From SMtown's Facebook
Oh, Siwon <3
Friday 29 July 2011
Thursday 28 July 2011
Bored at work - I know, I'll blog!
I am currently in the midst of my annual two week holiday cover at the office.
I am on my own. No-one comes in. No-one calls. I haven't even seen the postman since Saturday.
As such, I am bored, and thus, today you get a post that is in no way related to Japanese dramas, Korean Pop, Manga or any of the other Asian related shit I seem to spout relentlessly. Instead, lucky reader, you get a post with no direction that exists purely as something to do for the last 45 minutes of my day.
What scares me most about this job is how easily I have settled in to a routine. Walk in. Turn off alarm. Turn on lights. Read the paper (every single article other than sports). Go on eBay. Lunch. Sew in the back office until I get bored. Go on eBay. Go home.
Sounds thrilling, doesn't it?
On the plus side though, at least I am getting paid to do the work that I am doing voluntarily. If that makes sense. I am doing my costume work which is unpaid in the time I have free in my paid job, which is basically the entire day.
I'm very silently stressing out about these costumes. I can't deny that it's doing wonders for my eBay feedback. However, the real cost breakdown and the one I'm going to give in are two very different things. I'm buying a lot for myself with the intention of letting the cast wear them first, which isn't a particularly good way to save money.
Personally, that is. Professionally, its is a very effective way to save money.
My list of things to buy is almost empty, although my list of things to make is considerably larger now. At the end of the day, it is cheaper for me to make things with what I already have than it is to buy what I need.
On paper, that is. In reality, it is probably more expensive.
I had to pay for all those things once. All those steel bones, buckles, various fabrics. Really, I should charge for it all, but seeing as the budget is less than 10% of what it should be, its not really feasible to do this.
I am scared shitless that I'm not going to finish everything on time, or even if I did, that they hated it all. I may not be getting anything out of this shoot other than the experience, so I shouldn't care as much as I do, but I just hate the thought of being a disappointment.
Any way, in other news, Rachey has finally moved in to her house! There is a lot of work to do to make it their own, as right now, cosmetically at least, it is very much still the home of an old lonely man. I really want to help them do the whole place up, and while I know I would always be welcome, I also know that they are unlikely to ask me around to help them with every little detail. I've been round the past two nights, Tuesday to look at it, yesterday to share my opinion on the curtains and paint swatches, and I'm going again this evening to take up the afore-mentioned curtains. I just want to play house, I guess.
I'm hungry. That's the problem with being on a diet and being stuck in an office with no food. It may mean I cant snack, but I get to just before lunch time and home time and I get far too tempted to make a detour to Sainsburies on the way home. Or to consume to entire pack of cookies that are hidden in my glove box to stop me eating them without Inki.
God, now I just want cookies. This has happened before. Last time I blogged about how hungry I was, Chocolate Heartattck was born. God, now I want Heartattack.
I might just go stare at traffic for the last 10 minutes before I get too carried away.
<3 x
Drama: Gokusen II ep 7, maybe
Manga: Hana Kimi 50 / Darling wotsit 27 or something
I am on my own. No-one comes in. No-one calls. I haven't even seen the postman since Saturday.
As such, I am bored, and thus, today you get a post that is in no way related to Japanese dramas, Korean Pop, Manga or any of the other Asian related shit I seem to spout relentlessly. Instead, lucky reader, you get a post with no direction that exists purely as something to do for the last 45 minutes of my day.
What scares me most about this job is how easily I have settled in to a routine. Walk in. Turn off alarm. Turn on lights. Read the paper (every single article other than sports). Go on eBay. Lunch. Sew in the back office until I get bored. Go on eBay. Go home.
Sounds thrilling, doesn't it?
On the plus side though, at least I am getting paid to do the work that I am doing voluntarily. If that makes sense. I am doing my costume work which is unpaid in the time I have free in my paid job, which is basically the entire day.
I'm very silently stressing out about these costumes. I can't deny that it's doing wonders for my eBay feedback. However, the real cost breakdown and the one I'm going to give in are two very different things. I'm buying a lot for myself with the intention of letting the cast wear them first, which isn't a particularly good way to save money.
Personally, that is. Professionally, its is a very effective way to save money.
My list of things to buy is almost empty, although my list of things to make is considerably larger now. At the end of the day, it is cheaper for me to make things with what I already have than it is to buy what I need.
On paper, that is. In reality, it is probably more expensive.
I had to pay for all those things once. All those steel bones, buckles, various fabrics. Really, I should charge for it all, but seeing as the budget is less than 10% of what it should be, its not really feasible to do this.
I am scared shitless that I'm not going to finish everything on time, or even if I did, that they hated it all. I may not be getting anything out of this shoot other than the experience, so I shouldn't care as much as I do, but I just hate the thought of being a disappointment.
Any way, in other news, Rachey has finally moved in to her house! There is a lot of work to do to make it their own, as right now, cosmetically at least, it is very much still the home of an old lonely man. I really want to help them do the whole place up, and while I know I would always be welcome, I also know that they are unlikely to ask me around to help them with every little detail. I've been round the past two nights, Tuesday to look at it, yesterday to share my opinion on the curtains and paint swatches, and I'm going again this evening to take up the afore-mentioned curtains. I just want to play house, I guess.
I'm hungry. That's the problem with being on a diet and being stuck in an office with no food. It may mean I cant snack, but I get to just before lunch time and home time and I get far too tempted to make a detour to Sainsburies on the way home. Or to consume to entire pack of cookies that are hidden in my glove box to stop me eating them without Inki.
God, now I just want cookies. This has happened before. Last time I blogged about how hungry I was, Chocolate Heartattck was born. God, now I want Heartattack.
I might just go stare at traffic for the last 10 minutes before I get too carried away.
<3 x
Drama: Gokusen II ep 7, maybe
Manga: Hana Kimi 50 / Darling wotsit 27 or something
Tuesday 19 July 2011
Buzzer Beat
Yes, I finished another one ... in less than a week. It's not that I don't have other things I should be doing, so I haven't been watching it all day or anything, but I decided that I would rather watch this series than sleep, so that's what I have been doing. ^^
I ADORED this series, I really did. I know what you are thinking; 'You say that about every J-drama you watch,' which may be true, but I love them all for very different reasons. Some, such as Zettai Kareshi and Koizora, I loved for the fact they made me bawl. Others, from Tokyo Dogs to Hana Kimi, I'm attached to for how much they made me laugh. Hana Yori Dango was awesome for how much it made me feel for the characters (read: Rui). The rest was probably just eye candy. Buzzer Beat I adore for its realism (and Yamapi).
Sure, it had its stereotypical J-drama cheese, such as falling on to each others lips (almost) and LOTS of dramatic hugging but other than that, it was just awesome. I was hooked right the way through, so much so that it was the last thing I watched before bed and the first thing I did in the morning. You honestly cheer for Naoki and Riko's relationship; you want them to be together in a way that I don't think you come across very often in these dramas. You cry when they argue, and you cheer when they finally get together.And there was REAL KISSES. None of that closed mouth barbie crap. It was lovely.
Its basically about a young struggling violinist called Riko and a basketball player called Naoki. Riko finds Naoki's phone on a bus, and returns it to the basketball coach, Kawasaki, who instantly falls in love with her. Natsuki, Naoki's girlfriend, is cheating on him. By chance, the two meet in a local park and become friends, not realising that Riko was the one to find Naoki's phone. They get closer and promise to achieve their dreams no matter what; Riko's of becoming a successful violinist, and Naoki's of becoming a stronger basketball player.
Naoki was in Kurosagi and Nobuta wo Produce. His best friend, Shuji, was in Hana Kimi, although I cant say I particularly remember him nor can I place Mai, Riko's best friend, in Hana Yori Dango. Yoyogi, the guy Natsuki cheats with, was in Samurai High School. Natsuki was Riko in Zettai Kareshi (it killed me to see her not being lovely and all conflicted about her love for a robot). Naoki's mum was also in Zettai Kareshi, and his sister was in Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge and Mei-chan no Shitsugi.
OH MY GOD, there's no Gokusen link.
So yes, basically loved this series. It turned me into a girl, and that's always good every so often. I guess I don't mind when J-drama's do this to me as much as I do when western media does, as I have to concentrate on the subtitles so I don't have time to get bored.
Next up is Gokusen 2. It's the first time I've not completed the whole thing when I've hit one series, but I gather its pretty different from the first season as its a new school etc. I have high hopes! Fight-oh! Oh!
<3 x
Drama: Gokusen 2 ep 1.
Manga: Hana Kimi 50 / Darling blah blah blah 24
I ADORED this series, I really did. I know what you are thinking; 'You say that about every J-drama you watch,' which may be true, but I love them all for very different reasons. Some, such as Zettai Kareshi and Koizora, I loved for the fact they made me bawl. Others, from Tokyo Dogs to Hana Kimi, I'm attached to for how much they made me laugh. Hana Yori Dango was awesome for how much it made me feel for the characters (read: Rui). The rest was probably just eye candy. Buzzer Beat I adore for its realism (and Yamapi).
Sure, it had its stereotypical J-drama cheese, such as falling on to each others lips (almost) and LOTS of dramatic hugging but other than that, it was just awesome. I was hooked right the way through, so much so that it was the last thing I watched before bed and the first thing I did in the morning. You honestly cheer for Naoki and Riko's relationship; you want them to be together in a way that I don't think you come across very often in these dramas. You cry when they argue, and you cheer when they finally get together.And there was REAL KISSES. None of that closed mouth barbie crap. It was lovely.
Its basically about a young struggling violinist called Riko and a basketball player called Naoki. Riko finds Naoki's phone on a bus, and returns it to the basketball coach, Kawasaki, who instantly falls in love with her. Natsuki, Naoki's girlfriend, is cheating on him. By chance, the two meet in a local park and become friends, not realising that Riko was the one to find Naoki's phone. They get closer and promise to achieve their dreams no matter what; Riko's of becoming a successful violinist, and Naoki's of becoming a stronger basketball player.
Naoki was in Kurosagi and Nobuta wo Produce. His best friend, Shuji, was in Hana Kimi, although I cant say I particularly remember him nor can I place Mai, Riko's best friend, in Hana Yori Dango. Yoyogi, the guy Natsuki cheats with, was in Samurai High School. Natsuki was Riko in Zettai Kareshi (it killed me to see her not being lovely and all conflicted about her love for a robot). Naoki's mum was also in Zettai Kareshi, and his sister was in Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge and Mei-chan no Shitsugi.
OH MY GOD, there's no Gokusen link.
So yes, basically loved this series. It turned me into a girl, and that's always good every so often. I guess I don't mind when J-drama's do this to me as much as I do when western media does, as I have to concentrate on the subtitles so I don't have time to get bored.
Next up is Gokusen 2. It's the first time I've not completed the whole thing when I've hit one series, but I gather its pretty different from the first season as its a new school etc. I have high hopes! Fight-oh! Oh!
<3 x
Drama: Gokusen 2 ep 1.
Manga: Hana Kimi 50 / Darling blah blah blah 24
Wednesday 13 July 2011
Liar Game
I FINALLY FINISHED IT.
To be fair though, it was two whole seasons and a movie, so it's fairly understandable that it took me so long. Also, I actually finished the actual drama like a week ago, but then a load of work came in that stopped me from having enough time to be able to devote a few hours to the movie.
This series was clever. So clever. It kept me guessing right the way through, never really sure of what was what, and the plot twists were always original and interesting. Not so much original in what happened, but more how they did it. Its hard to explain.
Liar Game follows Kanzaki Nao, a young woman who is ridiculously naive and trusting. Somehow, she gets sucked into the Liar Game, a tournament where the winners become filthy rich and the losers drown in impossible debts. The first game gives two players 100 million yen each, and the aim is to obtain as much of the other players money as possible within a week. At the end of the game, the Liar Game Office take back the 100 million originally given out from each player, meaning what they have gained they win, yet what they have lost, they owe. Obviously, due to her blind trust in humanity, she loses all her money within hours. She enlists the help of Akiyama Shin'ichi, an expert swindler recently released from prison, and with his knowledge, the two make their way through the Liar Game.
I said earlier it was clever. It was about 50% clever tricks and psychology. The other 50% was manic evil laughter. This show loved it's manic evil laughter as players started to win. It also loved it's 'noooooooo!' (in Japanese, obviously, so more 'iiiiiiiiiiiieeeeeee!') and falling to the floor in despair as these players lost to Akiyama and Nao.
The only thing that was disappointing was the purely platonic relationship between Nao and Akiyama. They started to hint at something more in the movie, but we were left with a conclusion that could be read either way. Still though, I loved it. It was completely different than anything I had seen before in terms of the unpredictability. Sure, it was clear that things were always going to turn out well, but it was how we got there that was the interesting part.
Nao was also in Nobuta Wo Produce as Shuji's sort of girlfriend, and very briefly in Hana Yori Dango 2 for like 2 episodes. Akiyama was also in Hana Yori Dango as one of the main characters, F4's Sojiro. Their normally traitorous ally, Fukunaga, or Mushroomhead as he was also known due to his ridiculous hair style, was in Mei-chan no Shitsuji but I did not recognise him at all. The rest of the cast were normally only around for a few episodes, but many also starred in Kimi wa Petto, Nodame Cantabile, Mei-chan no Shitsuji, Hana Kimi, Hana Yori Dango, Zettai Kareshi and obviously Gokusen. Every drama has to have a Gokusen link. Oh, and Battle Royale. Even though its not a J drama. I love Battle Royale.
Next up is Buzzer Beat. I gather it's some sort of sports related rom-com thing. I wasn't so excited about this until I read Yamashita Tomohisa's name. YAY YAMAPI! He was the one in Nobuta Wo Produce and Kurosagi, and he is HOT. I love him ^^.
<3 x
Drama: Buzzer Beat 1
Manga: Hana Kimi 50 / Darling wa Namamono ni Tsuki 23*
*I seem to read a few chapters of any manga before starting a new one - I've read 2 since my last post.
To be fair though, it was two whole seasons and a movie, so it's fairly understandable that it took me so long. Also, I actually finished the actual drama like a week ago, but then a load of work came in that stopped me from having enough time to be able to devote a few hours to the movie.
This series was clever. So clever. It kept me guessing right the way through, never really sure of what was what, and the plot twists were always original and interesting. Not so much original in what happened, but more how they did it. Its hard to explain.
Liar Game follows Kanzaki Nao, a young woman who is ridiculously naive and trusting. Somehow, she gets sucked into the Liar Game, a tournament where the winners become filthy rich and the losers drown in impossible debts. The first game gives two players 100 million yen each, and the aim is to obtain as much of the other players money as possible within a week. At the end of the game, the Liar Game Office take back the 100 million originally given out from each player, meaning what they have gained they win, yet what they have lost, they owe. Obviously, due to her blind trust in humanity, she loses all her money within hours. She enlists the help of Akiyama Shin'ichi, an expert swindler recently released from prison, and with his knowledge, the two make their way through the Liar Game.
I said earlier it was clever. It was about 50% clever tricks and psychology. The other 50% was manic evil laughter. This show loved it's manic evil laughter as players started to win. It also loved it's 'noooooooo!' (in Japanese, obviously, so more 'iiiiiiiiiiiieeeeeee!') and falling to the floor in despair as these players lost to Akiyama and Nao.
The only thing that was disappointing was the purely platonic relationship between Nao and Akiyama. They started to hint at something more in the movie, but we were left with a conclusion that could be read either way. Still though, I loved it. It was completely different than anything I had seen before in terms of the unpredictability. Sure, it was clear that things were always going to turn out well, but it was how we got there that was the interesting part.
Nao was also in Nobuta Wo Produce as Shuji's sort of girlfriend, and very briefly in Hana Yori Dango 2 for like 2 episodes. Akiyama was also in Hana Yori Dango as one of the main characters, F4's Sojiro. Their normally traitorous ally, Fukunaga, or Mushroomhead as he was also known due to his ridiculous hair style, was in Mei-chan no Shitsuji but I did not recognise him at all. The rest of the cast were normally only around for a few episodes, but many also starred in Kimi wa Petto, Nodame Cantabile, Mei-chan no Shitsuji, Hana Kimi, Hana Yori Dango, Zettai Kareshi and obviously Gokusen. Every drama has to have a Gokusen link. Oh, and Battle Royale. Even though its not a J drama. I love Battle Royale.
Next up is Buzzer Beat. I gather it's some sort of sports related rom-com thing. I wasn't so excited about this until I read Yamashita Tomohisa's name. YAY YAMAPI! He was the one in Nobuta Wo Produce and Kurosagi, and he is HOT. I love him ^^.
<3 x
Drama: Buzzer Beat 1
Manga: Hana Kimi 50 / Darling wa Namamono ni Tsuki 23*
*I seem to read a few chapters of any manga before starting a new one - I've read 2 since my last post.
Monday 4 July 2011
Naega Chae Chalaga
I find Kpop so oddly addictive.
I'll be honest, I think 'Perfection' by SJM is probably the only song I actually liked upon first hearing it. Everything else has just grown and grown on me until I became ridiculously addicted.
'Lucifer' by SHINee was a prime example. Remember when I first posted about it? On April 10th 2011? (that post took forever to find)
SO YEAH, I think Asian music is like a virus. Or a plant. Plant is a nicer metaphor.
Somehow, a seed (read: a single music video) gets planted (read: found randomly on YouTube), and next thing you know, you've got a sea of dandelions (read: entire discographies) overtaking your field (read: iTunes /LIFE).
The latest song to have done this to me is 2NE1's 'I am the Best'.
First time I heard it, I wasn't much impressed. It just sounded too Gaga-esque.
But now, I keep going back to it. It is stuck in my head almost constantly.
I think I'm going to have to download the album.
My sparked interest in 2NE1 lead me to look more into their label mate, BIGBANG.
Now, I keep listening to their songs, especially 'Love Song', which is quite frankly a pretty amazing piece of Cinematography as well as stupidly catchy.
I think I'm going to have to download their album too.
Do you see how much of a vicious circle this is? Even though I had heard of these two bands before, they hadn't got me hooked until I saw the video of ONE SONG. That's all it takes.
Super Junior put me on to SMTown, and now 2NE1 is leading me into the YG Family.
<3 x
Drama: Liar Game II 5
Manga: Hana Kimi 50* / Darling wa Namamono ni Tsuki 17
* I seem to have got in to the habit of reading two chapters of Hana Kimi, read a whole new manga.
I'll be honest, I think 'Perfection' by SJM is probably the only song I actually liked upon first hearing it. Everything else has just grown and grown on me until I became ridiculously addicted.
'Lucifer' by SHINee was a prime example. Remember when I first posted about it? On April 10th 2011? (that post took forever to find)
'I didn't even like it that much when I first heard it, but ... now I cant stop playing it.'
SO YEAH, I think Asian music is like a virus. Or a plant. Plant is a nicer metaphor.
Somehow, a seed (read: a single music video) gets planted (read: found randomly on YouTube), and next thing you know, you've got a sea of dandelions (read: entire discographies) overtaking your field (read: iTunes /LIFE).
The latest song to have done this to me is 2NE1's 'I am the Best'.
From 2NE1's Youtube
First time I heard it, I wasn't much impressed. It just sounded too Gaga-esque.
But now, I keep going back to it. It is stuck in my head almost constantly.
I think I'm going to have to download the album.
My sparked interest in 2NE1 lead me to look more into their label mate, BIGBANG.
From BIGBANG's Youtube
Now, I keep listening to their songs, especially 'Love Song', which is quite frankly a pretty amazing piece of Cinematography as well as stupidly catchy.
I think I'm going to have to download their album too.
Do you see how much of a vicious circle this is? Even though I had heard of these two bands before, they hadn't got me hooked until I saw the video of ONE SONG. That's all it takes.
Super Junior put me on to SMTown, and now 2NE1 is leading me into the YG Family.
<3 x
Drama: Liar Game II 5
Manga: Hana Kimi 50* / Darling wa Namamono ni Tsuki 17
* I seem to have got in to the habit of reading two chapters of Hana Kimi, read a whole new manga.
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