely.

Another U.S. Rip-off?

2008-02-21T22:42:00.003-05:00

I'm not entirely sure whether this one is bad or good but, the U.S. is "stealing" another show from Asia. The miscellaneously named Hole In The Wall or Human Tetris from Japan or Jiwhaza from Korea is being picked up for a pilot on F.O.X. Ever since I saw the "viral video" of this over a year ago it's been my favorite online video for a mini giggle-fest. If you head on over to Veoh and type in either Human Tetris or Jiwhaza you'll get a bunch of videos to giggle over. Most of them have random guest appearances by Japanese and Korean celebrities - so enjoy. Also, I remember Ellen Degeneres having her own take on the show called Through the Wall or Take a Fall, I don't know if she got permission from them or not, but it was fun. (Not as fun as the Asian one's - they actually have way to get through everyone that is simpler than you think. Either way - tune in to F.O.X. if they actually pick it up for a season. It'll be interesting at least.

Bling Bling Ring Ring

2008-02-21T21:34:00.005-05:00

I have often been fascinated by Japanese nail art. It's beautiful and over the top - like a lot of things in Japan. I've ALWAYS said that the Japanese like to take things we start and push them to the limits. Here is a small example of that - super shiny cell phone covers. Swarovski crystals have taken over lots of things lately and the cell is no stranger to them. I hope you enjoy the small gallery I added for you. :)

Learn Korean for FREE.

2008-02-05T10:17:00.000-05:00

I have a wealth of online sources for all things Asian and I found this recently and had to share it. KBS World Radio has a free source for learning Korean. It uses visual and vocal methods to help - check it out if you're interested. :)

Poor Edison...

2008-02-05T09:56:00.000-05:00

Right after the release of his new Cantonese song "$$$" he was hit with a major scandal. If you've read my blog, you know he's one of my favorites, and I hate to see these things happen. In case you don't know, pornographic pictures of him and three other Hong Kong celebrities have leaked onto the internet and are causing a major uproar in the Hong Kong community. Bobo Chan, Cecilia Cheung, and Gillian Chung are the women involved. I WON'T be posting the pictures, even though I did see them while trying to find the lyrics to $$$. Grrr. Edison released a press release asking his fans and all the people who are making this worse by distributing the pictures by taking them down and deleting them. I will say, that if they are real (which I believe they are) celebrities especially shouldn't have taken the photos in the first place. It's just asking for a scandal because there is always the chance of them getting out. SO STUPID. But, I hope and pray that EDC and the other celebs affected can find who let the pictures out and try to stop them from spreading further. I hope that fans don't react too violently - sometimes scandals happen and I fear that many people will change their opinions of them. I for one, am going to remain loyal to them and hope others do too.

((SO sorry for the lack of posts, I've been a little busy starting a new job. I'll try to post more frequently ("+__+) from now on. )

Amazing.

2007-12-19T15:34:00.001-05:00

Charice Pempengco - an amazing young woman from the Philippines performed today on the Ellen Degeneres show. I had seen her a little online - either on Veoh or YouTube, but she was so amazing I have to share. Here you can watch the performance on Ellen. Charice is so tiny but has an amazingly huge voice. I hope that she can garner enough attention to get a recording contract and and be a source of pride for Philippians everywhere. Check her out !

Here's her official MySpace page.

Who knew? Not me!

2007-12-05T20:51:00.000-05:00

Apparently Robin Williams is a big Neon Genesis Evangelion fan. Did you know this? I didn't. He is apparently trying to help the production of the live-action film. I struggled with understanding the series when I first watched it - then again it was back in high school and I watched the sub-titled version on a tiny 4x6 screen. Anywho. Thought it was interesting!

I forgot!

2007-10-16T21:56:00.000-05:00

I could have sworn that I wrote about this when I first found it. But, now I HAVE them! Earlier this summer I found that some cool folks in Japan created scented pencil leads. I splurged recently and purchased them for myself from my favorite online Japanese stationary supplier www.jpens.com. They have three scents. The first one is Healing it smells like Lemongrass. Refresh is the second one and smells like lemons and limes. Positive smells like roses. My only gripe with them is that you literally have to sniff the leads or the packaging to smell them. I was hoping that as you write you could smell them. Maybe I use them wrong. Who knows. Either way they are good smelling and fun. Maybe someday Pentel will bring them to the United States. For now, they are happy in Japan knowing they won Stationary of the Year. Yummy!

Hanazakari no Kimitachi e

2007-09-29T01:28:00.001-05:00

Maki Horikata - Mizuki Ashiya
Shun Oguri - Izumi Sano
Ikuta Toma - Shuichi Nakatsu
Too many others - Too many GREAT characters!

The live-action Japanese drama based on the manga by Hisaya Nakajo was AWESOME. I loved the entire cast. I was surprised by the up-staging of Sano (Shun Oguri) by Nakatsu (Ikuta Toma.) I don't know if it was just the acting (quite possibly) or if it was the actor or character. I absolutely loved Nakatsu. I found myself wanting Ashiya to choose Nakatsu instead of Sano. But, I'm getting ahead of myself - aren't I? I really aught to give you a run-down of the plot first, shouldn't I? Ok here goes. The story is about Ashyia Mizuki (Maki Horikata), a female American student who secretly enters an all-boys academy in Japan. The reason for her deception is to help the object of her affection/obsession/whatever return to participating in the high jump. The reason she feels the need to help him varies in all three different tellings of the story (the original manga form, the Taiwanese drama and the Japanese drama) but, nevertheless she goes all the way to Japan to help Izumi Sano (Shun Oguri) return to the competing in the high jump he once loved. Along the way, she befriends Nakatsu Shuichi (Ikuta Toma) and the rest of Ohsaka High School. The Japanese version of this show varied completely from the Taiwanese version, let alone the manga. I've enjoyed all three, but the Japense live-action was very passionate and fun. I laughed really hard at some of the parts, which was refreshing. I think the casting was really good for this show. Dr. Umeda was really great. He was attractive and cold, but compassionate towards Mizuki. The three main characters were wonderful. I still like Shun Oguri as Rui Hanazawa better though. My biggest issue was the casting of Kyo Nobuo as Masao Himejima (Oscar M. Himejima) He looked funny and WAY too old to be a high school student. Don't get me wrong, over time I came to love him, but in the manga he was such a pretty boy and Kyo Nobuo really isn't. One of the biggest differences I noticed was the ending. I don't know how the original story ends (in the manga) because the English version isn't done printing yet. (We're on volume 17 or 18 I think) But the Taiwanese version was left wide-open, while the Japnese version had a definite end. Not that they didn't leave room for a special or season two. It is a company based on ratings after all. But, if you are looking for a laugh and lots of passionate acting check out this drama. It's definitely worth the time to watch it.

Oh - did I mention the yummy factor? The amount of attractive young Japanese men in this show had me swooning like a school girl. If I had been on the set, I probably would have fainted.

Nerd Heaven

2007-09-27T00:10:00.000-05:00

I watched a short film/documentary today. It was called Akihabara@Geeks. I loved it. Despite the fact that I had to watch it in English and listen to voice-overs for the Japanese people it featured. I loved it because as bad as my obsession seems to get with all things Asian, it will never get as desperately sad as some of the poor guys featured in this film. Don't get me wrong, I get the need to look for emotional satisfaction through alternative means when friends are few and hope for finding that "perfect someone" are dismal. But, these guys need to get a life. One of the main people featured was OBSESSED with cute anime girls. Kawaii-bishoujo. He spends money that he needs for food on things he really has no use for or needs, replacing his faith in God with pictures of cutely drawn 2-D people. The other people in the film have a little more to their lives, but they spend about 85-90% of their lives in the little town of Akihabara. I will most definitely be making a visit to Akihabara when I finally make it to Japan. I love anime. I love gadgets and tech-related things. I most of all want to visit a maid cafe and converse with the women who make their living dressed in sickeningly-sweet maid outfits and serve food and drinks guaranteed to make diabetics shake in their boots at the mere thought of them. I laughed at first at the seriousness of these men (because the only women featured, were the maids and they really didn't have such an unhealthy obsession with things as the men in this particular film did.) and their obsessions. Then I thought more seriously about the damage they are doing to themselves and their already lacking social skills. One of the men managed to get married - but not until he was 35. His wife doesn't take any interest in his passion and amicably bows to her husband as he continues his nitro-computer building. I think that there is a lot more to learn about the people who frequent this small niche-dependent part of Japan, so my final opinion is reserved for later scrutiny. But, if you haven't yet seen this film, check it out. I rented it from Netflix, so it shouldn't be too terribly difficult to find.

I'm back! (With a story)

2007-09-19T22:53:00.000-05:00

My computer might have died for a bit, but I'm back! Sorry if you happen to read this on a regular basis. . . Here's an interesting tid-bit. A person mowing their lawn in Japan happened to see a few katydids hustle for the bushes while they were mowing. Little did she know - the rascals were special! Usually katydids are green or brown, these little fellows are psychedelic! The science-folk seem to think that they are an albino and extreme-version of the brown-type katydid. Now, with all three colors together don't they look neat?

Real-life Coffee Prince

2007-09-06T12:24:00.000-05:00

If I'm hitting my target audience, chances are, you've heard of the MBC hit Coffee Prince. It seems the trend has moved from Japan, to this show, which features attractive men serving a mostly female clientèle. This is not only in the host-clubs I've previously told you about, but there are small cafe's all over Japan that each have a different theme, or play to the attractiveness of their servers. It seems that with the plot of the Korean drama Coffee Prince, they've managed to get this idea to the general public of Korea. So, now stores are opening up over the country. One such restaurant is called "Walking Slowly" and features current models of the company Modelline.

Aren't they cute? I want to go! Unfortunately, this kind of blatant ogling of people tends to fall into the politically incorrect area of our country, so we'll never see interesting shops like this in the States. Guess I'll just have to travel abroad!

Korean Chicken Invades America!

2007-09-06T12:03:00.000-05:00

Just kidding. There seems to be a recent trend starting in the greater New York area: Korean-style fried chicken. Yum! According to the article the current stores are ready to target a broader audience that includes Hispanic, African Americans and Caucasians rather than just Korean-Americans. Hopefully one will pop up in my area!

F4 disbands, tears fall, hearts break.

2007-08-31T20:12:00.000-05:00

Taiwanese sensation: The F4 (or Flower 4) are officially going to disband in October, according to CRIEnglish news. The band actually started as part of a Taiwanese drama series based on the Japanese manga Hana Yori Dango (Flowers Before Boys.) The F4 have enjoyed enormous popularity in the last 7 years, and each member has good prospects to maintain their celebrity status on their own. Good Luck Guys.

JYP - in New York?

2007-08-31T19:53:00.000-05:00

Producer/singer JYP (Jin-Young Park) has set his sights on the US. In the recent events it's a bit surprising. His biggest star, Rain, has announced his split from the music "mogul" upon his return to Korea. Yet, JYP decided to continue with his own plan to try and make a go of it in New York City. Apparently, he has a little trainee under his wing, ready to test the waters with him when he gets there. I don't know about anyone else, but I wonder if there is going to be a bit of a power struggle when he gets here. Rain has already announced his intentions of making his album hear in the next year, and he will be coming to the US after settling things with JYP and signing with another company. I wonder how this news will affect both parties. Apparently, Billboard is taking notice of JYP, as he was on the cover of their most recent monthly magazine issue. Check out the full article if you are interested - here.

(I actually like his vocalizations in Rain's music, I'm not sure how much I'll miss them though, we'll have to see in Rains' first album without JYP)

Fair or Unjust?

2007-08-31T19:13:00.001-05:00

Jacky Zhu, of Taiwanese band 183 Club fame, is in the news again. After being fired from Jungiary earlier this summer, Jacky is back in the tabloids facing a "pot problem." I was shocked. Not about the fact that he has a "pot problem," more about the fact that they have such a negative outlook on this. I really do understand the differences in common celebrity behavior an tolerances of that behavior in the US versus China/Taiwan. But, is it really something that they have to force him into rehab for, and take him into another embarrassing bout with the media? I guess that I'm just so American that I don't see this as a major problem. No, I don't smoke pot. I don't have any wish, or need to. But, that doesn't mean that I see it as such an unforgivable act. There are rumors that he was using ecstasy while abroad as well. Ecstasy, on the other hand, scares me. I know that a wide majority of the youth in my country have experimented with this and other "recreational" drugs, but I don't think that this drug is safe at all. It's manufactured in unsafe and dirt locations and you never REALLY know what you are taking. So, if it was ecstasy and not marijuana I understand the scandal a little more. I have friends, and family members who have, or do use marijuana and I have to admit, I don't think that it's that bad. ::sigh:: I might be inviting controversy to my front door with this one, but I have to express my wish for the hard smack-down on poor Jacky to stop. He is a Canadian-born Chinese. He sees things in much of the same light that I do, so I suppose he is having a hard time living up to the standards that Chinese people generally expect their celebrities to adhere to. He already lost his position in the band, and his contract with his management company, now he is in trouble with the law because of drugs. I hope that he can swim through this mess and get out on the other side and reclaim his position in celebrity society. His voice is great. I hope for the best for him. Good Luck! Jaiyou!

Rain Plane!

2007-08-31T19:05:00.000-05:00

So, if you've been following along, you know that I'm a Rain fan. I found this while cruising the vast abyss of eBay last night.

A miniature model of the private jet Rain used for his "It's Raining - World Tour." I would buy one, but I am currently 'between jobs' so I don't have spare money. I thought it was a bit strange, but I saw that there are models of all kinds of planes in the same vein as this one, so I just kind of think it's interesting now. Up, Up, and away!!

Great Happiness?

2007-08-09T16:31:00.000-05:00

The Great Happiness Space: Tale of an Osaka Love Theif is a documentary by Jake Clennel. Thanks to Lisa over at TokyoMango for this video. I watched it the other night and I was appalled, fascinated and intrigued by the entire thing. If you click on the link you can watch the entire film with sub-titles. If you know nothing about Japanese culture, I'll give you a quick run-down. There are bars in Japan that are called Host Clubs. Generally, they are a bunch of attractive men, entertaining women. Not like a strip-club, but a little higher-classed clientèle are generally in attendance. The men tell jokes, sing karaoke, and talk to women who pay by the hour for their attention. There are, of course the opposite of these clubs for men, but they are even more varied. Women's clubs tend to favor to sexual needs more than the Host Clubs, but not always so. There are even bars that are just cosplay. However, this documentary is a pretty realistic view into the lives of the men who work there, and the women who come to see them. I was unaware of the symbiotic relationship that the workers and the clients had. The women are basically local prostitutes that have taken on this line of work in order to afford going to see the hosts. It's a round-robin type of life that seems draining, physically and emotionally. I don't know where the cynicism starts for the hosts, but I do feel sorry for them. They all say that they really want to fall in love and find the "right girl" but that being a host has had a numbing effect on them, and they don't know when to trust their feelings anymore. And the girls are falling for guys who know how to woo women professionlly and have no intentions of dating, or marrying any of them. So the process goes round and round - where will it end?

2007-07-17T09:52:00.000-05:00

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

2007-07-17T09:33:00.000-05:00

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?

2007-07-17T09:16:00.000-05:00

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

Strong love.

2007-07-16T09:41:00.000-05:00

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

2007-07-16T08:43:00.001-05:00

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.

My Everyday

2007-07-13T11:26:00.003-05:00

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!

2007-07-13T11:26:00.001-05:00

Extreme Opposites

2007-07-13T08:09:00.000-05:00

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?

Oh NO!

2007-07-12T10:47:00.000-05:00

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!

2007-07-12T10:35:00.000-05:00

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"

2007-07-12T09:50:00.000-05:00

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:

2007-07-12T09:45:00.001-05:00

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

Cunundrum

2007-07-11T19:41:00.000-05:00

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.

2007-07-11T12:37:00.000-05:00

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)

2007-07-11T12:30:00.000-05:00

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

2007-07-11T10:48:00.000-05:00

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...

2007-07-11T10:46:00.000-05:00

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

2007-07-11T10:42:00.000-05:00

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?

Creepy and Disturbing

2007-07-10T23:29:00.000-05:00

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

2007-07-10T23:17:00.000-05:00

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?

Honesty is the best policy.

2007-07-09T12:54:00.000-05:00

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!

(Thanks Mainichi)

Would if I could...

2007-07-06T23:11:00.000-05:00

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.

Yuck.

2007-06-25T10:17:00.000-05:00

So, I love the fact that Japan has a tendency to learn, change and adapt many things from other cultures. Usually they are improvements, such as technology (tv's, cell-phones), but sometimes they are utter failures. This is one such case. Where-as Americans are used to many flavors of yummy ice cream produced by Ben & Jerry, Haagen Daas, and many other wonderful companies, there are a few companies in Japan destroying this American favorite. Here are some of the (no other word is appropriate) disgusting flavors I found out about.

Soy Sauce (was on the top for icky flavors of the list - but so many more of them are worse), Pit Viper (!), Indian Curry, Pearl (with real Pearl chunks!), Oyster, Salad (Pickles and red peppers included), Charcoal, Miso Ramen, Chile Pepper(one big one sitting in there..), Risotto Cheese, Sea Salt, Grated Yam, Cypress Tree, Cream Cheese (might not be too bad), Squid Gut (ugh), Squid Ink, Rice Straw, Miso, Char-grilled Seaweed, Hot Spring Water (hopefully not used!!!), Garlic (Brand named: Dracula), Genmai, Pickled Plum & Shisho, Collagen Lemon ("like eating a sweet bone."), Tomato (ketchup anyone?), Yakuzen (Herbal Remedy), Potato, Raw Horseflesh (usually used for DOG FOOD), Goat (goat's milk with a taste of real goat!), Whale, Shark Fin (also a popular soup in China), Abalone, Seaweed, Deep Sea BRINE, Spinach, Sesame/Soybean/Dried Kelp mixture, Lettuce & Potato Mix, Wheat, Curdled Bean, (Hahaha you'd think we'd be done by now...) Silk (yep, the same stuff as your fabric), Chicken, Black Beer (mm), Shochu (Potato Alcohol), Red wine, Tulip, Cherry Blossom (might be ok?), Fish, Octopus, Squid, Ox Tongue,((None of these are "flavored" they are the real meat!)) Sweet Potato, Fried Eggplant, Crab, Corn, Kashihikari Rice, Wasabi (Spicay), Shrimp, Eel, Nagoya Noodle, Chicken Wing (Mm bones in my ice cream), Miso bean paste, and last but not least: Cactus.

So, if you really want to try something exotic head to the (not-so-local) grocer's freezer and nab some nasty Japanese ice cream. (I'm sure they must have something normal, right? Right?))

Thoroughly disgusted, I remain yours,

Jenna

Mmm. Horse meat...

As they say: "Pass-u"

Rain!

2007-06-21T23:52:00.000-05:00

I made my first .gif file! Hooray! It's of Rain / Bi.