. . addicted to kdramas . .

. . goong lyrics . .

2006-06-25T03:44:00.000+08:00

These are my 2 favorite songs in the 'Goong' soundtrack and I really want to learn how to sing to it.. haha! So here are the lyrics!

J & HowL ~ Perhaps Love (Sarang Een Gah Yo)
Romanizer : Huay from Soompi

uhn jeh yuht duhn guhn jee gee uhk nah jeen ah nah
jah kkoon nae muh ree gah nuh roh uh jee ruhp duhn shee jahk
hahn doo buhn ssheek dduh oh reu duhn saeng gahk
jah kkoo neul uh gah suh joh geum dang hwang seu ruh oon ee mah eum

byuhl eel ee ah neel soo eet dah goh
sah soh hahn mah eum ee rah goh
nae gah neh geh jah koo (neh geh jah koo)
mahl eul hah neun geh uh saek hahn guhl

sarang een gah yo geu dae nah wah gaht dah myuhn shee jahk een gah yo
mahm ee jah koo geu dael sarang hahn dae yo
ohn seh sang ee deud doh rohk soh ree chee neh yo
wae ee jeh yah deul lee jyoh~ OOH~
suh rohl mahn nah gee wee hae ee jeh yah sarang chah jaht dah goh

jee geum nae mah eum eul suhl myung hah ryuh hae doh
nee gah nae gah dweh uh mahm eul neu kkee neun bang buhp ppoong een deh

ee mee nahn nee ahn eh eet neun guhl
nae ahn eh nee gah eet deu shee
oo reen suh roh eh geh (suh roh eh geh)
ee mee geel deul yuh jeen jee mohl lah

sarang een gah yo geu dae nah wah gaht dah myuhn shee jahk een gah yo
mahm ee jah koo geu dael sarang hahn dae yo
ohn seh sang ee deud doh rohk soh ree chee neh yo
wae ee jeh yah deul lee jyoh~ OOH~
suh rohl mahn nah gee wee hae ee jeh yah sarang chah jaht dah goh

saeng gahk hae boh myuhn (saeng gahk hae boh myuhn) mah neun soon gahn sohk eh (sohk eh)
uhl mah nah mah neun (YEAH~) suhl leh eem ee ssuht neun jee
joh geum neu jeun geu mahn keum nahn duh jahl hae jool kkeh yo..

hahm kkeh hahl kkeh yo choo uhk ee dwehl gee uhk mahn suhl mool hahl kkeh yo
dah sheen nae gyuh teh suh dduh nah jee mah yo
jjahl beun soon gahn joh chah doh bool ahn hahn guhl yo
nae geh muh mool luh jwuh yo~ OOH~
geu dael ee ruh geh mah nee (geu toh rohk mah nee)
sarang hah goh ee ssuh yo (geu dae yuh yah mahn) ee mee~

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Stay - 당시은...나는 바보입니다
Stay - Dangshieun...na neun pahboh imnida
Romanizer: theedqueen from Soompi

난 바보였었죠. 내가 바보였었죠.
Nahn pahboyuhsuhtjyo. Negah pahbohyuhsuhtjyo.
후회해도 늦었죠 알죠 돌이킬 순 없죠
Hoohwehaedoh nujutjyo aljyo dohrikil soon uhpjyo
그댈 볼 수 없어요 나도 알고 있어요
Keudael bohl soo uhpsuhyo nadoh algoh issuhyo
내가 정말 잘못했어요 정말 미안해요
Naegah jungmal jalmohthaesuhyo jungmahl mianhaeyo
그땐 얘기하지 못했죠 너무 어리석었죠
Keuddaen yaegihaji mohthaetjyo nuhmoo uhrisuhguhtjyo
이제 와서 이렇게 애태우며 난 용서를 빌어요
Ijae wasuh iruhkae aetaeOomyuh nan yongsuhreul piruhyo

당신은 나는 바보입니다
Dangshineun naneun pahboh imnida
자존심 때문에
Jahjohnshim Ddaemoonae
술과 쓴 담배연기로 망가지고 있죠
Soolgwa Sseun dahmpaeyuhngiroh manggahjigoh ihtjyo
당신은 나는 바보입니다
Dangshineun naneun pahboh imnida
아직 사랑하기에 하루 종일 펑펑 울고만 있죠
Ahjihk saranghagi-ae haroo jongil pungpung oolgohmksihtjyo
그대도 나도 모두 바보처럼
Keudaedoh nahdoh mohdoo pahbohchuhrum

그러지 말아요 다시 생각해봐요
Keuruhji marayo dahshi saenggkkhebwayo
우리 어떻게 여기까지 힘들게 왔는데
Oori uhDduhke yuhgikaji himdeulgae wahtneundae
다시 생각해봐요 후회하실 거에요
Dahshi saenggkkhebwayo hoohwaehahshil guh-aeyo
내가 정말 잘못했어요 정말 미안해요
Naegah jungmahl chalmohthaesuhyo jungmal mianhaeyo
그땐 얘기하지 못했죠 너무 어리석었죠
KeuDdaen yaegihaji mohthaetjyo nuhmoo uhrisuhguhtjyo
이제 와서 이렇게 애태우며 난 용서를 빌어요
Ijae wahsuh iruhgae aetaeOomyuh nan yongsuhreul piruhyo

당신은 나는 바보입니다
Dangshineun naneun pahboh imnida
자존심 때문에
Jahjohnshim Ddaemoonae
술과 쓴 담배연기로 망가지고 있죠
SoolgwaSseun dahmpaeyuhngiroh manggahjigoh ihtjyo
당신은 나는 바보입니다
Dangshineun naneun pahboh imnida
아직 사랑하기에 하루 종일 펑펑 울고만 있죠
Ahjihk saranghagi-ae haroo johngil pungpung Oolgohmahnihtjyo
그대도 나도 모두 바보처럼
Keudaedoh nahdoh mohdoo pahbohchuhrum
그대 없이 단 한 순간도 난 살 수 없어요
Keudae uhpshi dahn hahn soongahndoh nan sal soo uhpsuhyo
머릴 잘라도 술을 마셔도 눈물만 흐르죠
muhril chalrahdoh sooreul mahshyuhdoh noonmoolmahn Heureujyo

당신은 나는 바보입니다
Dangshineun naneun pahboh imnida
자존심 때문에
Jahjohnshim Ddaemoonae
술과 쓴 담배연기로 망가지고 있죠
Soolgwa Sseun dahmpaeyuhngiroh manggajigoh ihtjyo
당신은 나는 바보입니다
Dangshineun naneun pahboh imnida
아직 사랑하기에 하루 종일 펑펑 울고만 있죠
Ahjihk saranghagi-ae haroo johngil puhngpuhng oolgohmahn ihtjyo
그대도 나도 모두 바보처럼
Keudaedoh nahdoh mohdoo pahbohchyuhrum

이제 더 이상 망가지지 마요...
ijae duh isang manggajiji mayo...

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Howl - Parrot (Aeng moo sae)
Romanizer: mcmug from Soompi

또 어제처럼 다시 그립습니다
tto eojecheoreom dasi geuripseumnida
보고 싶은 맘 줄지도 않는지
bogo sipeun mam juljido annneunji
자꾸만 그대가 떠오릅니다......
jakkuman geudaega tteooreumnida......

헤아려볼수록 더 눈물 납니다
hearyeobolsurok deo nunmul namnida
훔쳐내봐도 흐르는 눈물에
humchyeonaebwado heureuneun nunmure
기억이 또 다른 기억으로 번져 아프게 날 울립니다......
gieogi tto dareun gieogeuro beonjyeo apeuge nal ullimnida......

받은 것만 있어서 내겐 후회뿐인데
badeun geotman isseoseo naegen huhoeppuninde
준 게 없는 날 그댄 또 잊을까 겁이나......
jun ge eomneun nal geudaen tto ijeulkka geobina......

사랑합니다 난...... 난 사랑합니다
saranghamnida nan...... nan saranghamnida
그대에게 배운 많고 많은 말들 중에
geudaeege baeun manko manheun maldeul junge
이 말 하나 입버릇처럼 나
i mal hana ipbeoreutcheoreom na
중얼거립니다......혼자 바보처럼
jungeolgeorimnida......honja babocheoreom
미안합니다 참...... 참 미안합니다
mianhamnida cham...... cham mianhamnida
뒤늦은 이 말까지 미안하지만
dwineujeun i malkkaji mianhajiman
염치없이 그댈 기다립니다
yeomchieopsi geudael gidarimnida
행여 내일은 돌아올까 ......
haengyeo naeireun doraolkka ......

그대란 새장이 비좁긴 했어도
geudaeran saejangi bijopgin haesseodo
좋았습니다 행복했습니다
johassseumnida haengbokhaessseumnida
이별을 몰랐던 영원을 믿었던 그 날로 나 꿈에라도......
ibyeoreul mollatdeon yeongwoneul mideotdeon geu nallo na kkumerado......

돌아갈 수 있다면 내 마음을 모아서
doragal su itdamyeon nae maeumeul moaseo
내 가슴을 덜어서 다 그댈 줄 텐데......
nae gaseumeul deoreoseo da geudael jul tende......

사랑합니다 난 사랑합니다
saranghamnida nan saranghamnida
그대에게 배운 많고 많은 말들 중에
geudaeege baeun manko manheun maldeul junge
이 말 하나 입버릇처럼 나
i mal hana ipbeoreutcheoreom na
중얼거립니다......혼자 바보처럼
jungeolgeorimnida......honja babocheoreom
미안합니다 참 미안합니다
mianhamnida cham mianhamnida
뒤늦은 이 말까지 미안하지만
dwineujeun i malkkaji mianhajiman
염치없이 그댈 기다립니다
yeomchieopsi geudael gidarimnida
행여 내일은 돌아올까......
haengyeo naeireun doraolkka......

이 마음......
i maeum......
끝내 그댄 몰라 올 수 없어도
kkeutnae geudaen molla ol su eopseodo
그대가 변해 더는 난 아니라도
geudaega byeonhae deoneun nan anirado
불러보고 다시 불러봅니다
bulleobogo dasi bulleobomnida
앵무새처럼 그대 이름......
aengmusaecheoreom geudae ireum......
그대 사랑만...... 이렇게......
geudae sarangman...... ireoke......

. . goong craze . .

2006-06-25T00:53:00.000+08:00

Been some time since I last update anything here! Well, it has also been sometime since I last completed any Kdramas and yep, right now, I'm in the hype over 'Goong'! *love bubbles everywhere*

Okie, hmm how shall I put it.. it ain't a great great drama with very good storyline, it is very different though, combining traditional Korean's royal culture to today's modern society, which made it pretty interesting. The love story is good between the Prince and the Princess, my heart goes out for them each time they have their lovey dovey or heart-wrenching moments. But the part where Yul came in as the third party is not that convincing. The actors and actresses, in my opinion, are okay but somehow missing this something which I dunno how to explain. BUT, they managed to got me addicted and looked forward to going home daily to catch it!

Particularly, the main actress, Yoon Eun Hye, caught my attention! I love her portraying as Chaegyung, all bubbly and stuff, making me laugh out loud at her silly actions and all teary-eyed when it comes to the sad and heart-wrenching scenes, which is good enough for someone who just started acting. I really didn't think she is a first-timer actually coz she is quite good!

The main actor, Joo Ji Hoon as Shin, first look of him, that not good looking. Took me a while before I really took notice of him. Probably because he is too thin yet tall (tall and thin guys are not for me actually.. hee) and for his role, he had to appear cold and insensitive. But, the moment his soft side appeared when he started doing silly stuffs and smiling away, I'm pretty blown off. His acting is alright, but still can be improved. I have to admit one thing which I can't stand about him, the way he sit with his leg crossed like a lady. *shake head* Big no no to any tall and thin guys.

Truthfully, Kim Jung Hun as Yul, caught my attention first. Maybe coz he kinda resembled Ryu Shi Won whenever he smiled and I thought he was a good looking and sensitive guy. But well, that is before seeing Shin's cute side. In a way, Yul got me confused for a moment over his feelings for Chaegyung and took me a while before I understood his feelings for her. Maybe his acting was a bit on the mono side, not much expression most of the time, not sure because he should portrayed this way for his character or was it due to his acting skills.

Next big thing that caught my attention is the fashion sense in this show! I do applaud the stylists and designers who came up with the crazy fashion styles for both the actors and actresses, but there are certain times I just cannot believe they even dare to dress them up that way.. haha! One particular style that I cannot stand is the one for Shin in Macau at the near end of the show. He was dressed in berms yet, wearing a formal white coat, I was like *jaw drop*! I really like the hairstyles, earrings and clothes for Chaegyung. Goong is going to be shown in Singapore very soon and I have a big feeling that the fashion style, especially the earrings will be quite a hit soon! Will do some sourcing for it, hopefully have business! *wink*

I LOVE the soundtrack, especially this song, Perhaps Love by J & HowL! It's currently my ringtone and the song kept playing in my head! Am going to learn how to sing it.. hee!

I just realised that this show is based on a comic and what, they might be having a sequel (just browse through some forums and they mentioned about it..)? No please, no sequel! Sequels always make a bad impression of the original show and though there may be a good percentage it may be a hit, most of the time it doesn't work! Please think very very carefully.... *nod head*

. . the real CJW? . .

2006-04-25T15:49:00.000+08:00

Can that really be sweet Ji Woo?

MOSHI MOSHI By Miharu Chang
changmc@sph.com.sg (this article is on 2004)

KOREAN actress Choi Ji Woo is as cute as they come.

The 29-year-old star has won rave reviews for her doe-eyed beauty - as well as her ability to cry on cue. Smitten fans will remember how she wept her way into Bae Yong Jun's heart in the hit drama Winter Sonata, and melted Kwon Sang Woo's in Stairway To Heaven.

But now, Ji Woo has undergone a drastic makeover, playing a brazen sex siren in the film Everybody Loves Secrets. It's already a hit in South Korea, with more than one million tickets sold since it opened in cinemas there three weeks ago. Ji Woo's transformation from virgin to vixen is startling to say the least.

For the first time in her nine-year career, she plays a sex-crazed woman bent on conquering a casanova played by Lee Byung Hun. For the movie poster alone she permed her hair, dressed provocatively and piled on layers of eyeliner.

One can't help but wonder: Who is the real Ji Woo?

'I'm quite optimistic, and I never have any extreme ideas,' she said recently. 'I'm also not very ambitious. I used to get really upset over criticism, but now I can face it graciously. I've become more mature with age.' The older she gets, the more popular she becomes.

She made her TV debut in 1995 after starting out as a child model and attending acting classes run by the Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation. She dabbled in movies and played supporting roles in TV dramas until Beautiful Days catapulted her into the A-list in 2001. Now, Ji Woo is so hot in Japan that she was recently hired to front the new Japan-Korea Vist More campaign.

When she visited San Francisco recently, she was recognised by Asian fans who pointed and whispered, 'Isn't that Yu Jin (her character's name in Winter Sonata)?'. Her pet peeve, however, is hearing rumours that she has 'fixed' her face, especially her pert nose. 'My nose is real. I'm a 100 per cent natural,' she said last month. The cheerful actress, even joked that she used to push her nostrils up and call herself 'pig nose'.

When it comes to acting, she said it was only after Stairway To Heaven that she really fell in love with the camera. 'When I do the crying scenes, my heart will really ache,' she said. So is her heart aching for anyone in real life?

But asked on a variety show recently if she had a boyfriend, she smiled sweetly and replied 'Yes!' without elaborating. Congratulatory messages quickly poured in from fans. But her manager denied the revelation, claiming Ji Woo had said it only for comic effect.

Stairway To Heaven debuts on E City (StarHub Ch 56) Aug 23 at 7pm. Everybody Has Secrets opens here on Nov 4.

Source:
http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/hey/story/0,4136,71122,00.html?
Credits : Shepherd from Soompi from the old soompi and babygal from the old jiwoo singapore forum

. . why DJG is successful . .

2006-04-12T01:52:00.000+08:00

《大长今》这锅汤用了什么成功“材料”？

韩剧《大长今》曾在本地付费电视台播出两次，不过最近在新传媒电视U频道播出后仍颇受欢迎。之前，《大长今》成为在韩国第一部突破50个点收视纪录的电视剧，接着在美国、香港、台湾等地播出时也屡创收视奇迹。

《大长今》的故事从御尚厨房的山珍海味展开，而《大长今》本身就像家里熬了很久的“汤”，香浓而亲切，老少咸宜。究竟，《大长今》这锅“汤”，用了什么成功的“材料”？

材料一：人物形象异彩纷呈

女主角“大长今”比当年影响一代人的“阿信”更吸引人，她善良、聪慧、勇敢、坚韧，充满了高洁的人格魅力。男主角闵政浩智慧、刚毅，深情款款，具备了“好男人”的优点。当然红花还需要绿叶配，该剧的其他角色也相当出彩，如帝王中宗最可贵的，是能明白最深的爱慕就是成全。

材料二：影片画面浪漫美丽

《大长今》的拍摄场地风景宜人，很多场地是在被誉为世界文化遗产的昌德宫拍摄。昌德宫位于首尔卧龙洞，是韩国现存唯一的李朝时期宫殿建筑遗迹。长今被流放济州岛，孤身一人站在绝壁上决心从医的场面，则是在济州著名景点之一孤石浦拍摄。

材料三：美食文化垂涎三尺

《大长今》包含了大量的美食烹饪介绍。泡菜、海产素菜等低糖、低脂美食也随着“长今热”走进千家万户。一些菜肴在现实中值得仿制，如以乌龟和冬虫夏草等名贵中药材熬成的“八卦汤”，有补心肾，养肺阴，止久咳，益大肠，培本之效；“驼酪粥”，把米磨碎，加入牛乳而煮成的粥品，蛋白质及纤维充足，对消化系统有益。

材料四：医术养生之道竞相模仿

《大长今》涉及很多医学上的内容。该剧在亚洲其它地区播出时，很多观众照抄剧中的中医处方，自己配药补身，以至于医学专家急忙提醒：切勿乱配药，否则后果严重。

材料五：民族服饰尽显异域风情

朝鲜族人喜爱穿素白衣服，故有“白衣民族”之称。男子的裤裆肥大，宜于盘腿而坐，女子特别是姑娘和少妇的衣裙五彩缤纷，幼儿的上衣袖筒多用“七色缎”做成，意在让幼儿们更加美丽、幸福。

材料六：《大长今》中的中国文化

剧中频频出现于厅堂字画条幅、大臣表章、往来信函中的大量汉字，因为古代朝鲜几乎所有的历史、典章、文艺、科技书籍都使用汉字记载。长今进宫后的第一次考试题目，就是取自《三国志》中的“鸡肋典故”。在争取成为内医院医女以再次进宫的考试中，主考官员给长今出的新题目典出自《孟子》。

长今是否真有其人?

根据《朝鲜王朝实录─中宗实录》中的记载，徐长今是朝鲜历史上首位女性御医。史书上有关这位传奇人物着墨不多，只陆续有片言只语记载，提到中宗十分信任大长今，将身体完全交给她诊断，还下赐很多赏赐。

另有一本名为《李朝鲜国医官散札记》的书，对长今的描写较详尽，用了约250字提及她在针灸和食疗方面的研究。这两书的记载中，证实徐长今，确有其人。i有说她在中宗去世后受罚流放到中国，后由皇后恢复身份，至明宗1566年病逝。

韩国当时没有一个女性做过官，没有特定的名号，中宗为了显示长今的功绩，让他有个特别的封号所以在她的名字长今前面，加了个大字对她封号，以示她前无古人，后无来者。

观众看不到的《大长今》

尽管已经过去两年，但导演李炳勋对于《大长今》的拍摄依旧记忆深刻。

1、长今美食有得拍没得吃

在冬天面对满眼的美食却无法享用更是耿耿于怀。“当时是在冬天，天气非常寒冷。拍摄做饭饮食情节的时候，真的是做了很多的好吃的。但是一般会拍摄很久，常常是连续拍摄八九个小时，所以拍摄结束后，好吃的东西也变凉变干，不能吃了。”

2、韩尚宫多“活”11集

同时令李炳勋记忆深刻的是韩国观众要求为韩尚宫加戏的事情：“原本韩尚宫（梁美京饰）在16集就会死去，但是观众纷纷表示太喜欢她了，所以最后加戏加到27集。”

3、李英爱不吻池珍熙

在拍戏的过程中也曾出现过导演和“长今”李英爱发生冲突的事情：“曾经就一场长今和闵政浩（池珍熙饰）的接吻戏和李英爱发生过意见的分歧，但是不太大。当时李英爱表示自己不愿意拍摄吻戏，最后我对她说随她的便，不愿意就算了。”于是观众们就没有看到过这场吻戏。

4、开播1年零8个月前开始准备剧本

编剧金荣眩说，《大长今》2003年8月在韩国开播，但台词作业从1年零6个月前就开始准备。因为其中涉及了很多专业问题，所以准备时间还要再提前两个月，大概从1年零8个月前开始，向韩国宫廷饮食专家和医学专家请教各方面的问题。

5、气度还不够大

金荣眩还说，《大长今》的剧本没有导演在电视里面呈现的气度那么大，例如在小说里面长今发生任何事情都有闵政浩帮忙，有那么一种印象是说女人是一定要有个男人来呵护的。例如长今和今英一起完成御膳、跟皇上打猎的那段，导演处理得更具人文情怀，小说里面是长今去拎水扭到脚然后碰到闵政浩，闵政浩把她抱上马带回来，今英很嫉妒，导演却单纯抽起，利用今英和长今感情的关键，最后还是长今和今英两个女性独立完成宴会，他的意思是荣耀不是归给男人的。

《联合早报》
（编辑：陈颖佳）

. . LYA as LG's spokesmodel . .

2006-04-11T23:38:00.000+08:00

LG Electronics launches marketing campaign for Asia featuring Lee Young Ae -Asia's Sweetheart Becomes LG's Spokesmodel-

LG Electronics (LG), a leader in consumer electronics, announced today that Lee Young Ae, the star of Daejanggeum (English title; A Jewel in the palace), has signed a contract as the company's face for upcoming marketing campaigns aimed at the Asian market.

LG's integrated marketing campaign for Asia will kick off in January and features both advertising and promotional activities across the region. The ad campaign featuring Lee Young Ae, who played the title role in Daejanggeum, will be executed simultaneously through TV, online, mobile and print media and in public places. Lee Young Ae will also attend promotional events such as new product launch parties, concerts, fan meetings and so on.

Daejanggeum, originally produced in Korea, has recently been broadcast in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore. The TV series has quickly become a phenomenon and turned Lee Young Ae into Asia's sweetheart. LG expects to capitalize on her iconic status to influence audiences in the region.

"Lee Young Ae is more than just a beautiful actress," said Mr. Sang kook Chung, Executive Vice President of LG Electronics, "While her image is sophisticated and upscale, Lee young Ae as Daejanggeum projects the aura of an out-of-box thinker and caring human being. All these images are perfectly matched with LG in the sense that LG is the innovative electronics brand that cares about customers and continues to develop next generation technology. LG hopes to reinforce brand awareness in Asia through this campaign by positioning the company as a lifestyle enhancer just as Daejanggeum always worked to break down set ideas to the benefit of the people around her in the drama."

LG's integrated marketing campaign for Asia encompasses the whole region and the entire line of LG products including Plasma TV and digital home electronics.

Source: LG

. . understanding K.scene . .

2006-04-04T14:57:00.000+08:00

Korean dramas are fun to watch. However, sometimes there are cultural differences that prevent non-Koreans from fully understanding what is happening in the drama. This website is intended to expose non-Koreans to Korean culture so that they can enjoy Korean dramas more.

NAMES
In Korea, the surname (family name) is given first. First names are seldom used in addressing another because of the social hierarchy established by Confucianism. Addressing a person by title or position is most correct. These include 선생님 (sunsaengnim - teacher) or 박사 (paksa - doctor). Individuals who have achieved this title are given high respect because highest respect is deserved for scholars in the Confucian tradition. No comma is used to separate the surname from the given name.

Most Korean surnames consist of just one syllable, but a few contain two syllables (for example, Sun Woo). The top ten Korean surnames are: Kim, Lee (Yi/Rhee), Park (Pak), Choi (Choe), Jung (Jeong/Chung), Kang (Gang), Jo (Cho), Yoon (Yun), Jang (Chang) and Im (Yim/Lim). Other popular Korean surnames include: Ahn (An), Han, Go (Ko), Goo (Ku), Oh, Noh, Shin, and Yoo (Yu).

Korean given names usually consist of two syllables, which may be hyphenated when romanized. The given names for male members usually have one syllable which is the same syllable used by all male members of that generation in that family. For example, in the Korean drama "More than Words Can Say," the names of the three sons were Jang-su, Tae-su and Min-su.

Korean women retain their maiden surname after they get married. They do not use their husband's surname since family surnames are reserved only for people with blood ties.

[i]*if you've seen FH, you'll notice that they still address SHK as han ji eun even if she was already "married to lee young jae (bi)[/i]

People with the same surname who come from the same ancestral hometown are not allowed to marry each other. This is because they are considered family members, even if they are only distantly related. Consequently, when people are attracted to a person with the same surname, they typically will ask for that person's ancestral hometown right away.

Children usually use the surname of their father.

Many Koreans will insist that they be called by only their surname until they get to know you better. This can lead to confusion since more than 20% of the Korean population have Kim as their surname and 15% of the population uses the surname Lee. So if you call for a person named "Kim" in a crowd, many people will think you are calling them.

SONS
As highlighted in "Mothers and Sisters," sons are more desirable than daughters in a traditional Korean family. If the family has more than one son, the oldest son is expected to take care of his parents when they age. Sons are also expected to produce grandsons to carry on the family name to the next generation. Daughters, on the other hand, are valued less since they become part of their husband's family and are required to serve their husband's parents once they get married.

In real life, however, parents are becoming more concerned with the health of their newborn child, rather than the sex of the child. Whether they have a baby boy or girl, most parents are happy if the baby is healthy. Also, in real life, many daughters still care for their own elderly parents even after they get married. So Korean parents are finding out that daughters are just as valuable as sons.

ETTIQUETTE
Respect must be shown to elders. Younger people do not address older people by their given names. For example, a girl addresses her older brother as "oppa" and older sister as "onni," but may address her younger brother or sister by their given names. A boy addresses his older brother as "hyong" and his older sister as "nuna." In an episode of "Mothers and Sisters," Kyong-bin (the #4 child in the family) was scolded by his mother for calling his older sister (the #3 child) by her given name.

The next time you watch a subtitled drama, listen for when a younger sibling calls an older sibling. The subtitles will show the given name of the older sibling but you will hear oppa, onni, hyong or nuna being said instead.

Girls sometimes call their boyfriends "oppa."

When identifying a person's position in the family, a woman is identified according to her relationship to the dominant male in the family. For example, in "Mothers and Sisters," the women are introduced to others according to their relationship to Kyong-bin. For example, Yeo-kyong is Kyong-bin's sister, the sister-in-law of Kyong-bin's mother was introduced as Kyong-bin's aunt, and Seung-lee was referred to as Kyong-bin's twin.

Showing disrespect for elders on TV is considered very bad for Korean society. In August 2005, KBS was punished by the Korean Broadcasting Commission for airing a scene in a drama in which a daughter-in-law slapped her mother-in-law in the face.

Koreans believe that direct eye contact during conversation shows boldness, and out of politeness they concentrate on the conversation, usually avoiding eye-to-eye contact. Direct eye-to-eye contact when talking is considered rude and impolite. Notice that when Joon-hwi talked with his father in episode #2 of "Pretty Lady," he avoided looking his father in the eye even though he disagreed with what his father was saying.

Since age is important in determining hierarchy, it is not uncommon to ask someone their age when they are about the same age as you.

Kissing in public is not as common in Korea as it is in the U.S. In many of the older dramas, when a couple kisses, it usually means the relationship is very serious and will likely lead to marriage.

When receiving or passing something to another person, good manners dictate using two hands instead of just one hand. For example, when tea or soju is poured, the person who does the pouring uses two hands and likewise, the person holding the cup holds the cup with two hands. Also, when a younger person drinks with an older person, it is good manners for the younger person to turn to the side so as not to face the older person while drinking. You may also notice that if the younger person is drinking with his right hand, he will place his left hand on the right side of his body under his right arm. I've been told that this custom originated in the olden days when Korean clothing had very wide long sleeves that draped down when the arms were raised. To avoid having the sleeve get in the way while drinking, the left arm would swing to the right to hold the right sleeve in place while the right arm is used to drink.

FOOD
All Korean meals--breakfast, lunch and dinner--include rice, kimchi and a variety of other side dishes, which are all served and eaten at the same time. You can eat the foods in any order and in any combination. The spread is quite elaborate compared to American standards since variety is very important.

The rice, either steamed white rice or rice cooked with grains such as barley and millet, is served in individual bowls for each person. The side dishes, on the other hand, are served family style with everyone eating directly from a common dish using their own spoon or chopsticks. Several varieties of kimchi (pickled vegetable spiced with chili pepper and garlic) are provided. Soup is also served at most meals.

One thing to remember when eating Korean food is never blow your nose at the dining table. Doing so is considered very rude. If the spiciness of Korean food makes your nose run, excuse yourself from the table to go to the bathroom to blow your nose.

Korean meals are eaten with a spoon and chopsticks which are frequently made of stainless steel. Unlike other Asians such as the Chinese and Japanese, Koreans use the spoon rather than chopsticks to eat rice. Koreans also do not usually lift the rice bowl off of the table when they eat.

SOJU
Soju is a sweet Korean liquor made primarily from potato, with an alcoholic content of about 20-25%.

Other Korean alcoholic beverages include makkoli (a rice brew) and maekju (beer).

RED INK
Red ink is permissible when using a chop (name seal). Do NOT use red ink when writing a living person's name, however, since red is associated with death. Writing a person's name in red ink is tantamount to saying they are dead or will die soon. Red ink is used to record a deceased person's name in the family register and also on funeral banners to drive off evil spirits.

UNLUCKY NUMBER
The number four is considered unlucky. It is treated the same way as the number 13 in western countries -- no 13th floor, etc. This stems from the Korean syllables derived from Chinese characters. Two of those, 四(four) and 死 (death), are pronounced the same - 사 (sah).

For this reason, some buildings do not have a fourth floor. If the building does have a fourth floor, the elevator may show the fourth floor as "F" instead of "4".

KEY MONEY
One method of renting real property involves "key money." When renting an apartment, the tenant pays the landlord "key money," which is something like a large security deposit, for the landlord to invest. The landlord keeps the investment income instead of receiving monthly rent from the tenant. When the tenant moves out, the landlord returns all of the key money to the tenant. That is why, in the drama "Pretty Lady," when Suri moved out of her apartment after her mother died, she received a large amount of money which she dutifully turned over to her father and step-mother when she moved in with them.

IMPORTANT BIRTHDAYS
Because 60 years is considered a cycle in the Asian Zodiac, a large birthday celebration is held for those who turn 60 years of age. In the past, living to the age of 60 also exceeded the average life expectancy in Korea. It is also an age when a man can retire and let his sons support him. The 60th birthday represents the completion of a zodiac cycle and is celebrated by family members offering the birthday person food, drink and best wishes for a long life.

The first and 60th birthdays are the most important for Koreans. The first birthday is celebrated by placing the child, dressed in traditional Korean clothes, in front of a table with food and objects. The child is urged to pick up one of the objects. Depending on which object the child selects, one supposedly can foretell the child's future. For example, if the child picks up money, he will be rich. If he picks up a book, he will be a scholar. If he picks up food, he will be a government official.

BECKONING
To signal someone to come using hand motions, Koreans point their palm downward (instead of upwards) and then motion their fingers like we do. Japanese also point their palm downward when beckoning.

KOREAN LANGUAGE
The Korean language uses the Hangul alphabet, which now consists of 24 letters (10 vowels and 14 consonants). The vowels and consonants are combined to make syllables. Syllables usually have at least 2, but no more than 4, letters.

Non-Koreans who read the English subtitles of Korean dramas will usually not be able to detect the style of Korean being spoken in the drama. From time to time, however, one character in the drama will tell another character not to speak so formally or that it is okay to speak informally. That is because there are four styles of speech in Korean: formal, informal polite, informal and intimate.

*i remember watching MISA and ISJ told SJS "if you're not sure wch expression to use (formal, informal...) just add "yo" at the end this explains it hehe also in FH when bi called SHK, the latter replied with "wae" (meaning why" bi said "whats up with your attitude" since SHK was supposed to say "wae-yo"

--The FORMAL style is used when a high level of respect must be shown and when men speak to strangers.

--The INFORMAL POLITE style is used by people who know each other, but still need to show respect due to age or social status, and when women and young people speak to strangers.

--The INFORMAL style is used by people who know each other, but are not close friends or where there is a slight age difference.

--The INTIMATE style is used between siblings, spouses, close friends and associates of the same age or younger.

KOREAN MONEY
South Korean currency is called won. The symbol for won is a capital W with 2 horizontal lines across it. Since the won symbol is not available on this website, I am using W instead.. Bills are available in denominations of W1,000, W5,000 and W10,000. Coins are available for W1, W5, W10, W50, W100 and W500. As of April 4, 2001, one US $1.00 equals W1,369.

NO TIPPING
Tipping is not practiced by native Koreans in Korea. However, tourists are expected to tip for tourist-related servies (for example, travel guides expect to receive a tip from foreign tourists). In tourist hotels, a mandatory 10% service charge is common.

EASY MONEY
The South Korean government will pay you W1,000,000 to W5,000,000 for each North Korean spy you report.

HOMES
Due to the freezing winter climate, most Korean homes do not have many windows or doors. Ondol, a heat-radiating network of pipes under the floor, is used to warm certain rooms in the house. Originally, ondol involved circulating exhaust fumes from the kitchen range through flues under the floor. However, since carbon monoxide poisoning could occur if cracks developed in the floor, modern ondol systems instead pump hot water through the pipes to heat the floors.

Since heat emanates from the floors using ondol, Koreans sit and sleep on the floor to take advantage of the warmth. Traditionally, the floors are covered with lacquered paper which turns yellow with age. Nowdays, the floors are covered with linoleum, and oil (rather than charcoal) heaters are used to heat the water.

Korean Customs - In General
• You will see teenage men walking in the street with their arms around each other's shoulders and teenage girls walking hand-in-hand. This means nothing more than intimacy. Touching close friends while talking to them is perfectly acceptable in Korea. Koreans will touch any children to show their warm affection. This is a compliment to let the child know how cute he is. Bumping into other people while passing is acceptable unless you shove them offensively.

• Take off your shoes when entering someone's home. There is usually a shelf or ample space for every guest's shoes.

• The family is the most important part of Korean life. In Confucian tradition, the father is the head of the family and it is his responsibility to provide food, clothing and shelter, and to approve marriages or moves by family members. The eldest son has special duties including first his parents, then his brothers from older to younger, then to his sons, then to his wife, and lastly to his daughters. Family welfare is much more important than the individual.

• There are many family rituals tied to Confucian tradition. You might see a string of dried red peppers hung across an entrance to a Korean home. These signify the birth of a boy within a week.

• Large outdoor markets can be found throughout Korea. Spirited bargaining goes on as the buyer hopes to pay the lowest prices for food, clothing, shoes, and cooking supplies.

• While women are not as secluded at home as they once were, it is still unusual for women to join their husbands for a night on the town. Many women are earning university degrees, but the care of the family is still considered most important.

• Gift giving is an important part of Korean tradition. Gifts might be given to cultivate a personal relationship, before conducting business, or to encourage aid from someone in a position above. A return gift or favor is usually expected. Koreans seldom open a gift in public. The recipient may put your gift aside without opening it in consideration of not to embarrass you at the smallness of the gift. They'll open it if you politely ask them to.

Korean Customs - Respect
Respect for others according to seniority is a pillar of Korea's Confucianist traditions. Seniority is based on age, position in the family, job position, being a teacher, and the list goes on.

• When drinking with a much older person, it is customary to turn your head away to take a drink. Some Koreans may feel strange about a foreigner doing so, and they will tell you if that's the case.

• If you are smoking while walking along and you approach an older person, either hide or put out your cigarette. Korean teens that smoke typically do so in stairways and basement levels of buildings, away from adult's eyes. To westerners it seems sexist, but Korean women who smoke are seen as women of loose morals (if you get my meaning).

• Out of respect for the elderly, young people usually give up their seats for an aged person on a crowded bus or subway train. Nowadays some young people do not but most still do. Most Koreans wouldn't expect a foreigner to do this, but if you do it will make you look like a well-mannered guest in their country.

• Koreans shake hands and bow at the same time. The depth of the bow depends on the relative seniority of the two people.

• When you receive something (a present, a cup, a pen, etc.) from an older person, you should use two hands when receiving it, with a bow. If it's small enough for one hand, use one hand to receive it and the other under your forearm or your lower chest (for support). When you are shaking hands with an older person, use two hands. If the person receiving the gift is younger or lower in stature, passing with one hand is acceptable.

• Confucian tradition also demands that the elderly be treated at all times with the utmost respect. When elders are present, young Koreans would never lounge around, wear sunglasses, or expect to eat first.

• Relationships with friends are the one area where Koreans can view each other as equals. Friends, however, really means those born the same year who are, therefore, the same age and capable of being equal.

Korean Customs - Marriage and Weddings
Marriage in Korea is mainly in the western spirit - in a church or wedding hall. But getting there and the gifts are a bit different.

• If you attend a wedding or funeral, it's customary to take a white envelope containing a sum of money. Handing cash to someone is considered rude except when paying a shopkeeper for merchandise.

• Many marriages are still arranged by families through a matchmaker. While Koreans may date, often those dates are with individuals chosen by the family or matchmaker as possible mates. Koreans wouldn't consider displaying affection in public, and hugging or kissing would be considered a strong breach of etiquette. Repressing emotions, according to Confucianism, is a sign of culture.

• It is not uncommon for the parents to move in with their eldest son and his wife. This shows the son's filial piety, or sense of devotion to one's parents.

Korean Customs - Dining
Below are some tips to keep you from getting funny looks while eating with a Korean family.

• Rather than pouring their own drinks, Koreans pour for one another. It is a bad breach of etiquette to pour your own drink.

• The eldest at the table eats first. No one even picks up their chopsticks until the eldest does.

• Dinner in a traditional Korean home or restaurant is quite different from American-style dining. Guests sit on cushions around a low table. Many different foods are served, each cut into bite-sized pieces. Each person has his own bowl of rice, but helps himself to other foods directly from the serving dishes. Koreans traditionally use chopsticks and a large-bowled spoon the size of a tablespoon. They eat rice with the spoon.

• During the meal, rest your chopsticks and spoon on top of a dish. When you have finished eating, lay the chopsticks or spoon on the table to indicate that you have completed the meal. Never stick chopsticks or spoons in a bowl of rice - this is done only during ancestral memorial services. Don't worry about reaching in front of others or asking for a dish to be passed.

• When dining in a restaurant, it is considered polite for one person to pay the entire bill. It will often be the person who is younger or subordinate to the rest of the group. Sometimes the person paying is the person who suggested going to eat in the first place. However, "Dutch Treat" is becoming more common among the youth.

• Tipping Koreans is just not done. That includes restaurants and delivery people. In most hotels, tips are included in the bill.

• When eating with Koreans, refrain from blowing your nose (even though the spicy food may make your nose run) or coughing. If you have to cough, turn away.

credits : koreanwiz and zkorea

. . 10 hot culture issues ' 05 . .

2006-03-27T08:32:00.000+08:00

10 Hot Culture Issues in 2005 - Winter Sonata as Korean Wave
February 16, 2006
By Kim Tae-jong, Park Chung-a
Staff Reporters

How will you remember the year 2005? Perhaps more than other years, this year has been a roller coaster ride, full of many proud moments and shameful incidents.

As the year draws to a close, The Korea Times looks back on the 10 hottest culture issues of the year.

Korean Wave Strong in Asian Countries
“Hallyu,’’ or the Korean wave, does not seem to be letting up as Korean pop culture continues to flow into neighboring countries.

Thousands of people from Asian countries screamed for Korean stars such as pop singers Rain and BoA and, of course, Bae Yong-joon, affectionately called Yonsama by his Japanese fans. Korean TV dramas such as “Jewel in the Palace’’ and “Winter Sonata’’ have had encore runs in Hong Kong, China and Japan.

South Korea’s export of cultural contents is estimated to exceed $1 billion this year, according to Korea Culture and Contents Agency. The figure represents another hefty jump in the contents’ exports for three years in a row.

MBC
The year 2005 would be remembered the worst one ever for MBC television network, as the broadcaster found itself at the center of cultural scandals and accidents. The company has made an official apology seven times and four programs had to be cancelled.

The worst year for the company started with its employees becoming involved in a bribery scandal in the middle of January this year, resulting in the cancellation of current affairs program “Shin Kang-kyun’s News Service: The Truth Is.’’

Other accidents soon followed. In July, members of a rock band dropped their pants during a live television music program “Music Camp.’’ In October, eleven people were trampled to death while entering a stadium for a concert hosted by the company in Sangju, North Kyongsang Province.

But the most harsh criticism came after its program “PD Notebook’’ raised questions about the fabrication of results in the work of stem cell pioneer Hwang Woo-suk, who was then a national hero.

`Entertainers’ X-File’
The distribution of the so-called “Entertainers’ X-File’’ on the Internet in early January created a major scandal. “X-file,’’ is a 113-page document that contained personal information and unconfirmed rumors about the private lives of 99 major Korean celebrities.

The file created last November by Dongseo Research at the request of Cheil Communications, the biggest advertising company in Korea, was originally made to determine the value of advertising models and minimize the risk to advertisers.

However, the material included incredibly private information on top celebrities, such as the people they might have dated or slept with, if they’re prone to violence and if they might be gay. Celebrities and entertainment agencies filed massive lawsuits against the top advertising company and held news conferences denying the contents of the report.

About 350 TV entertainers announced that they would boycott advertisements planned by Cheil Communications. Cheil, a subsidiary of Samsung Group, swiftly made a public apology and settled the case by making cash compensation to the victims. The entertainers subsequently called off their boycott.

`Dongmakgol’ Welcomed
“Welcome to Dongmakgol,’’ a film about Korean War soldiers from opposing sides finding refuge in a mountain village, has become the most successful film this year, drawing over 8 million moviegoers.

Thanks to the film’s unexpected success, the market share of the local movies have maintained slightly over 50 percent despite a series of failures of several big-budget films such as “Rikidozan'’ and “Antarctic Journal'’ in the first half of this year.

In addition to “Welcome to Dongmakgol,’’ films with limited production budget and no big stars, such as “Running Boy,’’ “Marrying the Mafia 2’’ and “Mapado,’’ were also unexpectedly successful, each drawing over 3 million moviegoers.

New Home for National Museum of Korea
The National Museum of Korea finally moved to its new home in Yongsan, Seoul, on Oct. 28. Since then, it has already drawn over 1 million visitors.

The construction of the new museum began in October 1997 in a move to relocate it from its previous building that was built by the Japanese colonial government at Kyongbok Palace.

The venue is the largest in Asia and the world’s sixth largest in size, and displays some 11,000 artifacts of its 150,000 piece collection, including “Pukkwan Taechop-bi,’’ a 300-year-old stone monument that was returned by Japan this year.

To help visitors appreciate historical relics at the museum, a digital navigation system guides them through the museum, and mobile gadgets like MP3 players and PDPs help visitors explore their preferred courses and get information about the artifacts.

Frankfurt Book Fair
South Korea took a part in the annual Frankfurt Book Fair as the guest of honor for the first time since the nation started participating in 1961.

Prior to the fair, which took place from Oct. 19 to 23, concerns were raised over the short time available to prepare for the showcasing of the country’s literary history and the promoting of the local publishing industry at the international gathering. However, South Korea received positive responses as it offered the world a chance to taste the unique characteristics of Korean literature and culture.

Also, the event reminded Koreans of the importance of quality translations for Korean literature. When Korean poet Ko Un failed to win a Nobel Prize in literature, many spoke of the lack of good translations of Korean literature as the major obstacle for it to go global.

Kim Sam-soon syndrome
This summer was heated up by the “Kim Sam-soon syndrome,'’ sparked by the popularity of the MBC television drama “My Lovely Sam-soon.’’ Its main character Sam-soon, played by actress Kim Sun-a, was a 30-year-old single woman who had no university education, was slightly overweight and came from a fatherless family _ all regarded as negative traits in Korea. But she was always confident and outspoken, and for that, was touted by her fans as helping break down stereotypes about women. The show surpassed 50 percent of the total viewer ratings in its final week, a feat achieved by only five other drama series since 2000. It also gave rise to multiethnic actor-model Daniel Henney, who starred in the drama as a kindhearted Korean-American doctor.

The main characters’ lines have dominated online bulletin boards. Inquiries about pastry chef courses have doubled, and bread sales have risen. The heroine, Sam-soon, was a pasty chef.

In bookstores, the original novel of the same title and the German children’s novel, “Momo,'’ shown in the drama, have become bestsellers.

`Dog-poop Girl’
In June, a dog defecated on the floor of the subway train and the dog’s owner refused to clean it up, despite the requests of other passengers. A bystander took a photograph of the dog owner and posted it on the Internet, in an attempt to publicly shame her.

The ploy was successful. Anonymous Internet users harshly attacked her, and named her “Dog-poop girl.’’ Unconfirmed rumors and private information about the woman quickly spread throughout the Internet. Considering that the story will live in cyberspace for a long time, it was a devastating attack on the dog owner.

The incident sparked a debate on the danger of anonymous postings by Internet users how the Internet is being used for enforcing social norms.

Top Actress Commits Suicide
The suicide of popular television and film actress Lee Eun-ju in February sent shockwaves throughout the nation. The fact that this 24-year-old beautiful actress at the peak of her career suddenly killed herself left many Koreans at a total loss. With the reason for her suicide still unclear, rumors about her death continues to circulate. While her family claimed that she suffered from hypochondria and was depressed over her sexually explicit role in her last movie “The Scarlet Letter,’’ others claimed that she could not bear the heavy burden of paying off her family debt.

The most controversial incident regarding her death occurred when Cheon In-kwon, a 50-year-old rock singer and a divorcee, claimed that he had had a previously unpublicized romantic relationship with the late actress, shaking up the entertainment industry and sparking an uproar from her fans. He said they were romantically involved for four years, right up until the actress committed suicide.

Lee starred in such hit films as “Tae Guk Gi'’ (2004) and “Bungee Jumping of Their Own'’ (2000) as well as the MBC television drama “Firebird (Pulsae).’’

Forged Masterpieces
The biggest shock of Korean art community this year was the controversy over forged paintings of Korea’s leading artists Lee Joong-sup (1916-1956) and Park Soo-keun (1914-1965). The incident became one of the largest forgery cases in Korean art history and it clearly showed the domestic art market’s lack of ability to judge authentic artworks as well as problems regarding circulation of artworks.

Controversy over the authenticity of the paintings began when Lee’s family put eight of his paintings, including the famous “Fish and Child,’’ up for sale at a leading auction house in Seoul. After four pieces were sold, the Korean Art Appraisal Association (KAAA) claimed that the paintings sold were forged.

The controversy worsened as head of the Korean Ancient History Research Association Kim Yong-soo unveiled hundreds of paintings of Lee and Park and joined hands with Lee’s family in a legal fight against the KAAA.

After conducting investigation following suits and counter suits, the prosecution announced in October that 58 works _ 30 pieces by Lee and 19 by Park _ were all counterfeits.

After the announcement, questions over an organization that produces and circulates fake paintings have been raised but no clear evidence has been found yet. As a result of the controversy, Seoul Auction President Lee Ho-jae resigned and K Auction emerged as a new competitor in the art auction industry.

Source: The Korea Times

. . 14ths of every mth in korea . .

2006-02-22T16:40:00.000+08:00

cam translated and posted on quilt's freeboard
Source : baidu.com, english.kbs.co.kr/life/trend

On the 14th of each month in Korea

Did you know there is a special day on the 14th of each month for lovers to celebrate as well as a few other goodies along the way?

January 14 is Diary Day in South Korea when sweethearts are encouraged to buy gifts such as planners and mark all their red-letter days of love.

Next on the calendar is February 14 and Valentine's Day, where South Korean women buy chocolates for their boyfriends.

Army trucks are regularly deployed to deliver chocolates from women whose boyfriends are in uniform as part of South Korea's mandatory military service.

March 14 is White Day. This celebration was born in Japan, imported to South Korea and is marked by South Korean men returning the favor of their Valentine's chocolates with candies for their girlfriends.

Waiting one month to reciprocate a gift takes the pressure off the boys because they have usually figured out exactly who likes them and gave them a gift in February. While it is not required that you give a return gift, that is usually the accepted thing to do. However, guys are not limited only to the people who gave them chocolate. They may give sweets to any girl they fancy. If you received chocolate or candy in either February or March, you take the following month off to plan gifts for the rest of the year. But if you weren't a recipient in February or March, then April becomes a month of singles celebration.

April 14 is Black Day and is purely Korean. This is a day where those who have not found love mark their status as lonely hearts by eating black food.

The dish for the day is Chinese noodles topped with a thick black sauce ( ja-chang-myeong). Single students at universities order scores of bowls and eat them together in the hope of finding a soul mate over noodles.

May 14 is Yellow Day-Rose Day. Lonely hearts gather for curry and companionship. Those who find love by this day exchange roses. Dressing in yellow is also recommended.

The day when those who were unable to eat black noodles on Black Day go to eat yellow curry rice.

June 15 is Kiss Day.The day when lovers kiss to confirm their love.

July 14 is Silver Day. On Silver Day, couples can freely ask their friends to give them money to pay for a date while couples are supposed to exchange gifts made of silver.

August 14 is Green Day: when couples are supposed to dress in green, walk in the woods and drink cheap liquor that comes in green bottles.

September 14 is Music & Photo Day: The day of presenting a CD with love songs. The day when lovers take pictures to keep memories of their love.

October 14 is Wine Day: The day when lovers drink wine and share love.

November 14 is Movie Day: The day when lovers go to see a movie holding hands.

December 14 is Hug Day-Money Day : The day of giving hugs to your loved ones. The day of spending generously for your lover .

A new day that has taken off in South Korea is a festivity that combines feelings of affection with chocolate on a stick. Nov 11 is Pepero Day (Bachelor Day in Chinese. Pocky Day in Japanese) and is named after a pencil-shaped cookie stick covered in chocolate that is purchased in abundance on the day and exchanged mostly by young South Koreans as an expression of their affection.

There are up to 21 anniversaries, special days and celebrations a year for couples to shower each other with affection and gifts. It is a good thing they made January 14th Diary Day because you will need a journal to remember all these dates for the rest of the year.

. . christmas in august (2). .

2006-02-12T15:44:00.000+08:00

Another review of "Christmas in August"

Jin-ho Hur's "Christmas in August" is the 1998 forerunner to his masterpiece "One Fine Spring Day", and just like the other film, "Christmas" explores the human condition and sheds light on the power of love found, lost, and the lives touched in-between.

"Christmas in August" stars Han Suk-kyu ("Shiri") as Jung-won, a 30-something photographer in a small town who is slowly dying from a terminal disease. The film never bothers to elaborate on the cause or even the name of the disease, and that's probably because it's not very important. The disease is a plot device that Hur and writers Oh and Shin uses to explore Jung-won's life and his budding romance with a young meter maid (or as the movie calls them, traffic cops) name Darim, played by the always affable Eun-ha Shim ("The Uprising").

"Christmas in August" is a good prelude to "One Fine Spring Day" because both posits on the positive aspects of newfound love and the subsequent lost of said love and everything else in-between. Both movies explore the joys (and sometimes trials and tribulations) of family and generational ties; and always in the background, the onset of old age and life, which like love, comes and goes, and encourages the appreciation of both after they're gone.

Veteran actor Han Suk-kyu plays the likeable Jung-won, a free-spirited man who doesn't run from his illness. Throughout the film, Jung-won never once tells the love-struck Darim about his illness, resulting in Darim's feelings of betrayal once Jung-won's illness overcomes him and interrupts their daily visits together.

The film is most effective when it touches on the subject of death, as when an elderly woman returns to Jung-won's studio to take the picture that South Koreans use to memorialize their life after death; the woman returns later in the night, after having been at the studio to take family pictures with her family. She is alone, not at all concern about her inevitable death, but rather pleased that she's able to give her family a picture of herself, as directed by herself. Her scenes with Jung-won, who knows intimately that he will be taking his own memorial picture soon, is incredibly moving.

Eun-ha Shim, as Darim, provides the inspiration necessary to make Jung-won fall in love again. Besides the age difference, Darim and Jung-won are at two vastly different junctures of their life -- his own life is coming to an end and hers is just beginning. The movie does not go the easy route and have the two consummate their relationship. Instead, the script is content to focus on the burgeoning relationship by following the normal, gradual sequence of measured and sometimes awkward events involved with a courtship. The interplay between Darim and Jung-won also ensures that "Christmas in August" doesn't become a moody melodramatic exercise in gothic morbidity, and instead the two's interactions bring joy and sunshine into a movie about death and loss.

"Christmas in August" is a great film, filled with memorable scenes and quiet, subtle moments that some may need to see more than once to fully appreciate. "Christmas in August" doesn't advertise its Impact Scenes, but have no doubt that they are present and they are very powerful indeed.

Credit: http://www.beyondhollywood.com/reviews/christmasinaugust.htm

. . christmas in august (i) . .

2006-02-12T15:24:00.000+08:00

I'm not only a K-drama fan, but also a K-movie fan.. okok, anything that has got to do with K-entertainment, I'm all interested! Had been watching quite a few K-movies since I've downloaded quite a few. One of the movie I wanna watch is "Christmas in August" directed by Director Hur. Ever since April Snow, many began to get interested in Director Hur's works, including myself. I've read many reviews saying that Director Hur's style is very special, and one of the good movies he made include "Christmas in August". Just like April Snow, it is a melodrama with many quiet scenes filled with deep meanings. Below are some reviews and pics from the movie.

Christmas in August (1998)

Directed by: Hur Jin-Ho
Starring: Han Suk-Kyu, Shim Eun-Ha
108 minutes, 35mm

"...a wrenchingly associative feel-good/feel-bad classic where everything is seen through panes of glass, and a meter maid learns more than she ever wanted to know about expired time.
- Chuck Stephens, Film Comment"

The sidelong glance, the shared ice cream, the lazy afternoon nap, the date that no one's calling a date - out of these tiny details CHRISTMAS IN AUGUST builds a movie about the beginning of falling in love. Considered by many to be the Great Korean Movie Romance, this is a gentle mediation on life, death, and parking violations that's lingers on your eyes long after it's over.

Han Suk-Kyu runs a photo shop in a rural suburb of Seoul. He's sick, and dying, but he keeps it to himself. He's a little too quick to laugh, covering up the rage that burns in him at the unfairness of this death sentence. He seems like everything's going A-OK, but when no one's looking he crumbles.

Shim Eun-Ha is a meter maid, tucked into a starched uniform and dispatched onto the streets where she and her partner are pariahs, chased out of restaurants and bullied by angry motorists. The two of them slog on, dispensing tickets, photographing offending vehicles, writing writs and summons.

One day she drops off photos at Han Suk-Kyu's place, and they meet, and they like each other. That's it. That's the movie. But within this sketchy outline there's volumes on happiness and despair, on living and dying. It's there in the way the characters study each other when no one's looking, in the impatient way Han Suk-Kyu teaches his dad how to use the VCR, in the excitement of Shim Eun-Ha waiting for a date, in the way she tells and retells a joke, even when she mangles it.

So transcendent that too many words will ruin the delicate spell it casts, this is the director's first film, and the movie that made Shim Eun-Ha a superstar. The performances, operating on some attenuated wavelength not visible to human sight, are riveting in their simplicity. Like a lazy summer evening, there's something inexplicably rewarding about such a small, quiet movie that sets out to speak about life, death, and love, slowly, gently, and without pretension.

Most folks assume that slow and gentle equals "boring" and "box office death", but that wasn't the case with CHRISTMAS. In 1998, it swept the Korean Film Awards, coming away with "Best Picture", "Best Director", "Best Actress" (Shim Eun-Ha), and "Best Cinematography" and its fans are legion - rabid in their devotion to this movie.

CHRISTMAS IN AUGUST talks about the big things in life by focusing on the small. It's there in the way friends speak when they go out for drinks, in the shared late night walk, in the eating of a watermelon. It's there in the way a man who's dying and a woman who's living realize that we build our lives out of the details, and that while we're alive every one of them is like frozen time. And that after we're gone, all the details, all the perfect mornings, all the shared experiences, all the times we talked to someone who was really listening - after we're gone it's all lost, forever.

Awards: Official Selection, Cannes Film Festival, 1998.
Winner, Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Director, Best Cinematography, Korean Film Awards, 1998.

Credit: http://www.subwaycinema.com/frames/archives/kfest2001/christmas.htm

. . pics of "screen quota" . .

2006-02-10T14:43:00.000+08:00

Credit: CindyW88 posted in Soompi forum

Movie stars attending the “Screen Quota (스크린쿼터) Protest Demonstration” (2/8/06):

. . my point of view . .

2006-02-10T14:38:00.000+08:00

Quote a post by Vignette on the issue in Korea now (see previous entry) in Soompi, I posted my thots and thus reposted here:

QUOTE(vignette @ Feb 8 2006, 03:22 PM)

The korean govt used to limit the no of foreign films being screened in their cinemas giving more priority to local movies. The US has been pressuring them to increase the number of foreign films in exchange to bigger export quotas of other korean products in their country. Finally the korean govt. gave in and agreed to reduce the number of local films to be screened in half (approx. 73) starting July.

I'm getting real giddy trying to get the picture clearly on what is going on.

The reasons behind the decisions made by the Korean goverment is understandable in a way as it would further promote Korean products further worldwide which will bring in better economic benefit for their country but correct me if I'm wrong, I personally feel that US is being quite bossy to come out with such terms and conditions.

I'm not sure, but are US movies not that hot in Korea? I thought they have already conquered most parts of the world already. Else why do they want to came up with such a deal? It is only natural and logical that if one country's talents are excellent and has something to be proud of, the country would want to celebrate and enjoy within their own country, it will be a bonus to them if they are being recognised outside their own country. That's exactly what Korea are enjoying right now because thanks to their talented artistes, they are widely recognised at least in Southeast Asia and if I'm not wrong, even US.

If the Korean government is strong enough and have strong principles of their own, they wouldn't have been shaken so easily by other people. Someone wrote in this topic that Korean government should be confident of themselves and I fully agree with him/her.

Well, just a thought about this issue. May be right, may be wrong..

. . news on k-scene . .

2006-02-09T14:11:00.000+08:00

South Korean movie stars rally against 'Hollywood invasion'
Credit: www.channelnewsasia.com
Time is GMT + 8 hours
Posted: 08 February 2006 1647 hrs

South Korean movie industry workers hold anti-FTA placards during a rally opposing the government's plans to cut the screen quota system for local films in Seoul
[Chris: Seriously, if you ask me, I definitely support them in their oppose towards their government decision.. Why tarnish the hardwork of their own local people who have worked so hard to make K-movies and K-drama so popular worldwide? Correct me if I'm wrong, the worldwide showbiz industy seemed to be so jealous of the sudden boom of Korean showbiz!! Why why why? ]

SEOUL : South Korean film stars have led a rally opposing plans to cut in half the screen quota system, a government decision they said would trigger a Hollywood movie invasion.

The rally near the US embassy in central Seoul drew about 1,000 movie producers, actors and directors under a banner reading "Stop humiliating negotiations that will allow a cultural invasion".

Surrounded by riot police, the protestors including Choi Min-Shik, the star of South Korea's 2004 Cannes Grand Prix-winning "Old Boy," waved placards and chanted slogans opposing a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the United States.

"We oppose the United States, which is forcing humiliating free trade negotiations," they said

South Korea and the United States last week announced the launch of talks aimed at establishing the FTA.

South Korea, the seventh-largest trade partner of the United States, has cleared the way for the talks by halving the 40-year-old quota, which forced cinemas to show domestic movies on at least 146 days a year.

South Korea's movie industry has condemned the decision as an "anti-cultural coup d'etat."

Finance and Economy Minister Han Duck-Soo defended the government's decision saying the reduced quota reflected the enhanced competitiveness of South Korean films.

Of the top 10 box office hits in South Korea last year seven were homegrown and only three from the United States, none of which made the top five.

"We decided to reduce the quota because the competitiveness and quality of our movies has improved sharply," he said.

He said the free trade agreement would boost South Korea's exports and economic growth.

- AFP/ms

. . I'm Sorry I Love You . .

2006-02-08T07:38:00.000+08:00

I'm Sorry I Love You (Misa)
*Reviewed by Devache1

[Chris: I didn't know it is known as Misa too, until I almost complete the show. This is such a sad sad movie, all the way from the start to the end.. *heartache* I sobbed so much, I woke up with to 2 puffy eyes this morning!

The topic on death has always been avoided as one is always told to be more positive in life. I've been thinking and wondering how it feels to die and am really dreading the day my loved ones slowly leaves me. I'm still feeling the sadness as I recalled the scenes. Will be looking for the OST now. Before I go.. So Ji Sub is such a great actor!!]

: : Main Homepage : :
www.kbs.co.kr/drama/misa/index.html

: : Cast : :

Cha Moo-hyuk: So Ji Sup (Glass Slippers/Memories of Bali)
Song Eun-chae: Im Soo Jung (...Ing/A Tale of Two Sisters)
Choi Yoon (singer): Jung Kyung Ho
Kang Min-joo: Suh Ji Young
Moon Ji-young: Choi Yeo Jin
Oh Deul-hee (real name: Jo Mal-bok) (Yoon's mom): Lee Hye Young
Yoon Seo-kyung: Jun Hye Jin
Song Dae-chun (Eun-chae's dad): Lee Young Ha (Sang-doo)
Jang Hye-sook (Eun-chae's mom): Kim Hye Ok (Running After Dream)
Min Hyun-suk: Shin Goo (Miss Kim's Adventures in Making a Million/Wife)
Song Sook-chae (Eun-chae's older sister): Ok Ji Young
Song Min-chae (Eun-chae's younger sister): Jung Hwa Young
Kim Kal-chi (Seo-kyung's son): Park Gun Tae

: : Synopsis : :

Cha Moo Hyuk is a smalltime gangster prying the streets of Australia. He was abandoned by his parents as a kid and his foster parents brought him to Australia. Unfortunately, he was mistreated by his foster parents and thus roams the streets, cheating foreigners of their money when they are lost.

It is through one of his ruses that he bumps into Song Eun Chae. Song Eun Chae is the coordinator and childhood friend of the famous Korean singer, Choi Yoon. She sees Choi Yoon as her life's focal point and does everything she can to please him.

Choi Yoon visits Australia to do a photoshoot with another famous Korean actress, Kang Min Joo, who happens to be good friends with Eun Chae. Choi Yoon gets Eun Chae to get him close to Min Joo, as he is interested in her. It breaks Eun Chae's heart but she does so accordingly. One day, Eun Chae's luggage and money are stolen by the same crime group as Moo Hyuk.

Tired, hungry and helpless, she bumps into Moo Hyuk who helps her unknowingly. She is forced to spend a night with him when gangsters threaten in the open and the next morning, she finds her luggage and money right in front of her.

Alas, Moo Hyuk managed to find the stuff stolen by his gang and return it all to Eun Chae and with her stuff, she's happily on a plane back to Korea, when she bumps into Min Joo and Choi Yoon, who are now a couple.

Several weeks later, Moo Hyuk receives an invitation for his ex-girlfriend's wedding. At the wedding, Moo Hyuk is accidentally shot twice in the head when someone attempts an assasination bid on his ex-girlfriend's husband. The doctors save him but only can remove one bullet. The remaining bullet in lodged too deeply within his head such that it cannot be surgically removed. It's killing him, and he has no longer than a year to live. Moo Hyuk is dying and his ex-girlfriend now married. He's a roaming gangster and his life, an utter mess.

Guilt-stricken, his ex-girlfriend gives him a huge stash of cash and tells him to go back to his native Korea to find his birth parents. He does so, and finds out that his mother is none other than the famous Korean actress, Oh Deul Hee. She has a son, Choi Yoon and both mother and son are adored by the Korean people as they portray a loving relationship and are immensely popular.

Moo Hyuk is heartbroken when he even manages to enter the house of Oh Deul Hee, and sees the portrait of Choi Yoon and her son. He bumps into his birthmother for the very first time in his life, but can't help but feel so betrayed because she is doing so well in life, whilst he is merely living out the remainder of whatever little time he has left.

Feeling angry and rageful, he vows revenge upon the mother and son. He starts by getting close to Choi Yoon, eventually making it to become his manager. Bit by bit, he plots to bring Choi Yoon and his mother down, but never expects himself to fall slowly in love with Song Eun Chae, the girl he helped in Australia.

Inevitably, Choi Yoon is struck by a heart disease and to put it plainly, he will die without a heart transplant. Suddenly, Moo Hyuk is stuck with the decision of saving his brother, or selfishly bringing them down.......

The Review **Warning, Spoilers included**

"I'm Sorry I Love You" was a drama that I had been eagerly anticipating for it to arrive in my country since its release in Korea in the December of 2004. Originally planned to be screened only for 16 episodes, the netizens of Korea demanded an extension and KBS complied by asking the drama's directors and producers to extend by another 4 episodes. However, the makers of the drama refused and said they couldn't and quite frankly, I'm happy they did.

"I'm Sorry I Love You" is the first Korean drama that I've catch in 2005 and to put it in a nutshell, it didn't disappoint. The drama doesn't revolve around the typical stereotypes in Korean dramas. The storyline is unique and the acting by the two main leads are nothing short of outstanding. It focuses on a mother's love for her child and how human beings are inevitably, soft-hearted creatures.

In fact, the drama was so popular that KBS even issued a second OST album for it due to overwhelming response. Not to mention that the last two episodes were so sad, that even the makers of the drama couldn't help but cry when the scenes were played out (I'm crying now as I'm listening to the OST in fact....nonetheless..) But enough about how great this drama is, let's move on to the cast and the memorable moments in this drama:

: : Cast : :

So Ji Sup as Cha Moo Hyuk
Marvellous.
Bravo.
Outstanding.

I don't have the vocabulary to describe So Ji Sup's performance in 'Misa'. I had watched him in 'Memories of Bali' and always knew that he was good. But this time he really outdid all of us.

I would quote what one member of Soompi said: "So Ji Sup is just perfect for Cha Moo Hyuk".

Many a times I found myself amazed at the intensity of his expressions. The countless times he threw tantrums as the irritable Cha Moo Hyuk (the bullet affects his mood greatly). The way So Ji Sup reaches out to his audience is nothing short of spectacular. I find it a huge pity he has to go serve out his military service as a Korean after this drama (He enlisted in Febuary 05 I believe, and Korean males are required to serve for a mandatory two years), but I'm sure once he returns to the acting scene, he will have no shortage of offers to do movies and dramas.

Cha Moo Hyuk is one angry man, abandoned by his mother only to find she is doing so well now. He plots his revenge but falls in love with Song Eun Chae. He is further angered by Eun Chae's devotion to Choi Yoon, his half-brother. In the entire show, some of the things that Moo Hyuk does may be all in an attempt to plot the downfall of his mother and half-brother, but he never jeopadises Eun Chae, and quite rightly so, he puts her right up the list of his priorities.

If Choi Yoon is God to Eun Chae, then Eun Chae is quite simply God to Moo Hyuk.

When he sees how well Eun Chae fits in with his family (he has a retarded twin sister and her son), he feels he can leave this world in peace. There is this scene in the drama that made me tear very badly, when we hear dear Moo Hyuk think aloud as he piggybacked her back home:

"Dear God,
If you would allow Song Eun Chae to be with me, from now to my death.
If you would allow her just be with me.
My hate.
My anger.
My jealousy.
I would gladly take it all back."

I felt So Ji Sup must have been really deeply affected by his role in "Misa". Though I'm not sure, I believe So Ji Sup was raised single-handedly by his mother and during the KBS Award ceremony in 2004, when he won the prize for Best Actor together with Bi, he thanked his mother. Perhaps it was this upbringing that helped So Ji Sup adapt to Cha Moo Hyuk's role so effortlessly.

So Ji Sup may not be as handsome as Bae Yong Jun or charming as Lee Byung Hun, but you can't deny the amount of talent he exudes by his acting.

Simply mindblowing.

Im Soo Jung as Song Eun Chae

With comparisons to her co-star, I loved Im Soo Jung from top to bottom. She was very much what her character required to portray: A simple-minded girl without her own dreams. In the beginning, Eun Chae desired whatever Choi Yoon desired, because Choi Yoon was the epitomy of her life. But once she got to know Moo Hyuk, that changed forever.

She learnt what it felt like to be loved, what it meant to have your own direction in life. Many a times we find Eun Chae torn between Moo Hyuk and Choi Yoon, and it's especially saddening when we see poor Eun Chae hallucinating about Moo Hyuk. I guess it was simply how much she was pining for him but know she couldn't because Choi Yoon needed her.

Jung Kyung Ho isn't too bad himself, excelling as the spoilt and incredibly-sensitive Choi Yoon. He may play the spoilt brat in the initial stages of this drama but the ending sees him transform into a mature person as he bravely discusses with Moo Hyuk over how the both of them should just leave Eun Chae, as both of them are driving her crazy.

Suh Ji Young, member of the K-pop group, SHARP, not a bad performance by her but I think her role was more aethestic than anything else. Apart from the few scenes where Moo Hyuk disguises himself as a rich man and seduces her away from Choi Yoon to complete his revenge, she's ok.

: : Reviewer's Thoughts (Post-drama) : :

The inital stages of "I'm Sorry I Love You" may be a little slow and unappealing to most but that was the way in which the director purposely played the drama out. The dramas get especially tear-jerking and appealing in the final four episodes, as we see Eun Chae slowly succumbing to the pressure she faces from Moo Hyuk and Choi Yoon.

We also see a more humane side of Oh Deul Hee, the birthmother of Moo Hyuk as she breaks down in front of the doctor saying she would do anything to save Choi Yoon, including give her heart. I really pitied Moo Hyuk at that scene. Imagine your birthmother saying she will do anything to save her son, yet you her other son, is standing right beside her, dying. If Choi Yoon was sad, then Moo Hyuk was pathetic. Because Choi Yoon had some remote hope of survival, but Moo Hyuk had only his inevitable death to anticipate.

There were numerous scenes that I felt touched me very deeply through this drama, but they mainly came in the last four episodes. There is this scene where we hear Eun Chae confessing to Moo Hyuk through the toilet door, as Moo Hyuk is violently vomiting out his food (a sign of his impending death), and she keeps telling him how sorry she was... and how she wanted so so much to bring him happiness but all she could give him was pain and more pain.

And there's the scene where Moo Hyuk forces Eun Chae to promise him she will forget him soon after he is gone, because he does not wish to see her suffer emotionally after his death.

Eun Chae promises him but knows all too clearly she won't. She tries to snap photos of him on her handphone for remembrance sake and eventually falls asleep........ when they part again, she brings out the handphone to see him just once more.... but alas the photos are gone. Moo Hyuk had only pretended to fall asleep and deleted the photos while Eun Chae was asleep. [Chris: One of the most heart-wrenching scene.. made me sobbed real bad]

The drama revolved not only around the love of Eun Chae and Moo Hyuk, but also the love Moo Hyuk yearned so much from his mother. This is more apparent when Choi Yoon and Moo Hyuk are in a discussion and Choi Yoon revealed to Moo Hyuk that he was adopted. Moo Hyuk is in shock and Choi Yoon simply tells him:

"For someone who is unrelated to her, she is willing to give up her own life. What do you think she would do for her own son?"

That left Moo Hyuk in a daze and it was also when he realised that he had made a terrible mistake, and that his mother had not intentionally abandoned him.

The subtlety in which the drama was shot also made it a huge hit.

The times when Moo Hyuk and Eun Chae would sit next to each other and not talk, but yet have so much to say. Many a times, the director drew a parellel between Moo Hyuk and Choi Yoon. It's even more obvious in this photo where Moo Hyuk is lying against the wall, with him beside the photo of his mother, and behind him the face of Choi Yoon.

And the last episode when he requests for Oh Deul Hee to cook for him just once: For a son to eat the food cooked by his mother for the first and last time . We see Moo Hyuk sobbing uncontrollably as he thinks aloud about how he's so happy to have such a mother like Oh Deul Hee who loves her foster son (Choi Yoon) so much, and forgives her to deal with his imminent death alone.

"I'm Sorry I Love You" has a deeper meaning throughout the normal K-dramas we see about love. It dwells more on the humanity of a person and if anyone ever doubted how silly the title was, think twice. In the end, we see Eun Chae travel to Australia and revisit the places where she first met Moo Hyuk and recap on those times.

She eventually visits the cemetary in which Moo Hyuk is buried (Moo Hyuk had passed away and donated his heart to Choi Yoon). On his tombstone engraved are the words: ""I'm Sorry I Love You"", because he had left Eun Chae with memories and memories alone, as he could no longer be with her. We see Eun Chae narrating as she lie down beside his grave:

"Even as I was alive, he was lonely.
I can't leave him alone like this.
Just this once in my life.
I'm thinking for myself.
And living for myself.
I will accept any punishment that comes."

What that meant, I leave it to you to go watch the drama and find out what happened, as I wish not to spoil the ending for you.

"I'm Sorry I Love You" is drama beautiful beyond words.

You must watch it, and in my opinion bags a full 5 out of 5.

. . how it started . .

2005-12-15T13:30:00.000+08:00

When did it first started??

Hmm.. let's see, when did Autumn Tales started showing in Singapore?? 2002 I think? I can't really recall. Nope, that really wasn't the exact time when I started this addiction, it was only the time I started taking notice of Kdramas as it was the first Korean drama to be shown in SG, if I'm not wrong. I did tried to catch an episode or two, but coz my TV doesn't have the dual sound function and I totally dislike dubbing as I preferred the original audio despite the language and chinese subtitles, I gave it a go. Never really participate in the discussion among my friends about this show as well since I didn't watch. The hot fav guy and gal then was SSH and SHG but I wasn't into them. Well, I missed a good period where Kdrama was hot. And yes, it was only much later when I stepped into this 'world', but better late than never.

Oh wait, I just remembered that I have watched "Beautiful Life" by LBH and CJW (every Tuesday and Wednesday evening)and also "Soo Ho Chun Sah (Guardian Angel)" by SHG (every Sunday morning 11.00am). As much as I think both is really nice and I tried to make it a point to watch it, it was just a hi-bye thing for me then. I tried renting a drama, can't remember the title but I think it starred SSH since he was the only actor I knew in the K-scene. I didn't complete it. Not sure why, I just can't force myself to watch it. So when I returned, I didn't think I would borrow any kdrama from then on. Not until one day, my colleague, Claudine decided to lend me her Kdramas.

The first one I borrowed was "All In" which she said it is very nice. Somemore, it starred LBH and SHG. Well, it totally blew me off and since I don't have to wait weekly for an episode to be aired, I completed that drama within days, whereby I stayed till the wee hours, only to woke up 1 to 2 hours later to work. Yep, since then, I've suffered from the syndromes that most kdrama fans encountered, one of which, dark circles. Love that show so much since it contains dual sound, I bought it from Claudine and was really into LBH. The happiest thing every obsessed kdrama fans love is that the main characters who were lovers in dramas, became real lovers in real life. So that was exactly what happened to LBH and SHG! Well, as we all know by now, they have since separated but moving on well with their own lives. Shan't elaborate further for now though, else this will entry will never end!

Anyways, I can't remember which comes first, "Hotelier" or "Winter Sonata", I think it's Winter Sonata which Fion lent me if I remember correctly. I tell you.. I am totally blown over upside down even till today, by that show. Yes, I was really really late when I became obsessed in that show because "Winter Sonata" was shown in TV and it blew a big tornado in SG, and I didn't even know about it until much later!! Stupid me! Bae Yong Joon, the main guy in Winter Sonata, totally had me with that gorgeous smile, he became my most obsessed actor in my life history. Did so many silly things over him, which you can read from my blog, www.luvjoon.blogspot.com. Yes, a blog just for him and everything about him. Shan't elaborate further for now also, go read up my blog and you will get what I mean.

Anyways, it will never end for this entry if I typed further. Maybe I'll break it up into parts which will be easier to read. I just want to thank whoever started the Korean Wave in SG, which I think is the then U-Channel. Thank you for bringing such entertainment joy to Singapore!

. . first post . .

2005-12-15T13:24:00.000+08:00

Crazily, I've created so many blogs in almost anything that I'm totally in to, how can I not create one more of my interest in Kdramas?

Each time I completed a Kdrama, I will usually be so engrossed into finding more information of that drama until another drama sweep me off my feet. But these information usually just come and go and when one day I want to find those info again, I couldn't locate them.

So, this place, will just be a one-stop station for everything that I've researched on any Korean dramas.

The end.