Aaaargh!!!

Decided to skip classes today. Woke up at 4 a.m. feeling feverish.  Nasty migraine and colds! Augh!!! Will write Queen Seon Deok's third review as soon as eyes and nose clear up.  Right now everything's still grainy, boggy, and stuffy... 

WHEN, OH WHEN WILL THESE TWO EVER BE TOGETHER????? (SOB)

On a side note, I'm really trying to hate Lord Seolwon (the Gregory Potemkin to Russia's Catherine the Great in this drama) as much as I loathe Bojong's wingman.  But  Jeon No Min ironically, has such a nice, calm, reassuring, even comforting kind of voice that makes it impossible for me to hate his character.  Every time he calls Mishil "seju" (don't know what that means) or even when he's elaborating on some grand, devious plan to her Legion of Doom (yep, that's what I'm going to call them from now on), I'm always captivated and entranced by the sound of his voice.  Indeed, his is the voice of a poet -- gentle and melodious that could soothe even the most savage soul.  Ah, the metaphor! :-)  Needless to say, I'm also looking forward to what happens to Lord Seolwon in the next consecutive episodes.  I find the character immensely interesting because of his shrewdness (at times, his lucidity is frightening) and ardent devotion to Mishil.  Mishil, on the other hand, has found a partner and a soulmate in him (their relationship almost mirrors that of Yushin and Deokman). Both are equally gifted strategists, fiercely intelligent, deeply introspective, and ruthless as hell whose only fault in this world is to be born without royal blood.  Unbeknownst to them, it would be their mutual lust for power that would seal Deokman's fate and change the history of the Kingdom of Silla forever. 

P.S.  Chun Chu, you SUCK!!! 

The Ultimate Place For Everything

I recently stumbled upon this awesome file-sharing Chinese website, VeryCD.com where you can download loads and loads of great stuffs.  It's in Chinese of course but you could always use Google Translator to find your way around it.  A word of caution though, sometimes Google crashes as it tries to translate the page.  I always find this hilarious! :-)  So anyway, VeryCD works like a torrent index site so you'll also be needing some sort of network client.  In this case, you'll be needing eMule.  I've recently downloaded some hard-to-find albums and believe me, the download time is actually way faster than those other Western-based torrent portals.  What's also worth mentioning is the fact that every time you download something, the site would suggest similar files that you might likewise be interested to download, sort of like Amazon's "Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought" section.  I found this to be very helpful.  

Green is Awesome!!

Really really excited with next year's Green Lantern the Movie.  Ryan Reynolds wasn't the first person  I would imagine wearing the power ring and donning the green uniform, but he's got an aw-shuck kind of cuteness and cockiness that I'm pretty sure would make him a great Hal Jordan.  I'd like to see the Green Lantern Corp's resident douchebag Guy Gardner but unfortunately, he is not included in the movie (mope).  Carol Ferris (Hal Jordan's love interest) is played by Blake Lively and I sure hope she pulls it off because right now, I still can't picture Serena in her shiny Manolos calling the shots as a pilot administrator.  I love how the producers stayed true to Sinestro's color.  Hee!  :-) I thought they won't be able to pull it off and Sinestro would come out as a laughable, mustachioed villain with a pink glow.  But judging from the posters, I think the color does add to the character's sense of malevolence.  I'm not that familiar with Hector Hammond because my knowledge of the Green Lantern Universe is limited from what I've gotten out of watching Superfriends (wood is bad, yellow is worse) and the Justice League.  Wait, there's also that Duck Dodger cartoon where Daffy Duck inadvertently becomes a Green Lantern after picking up Hal Jordan's laundry.  (In blackest day or brightest night, watermelon, cantaloupe, yadda yadda.. LOL!! )  

Oh Rain!!

Could you scratch my back?  Yep, a little lower...

Whoever told me that I should watch Ninja Assassin because it was awesome can drop dead right now.  The film was total crap!!  Thank you very much for wasting almost two hours of my life!  Rain deserves better than this!!  I deserve better than this (mimicking Dwight in The Office Picnic episode)!!  Sure, you can all say that I'm a girl and I'm supposed to be grossed-out by too much blood.  Dear producers and writers, it's not the blood or the headless/armless bodies I can't stand. It's the inane storytelling and the endless flashbacks.  If I wanted flashbacks, I would watch Lost okay?  Sometimes, I'm quite opposed to the idea of Asian actors being introduced to mainstream Hollywood because they are constrained to playing stereotypical roles such as ninjas, members of the Yakuza, stupid fat Chinese guys, or basically roles that do not require them to act but just smirk.  Only a few could be as lucky as Jackie Chan, Jet Li, or Chow Yun Fat but it took them YEARS before they were able to break into Hollywood.  Now, I get why the multi-talented Tony Leung refused to go mainstream.  It's not because of his pride, it was the wise thing to do. 

Now, back to Rain.  Poor guy.  If it weren't for the subtitles, I would not be able to understand a single thing he was saying.  I suppose, he's got to practice his Engrish a bit more.  I was watching TVN's (a Korean channel in cable) showbiz news the other day and I can't believe they're still agog over the fact that Rain won the 2010 MTV Movie Award's Biggest Badass.  It has been months, guys!!  They also giddily mentioned that when Rain stepped on the stage to get his award, Paris Hilton was staring fixatedly at him.  Oh gosh people, Paris stares and flirts with every guy who's not comatose in the planet.  She also sleeps with everyone.  So you shouldn't take that as a compliment, Rain.  At best, it would be smart for you to run.  

Internet Shopping

Finally, received my package from Yesasia!! Yay!! It has been several years since I've had my credit card but I'm still hesistant to purchase online.  I had a short job in American Express once and from what I've learned, the sheer number of fraudulent charges being made everyday via the internet is somewhat terrifying.  Nonetheless, Yesasia offers a wide range of traditional Asian and classical CDs that I've had my eyes on for so long.  So last week, I transferred some of my purchases from my "save for later items" to my shopping cart, and with all the bravery that I could muster, I punched in my credit card number, praying to the Heavens that no internet hacker has been snooping in on my account ready to use my credit card for some cheap internet porn or worse, for liposuction!! 

Vampires Suck!!

LOL!! Finally, someone got it right!!! :-)  

I don't really watch a lot of parody films (i.e. Epic Movie, Date Movie, Meet the Spartans) because they border from cheap and ridiculous to down right dumb but at least the writers do know that no one will take them seriously so they just throw in every crap that they could think of on us which I think is pretty smart.  So, here's something to shut the faces of those screechy, annoying Twilight fans.  (Jacob and his posse of shirtless werewolves dancing It's Raining Men is a riot!!)  Enjoy!  

P.S.  I think I'm gonna watch this movie only because my favorite Spanish Professor, Senor Chang (a.k.a Ken Jeong) is there.  Senor Chang FTW! 

Senor Chang:  Every once in a while, a student will come up to me and ask, "Señor Chang, why do you teach Spanish?"  They say it just like that.  Why do you teach Spanish?  Why you? Why not math?  Why not photography? Why not martial arts?  I mean, surely, it must be in my nature to instruct you in something that's ancient and secret, like, oh, building a wall that you can see from outer space! Well, I'll tell you why I teach Spanish. It is none of your business, okay? I don't wanna have any conversations about what a mysterious, inscrutable man I am.  I am a Spanish Genius!!  In español, my nickname is El Tigre Chino!!

Queen Seon Deok - Second Review

I'm now on the second DVD of Queen Seon Deok.  So that means, I'm already halfway!!! Hahaha, progress people!! :-) Geez, come to think of it, I've been missing a lot of my morning classes lately... Hmm...

So what's happening now is that after several episodes of barely escaping from the clutches of... basically everyone in Korea who wants her head, Deokman with the help of ever-loyal Lord Yushin (yay!!), Lord Alcheon, and a mysterious vagabond named Bidam, resolve to reclaim her right to the throne and destroy Mishil once and for all.  Deokman sets up an elaborate and ingenious plan involving prophecies and a solar eclipse to dupe Mishil, her cohorts, and subsequently destroy her reputation as a demi-god.  The back and forth complex power play between the two camps is nail-biting and when we see Deokman's plan triumph, we can't help but raise our fists and celebrate vicariously in the thrill of her victory.  Well, I certainly did that and I also yelled at my television screen, "Hah!! In your face Mishil, Lord Seolwon, Bojong, and all the other villains whose names I could not pronounce or remember!!!"

Nonetheless, as Spiderman would put it, "With great power comes great responsibility (sheesh, I have to stop using that quote)." And indeed, reclaiming the crown entails sacrifices for both Deokman and Yushin.  We all know by now that these two definitely love each other (Yushin's declaration of his feelings for her in the forest is sooo swoon-worthy. Hee...) but Deokman's royal responsibilities would prevent them from ever having the kind of relationship they want to have.  In her own words (now I'm close to tearing up), he won't be able to stroke her hair, hold her hand, or touch her ever again.  She also admits that every time she sees Yushin, her strength to fight for the crown wavers as she ponders perchance, the carefree and happy life they could have together had she run away with him (okay, here comes the waterworks).  In the end, Yushin decides to suppress his feelings for her and convert them into sincere loyalty and fierce devotion instead. And then they tearfully embrace one last time amidst a tender, haunting, and beautiful score.

AHHHH!!! HEART BREAK!!! I know right? This has started to become like Elizabeth but yeah, we got your point Deokman -- royal responsibilities and stuff, career before love, okay. But OMFGAAA, this is so  darn gut wrenching, utterly and devastatingly painful that I might need some anti-depressants later.  I feel like I'm watching The Notebook all over again (yeah, I'm a suckah for romance)!   My heart really bleeds for these two sad and scarred warriors. :-(

Now, I'm wondering how Yushin will be be able to suppress those feelings for so long?  Anyhow, we still have a long way to go, with 32 more episodes and I guess the inevitable love triangle between Bidam, Deokman, and Yushin will soon come up with Bidam possibly getting the upper hand (?) now that Yushin has locked his feelings inside a box (I sincerely hope he didn't throw away the key).  Sheesh, I don't like Bidam okay?  I don't care if his martial arts is kick-ass.  His perpetual smirk is annoying so I'll just call him Smirky from now on. And besides, Yushin and Deokman look better and more regal together, don't they?  Yeah, yeah I know.  I'm partial for Yushin but you just have to fall in love with a guy who'll embrace you tightly and keep you warm if you're getting the chills, who'll stake everything just to be at your side, and who's willing to sacrifice life and limb just to protect you, right?  Right?  RIGHT?  Oh well, I guess we'll just have to see what happens in the next episodes.  For now, I'll be needing another box of Kleenex (sniff).

Waiting for The Office

Okay, so by now, it is officially confirmed that Steve Carell will be leaving The Office and season 7 will be apparently his last gig.  I would say that I was not totally surprised by Steve's decision to leave the show.  After all, this guy has been hitting it big in the box office with recent films like Date Night and Despicable Me and I'm betting his soon-to-be released Dinner for Schmucks will make a lot of Benjamins as well.  So, I think it's just fair for him and for us to let him move on to other opportunities and to greater heights.  It would be a little bit sad though because I, and the rest of world who grew to love this incompetent but big-hearted boss, could not imagine what The Office would be like without Steve.  Sure, there's always gonna be Rainn Wilson and Ed Helms who are just as funny as hell but Carell as office boss Michael Gary Scott, has always been the heart of the show.  I mean, did any of you remember that episode where Angela told Michael that her cat died and with utmost disbelief, Michael asked, "Sprinkles?".  I cried laughing because apparently, it was only Michael who remembered the cat's name (everyone in The Office finds Angela's devotion to her cats totally freaky) and that to me, established the fact that Michael, inept as he is in management, deeply cares for his staff to the point that he would make an effort to memorize the names of their pets.  That to me, is sweet and priceless.

Nonetheless, we have to accept the inevitable fact that Steve will be departing and I'm glad that NBC is letting Carell go. Sometimes, I'm a bit turned off by actors/actresses who demand salaries that are as over-bloated as their egos when renewing their contracts.  Steve, smart guy that he is, knows when to stop. 

Now that the new season will be starting, I'm really excited how the writers will show Michael's exit and how he will ever get to be with his one true love, Holly Flax.  And who's going to take over Michael's job?  Honestly, I would like it to be either Dwight (No.1 salesperson, people!!) or Cornell-dude Andy because he's the most similar to Michael in terms of character and Ed Helms never fails to make me laugh. Still, I'd go to whomever the writers choose and I'd bet we'd all be surprised when they eventually reveal the new boss. On the other hand, I'll certainly be amused if they choose resident creepy-crawly Creed Bratton. LOL!! :-)  

Indeed, I'll definitely miss Michael Scott.  Heck, I've now "befriended" him in Friendster and I soo hate that freaking social networking site.  I've even started re-reading the Scranton Newsletter, specifically Michael's hilarious rants against long-suffering HR Rep, Toby Flenderson.  For now, I think I'm just gonna enjoy Carell's last season and let his Michael do what his Michael does best, annoy and drive people crazy.  :-)

Michael: "What is wrong with these people? They have no willpower. I once went 28 years without having sex. And then again for seven years."

Michael:  When I discovered YouTube, I didn't work for five days. I did nothing. I viewed cookie monster sings chocolate rain about 1,000 times.

Michael:  The company has made it my responsibility today to put an end to 100,000 years of being weirded out by gays.

Personal Rants

I just hate it when people keep insisting that I can still be friends with my ex and I'm like, "Why the effing hell would I still want to be friends with someone who broke my heart and who broke my laptop?" See, this is the problem with having an ex-boyfriend within your circle of friends.  Everyone, expects the two of you to recover quickly and be civil to one another as soon as possible so those Friday nights hang outs won't be awkward. Sure, in a perfect Friends-esque world, when you break up with said boyfriend, after a couple of days, everything immediately goes back to normal, you're buddy-buddies once again, your circle of friendship is preserved, you can always afford to buy a tall Caramel Macchiato, and wear great clothes from Ralph Lauren in spite of your meager income. Well people, that is not how it works in this world okay??? If a person breaks your heart, the last thing you'd like to do is see that person again. So, I hope you people understand that the reason why I'm making up excuses not to go for coffee or dinners with you is because I don't want to see HIM again and I don't care if it has already been a couple of months either. Get rid of HIM and I'll go with you, okay??

Qeen Seon Deok - Initial Review

So I finally started to hop aboard the Korean wave train and began watching Korean dramas with English subtitles.  But see, the problem with Korean TV episodes which are downloaded off from the internet is that the English subs could be quite atrocious. You will be able to grasp the meaning of their conversation though, but sometimes the thought is incomplete or lost in translation. For instance, I remember reading an English sub sample like this, "She entered the room suddenly so I become..." Huh? Sometimes they would have subs in really highfalutin English, with words like "sagacious, injunction, parturient, ambuscade, compeer, etc" which I think you would hardly ever use in a normal everyday conversation. Now, I'm not sure if those are the official English subs in the original DVDs but unless I could find a way to save money to be able to purchase them, I would have to contend myself with the English subs from the net. So armed with my good old Webster dictionary (just in case I encounter those highfalutin English words again), I started watching the highly-praised Korean costume drama, Queen Seon Deok (QSD).

I must say that I'm certainly envious of the Koreans because they could produce epic shows such as this. I should first mention the score because I think one of the most crucial elements in movie making is the music's ability to effectively render the film's atmosphere and the character's emotions in the absence of dialogue and QSD does not fail on this. The score is indeed haunting and beautiful.

Like an epic movie, QSD's sets are extravagant and grandiose, the sceneries are breath-taking, the Asian-style swordfights are fast-paced, and the colorful period costumes are a visual feast in the eyes. The first episodes depict QSD's childhood with some parts seeming to drag on forever. I don't know why they had to devote 10(?) episodes (I'm not sure of the actual count, it may be 11 or 12) in order to show QSD's birth and childhood. Sure, I know the writers need to show how Deokman (that's QSD's childhood name) grows up to be an intelligent, brave, and street-smart kid in spite of being thrown out of the kingdom and living a desert nomad's life, but they could certainly do that in five (or seven tops) episodes!! There's also lots of talks and bicker regarding palace politics, intrigue, and sex (hinted very subtly) that would give the Romans a run for their money with everyone sitting down, plotting nefarious conspiracies, having tea, and giving long meaningful glances at each other. Apparently, the King and the all-powerful Mishil, (this show's female Darth Vader) hate each other's guts and each one wants the other one dead but no one's really doing anything. Aw c'mon people, start with the martial arts already!!

Thankfully, after those 10 episodes, the pace finally picks up and becomes very exciting as the kingdom goes to war and it so happens that Deokman gets enlisted in the royal army while pretending to be a boy. See, one of the recurring themes in most Korean dramas is "gender bender" (think Coffee Prince, You're Beautiful, etc.). Under the command of Lord Kim Yushin (love this guy!), Deokman and the rest of her ragtag platoon trains for the war with hilarious comical effects. Think Mulan without the singing. But things eventually get serious as the war becomes a nightmare, with lots of bloodbath, gore, and turning on the waterworks. On these battle scenes, Deokman gets to show her exceptional leadership skills and "Aja-aja! Fighting!!" side which earns her the respect of Lord Yushin, her comrades, and heck, everyone else!! You go girl!! After the war, everyone in the palace goes again to sitting, plotting, and staring mode.

I stopped watching at episode 19 because my head began to hurt from watching for three consecutive nights. I'll probably write the second part of this review next week but what basically happens was that after the war, Deokman eventually discovers her royal lineage, one of her comrades soon finds out that she is a girl, the Queen finally gets to meet her, Mishil begins to get suspicious and plots her evil Evil EVIL schemes, and we get to see lots and lots of Deokman-Yushin moments!!! Yay!!

I love the chemistry between Lee Yo-Won (Deokman) and Uhm Tae Woong (Yushin). Every time they banter, my television screen lightens up. It's obvious that these two have feelings for each other. :) Apparently, Yushin already knows beforehand about Deokman's gender-bender thing. He chanced upon her while she was taking a bath during her training days (ahahaha!). That would certainly explain his protective attitude towards her. When asked why he did not reveal Deokman's real identity, he answers, "Because I don't want to part with her." Ahhhh moments (faints)!! :)

Beethoven Virus Review - Awesome and Inspiring!!

I must admit I was a little bit late catching up with the Korean Wave although it has already hit our shores pretty much several years ago starting with shows like Lovers in Paris which I watched mainly (albeit sporadically) because it featured beautiful scenes of France. I'm not really a fan of melodramas especially those glacially-paced ones. Heck, even Grey's Anatomy makes me nauseous sometimes.

A couple of months ago, I tried watching Beethoven Virus and I was instantly hooked. I used to play the piano as a kid and I love listening to classical music when solving calculus problems or writing essays in the pretext that it would somehow make me smarter. Initially, I would just watch the show's rehearsal and orchestral clips (their renditions of Gabriel's Oboe, William Tell Overture, and Beethoven's Ninth symphony are a must-see!!) and then switch the remote to other channels during the drama scenes. Eventually, I decided to sit through the whole episodes in order to understand the characters better and the emotion and tension among the orchestra members.

I'm very glad I decided to give this Korean TV series a try because not only did it re-introduce me to classical music but I got to understand the dynamics of how the orchestra works, how it functions as a single unit albeit the multitude instruments, and the indispensable role each member has to play in order to make harmony and beautiful music together. And I must mention that the score itself is captivating and simply gorgeous. I also like the fact that the maestro (played wonderfully by Kim Myung Min) would give little lectures about classical music. His sardonic dry wit and sharp tongue ("What's so great about Julliard? Play like a dog and you're in there!" and "Your performance was rubbish!! You disgraced Brahms!!") would usually upset his orchestra members but this is a man who cares about his orchestra deeply and passionately. The depiction of classical music and the lives and struggles of its musicians to find their place once more in this pop-dominated world which has seemingly rendered them obsolete, is equally heartfelt and inspiring.

Of course, no Korean drama would be complete without some form of romantic tension between the leads. In this case, between the pompous but sensitive maestro and the eternally optimistic violinist/concert mistress played by Lee Ji Ah but I like the fact that the writers made it sweet and simple although the resolution of the aforementioned romance during the finale made me swoon (hee hee..)! Joyful, joyful we adore thee indeed!! :)

I'm really thankful that Beethoven Virus has re-introduced me to Korean drama. I'm now halfway through Queen Seon Deok and I'm thinking of watching other more Korean series after I'm done with it. 100+ stars!! :)