My Top 10 of 2010

It's the time of the year and it was hard to choose 10 songs because 2010 was so...bland...Not in particular order.

美 - 王力宏 --- Album: 十八般武藝

完美孤獨 - 莫文蔚 --- Album: 寶貝

雨下一整晚 - 周杰倫 --- Album: 跨時代

Double Trouble - 張學友 --- Album: Private Corner

LOVE! - Hebe --- Album: To Hebe

吹摯友 - C君 featuring 方大同 --- Album: 奇蹟

無人之境 - 陳奕迅 --- Album: Time Flies

Rock It - 大嘴巴 --- Album: 万凸3

愛不愛 - 郭采潔 --- Album: 煙火

Deadline - 張敬軒 --- Album: N/A

* All pics from Yesasia.com

Heartbreak Library

Heartbreak Library Synopsis: (from http://www.koreanfilm.org.kr)
Eun-soo, a librarian watches for book vandalism that currently happens in the library. One day, she catches Jun-oh tearing off certain page of books. Eun-soo accuses him of vandalism but soon discovers the complex story behind his actions. Jun-oh’s girlfriend suddenly leaves him with only a mysterious note. “Look up page 198”. Jun-oh’s girlfriend was a bibliophile and she checked out books regularly at the library. Jun-oh goes to the library and tears out page 198 from every book he comes in touch. As Eun-soo has just broken up, she gives him an advice saying that he has to let her go if she really meant it. However, looking at Jun-oh torn apart by his love, Eun-soo starts to help him decipher the messages on page 198 of all the books.

My comments:
The reason I chose to watch this movie: Lee Dong Wook! Heartbreak Library is a very simple love story in which each lead learns how to let go. Viewers get hints that imply very early that the girlfriend is dead so the mystery message of this ‘page 198' and the background story of Jun Oh is what makes me keep going. My friend who saw it said it was a snoozer but although I found it slow moving at times, I liked it overall because I work in a similar environment as Eun Soo so there is a sense of familiarity. The library scenes so remind me of my work. Ha!

Watching...

Well, tried watching Fugitive: Plan B but couldn't get further than 2 episodes despite liking (even loving) the three male leads and lead actress Lee Na Young is someone I usually enjoy watching in movies. Problem with this one drama? I dunno, it's a bit too pretentious and it's really hard to follow when everyone interacts in multiple languages. I even see Josie Ho and Ti Lung appearing in this drama...


Therefore, I'm currently watching How I Met Your Mother Season 5 instead...

The Jade and the Pearl

The Jade and the Pearl Synopsis (from AsianMediaWiki)
Princess Yan becomes engaged to a King from the faraway state of Fan. Princess Yan & her entourage are then escorted to the Fan State by General Ching Hin (Raymond Lam). During the long journey, Princess Yan & General Ching Hin often bicker with each other, but soon falls in love. The couple even exchanges loves tokens - a pearl from Yan's dowry and a family treasure jade from General Ching Hin.

Suddenly, the convey is attacked and Princess falls off a cliff and loses her memory. General Cheng is taken by a group of bandits led by Chuk Sam Leung (Joey Yung).

The princess is saved by a storyteller named Ling Kam Hoi (Cho-lam Wong) and starts a new life with him, not rembering she is royalty. When Princess Yan and General Cheng finally reunite, Princess Yan has fallen in love with Ling Kam Hoi.

My comments:

If you have free time and really have nothing to do, then watch The Jade and the Pearl. If not, then don’t bother. I shouldn’t take this movie seriously but I felt like I wrongly invested my time in this one even though the last twenty minutes before the ending was not as bad. Sorry Raymond, I’m your fan but even you couldn’t save the movie. I can accept that the setting was a fusion of ancient and modern but the movie suffered bad story, bad acting, bad costumes, bad everything! The first half was lame and childish and the ending was so cheesy that made me want to gag.

Is it me; I didn’t feel the supposing love chemistry between Raymond Lam and Charlene Choi while I thought Charlene and Wong Cho Lam made a more believable pair. Is Joey Yung self mocking her bad acting or what? She was absolutely cringe-worthy. Cameos were fun to watch but that was it.

Sungkyunkwan Scandal

Haha…I can’t believe that I caught the Sungkyunkwan Scandal (KBS, 20 episodes) fever too…

Sungkyunkwan Scandal Synopsis: (from DramaWiki)
Sungkyunkwan Scandal is set in Sungkyunkwan University in the late Joseon era during the reign of King Jeongjo, revolving around the exploits and love stories of four youths. When her younger brother's illness worsens and their family is in danger of being evicted from their house for lack of money, Kim Yoon Hee enters the school under his name, disguised as a boy in her desperation to support him. There, she becomes friends with the intelligent and upright Lee Sun Joon, the playboy Goo Yong Ha and rebellious Moon Jae Shin.

Cast:
Micky Yoochun as Lee Sun Joon
Park Min Young as Kim Yoon Hee
Song Joong Ki as Goo Yong Ha
Yoo Ah In as Moon Jae Shin
Seo Hyo Rim as Ha Hyo Eun
Kim Min Seo as Cho Sun
Jun Tae Soo as Ha In Soo

My comments:
I usually would not pick a Korean ancient drama but I heard a lot of good things about Sungkyunkwan Scandal so I decided to give it a shot. I’m pleasantly surprised at how much I liked it. I view it as an ancient version of Hana Kimi and the quartet as the scholar version of A.N.Jell (in You’re Beautiful).

I always like stories with the girl cross-dressing as a guy and it’s usually hilarious when the guys start to fall for her and then question their orientation. In this drama, it took long enough (15 episodes) for our dummy hero Sun Joon to know Yoon Hee’s gender and when he knew the truth, surprisingly he wasn’t as angry as I expected him to be. I totally expected one or two episodes where he would be all pissed off and mad; well not that I'm complaning...It’s so funny that Yong Ha knew from the very first glance that Yoon Hee is a girl and wanted to prove it to the other oblivious two but failed at every attempt. Aw…and Jae Shin, the poor guy hiccups whenever he is near a girl so imagine at first when he knew…hehe…I still LOL at the sleeping arrangements scenes (1, 2).

Too bad that the ending is too rushed. There were so many questions that left unanswered. We have a closure ending for our quartet but what about the others? I would like to know what happened to Ha In Soo and his sister. I kinda liked Ha In Soo despite what he did in the drama was glaring at everyone but I thought he had potential to be Sun Joon’s love rival. Why was Cho Sun in her situation in the first place? What really happened during the night Jae Shin’s brother and Yoon Hee’s dad’s murder? There’s this big talk about a better future for Korea but was it realized? It would be nice if there was ONE scene in which Yong Ha and Jae Shin telling Yoon Hee that they knew she was a girl. If I remember correctly, Jae Shin did not confess (at least verbally) once to Yoon Hee and now that’s a first in the little K-drama history that I know...

I thought the overall acting was great considering that they were mostly newbies. Park Min Young looks too girlish (she has manga-like round sparkling eyes) to pass as guy but I guess in an ancient setting it’s passable. Song Joong Ki and Yoo Ah In shone in their roles and I absolutely found their bromance endearing. Micky Yoo Chun was a bit wooden at the beginning but I guess that was part of the character and he just got progressively better. Ah…I’ll surely remember you guys, Jalgeum Quartet.

That is too cute to not post it (from kbs.com.kr)

* Opening credit of the drama

Break Up Club

Break Up Club Synopsis (from AsianMediaWiki)
Joe (Jaycee Chan) is an aimless young man who loves Flora (Fiona Sit) sincerely. Unfortunately for Joe, Fa breaks up with Joe due to his lack of ambitions. Joe then comes across the website "www.breakupclub.asia" which promises to reunite lost loves if they are willing to break up another couple ....

Meanwhile Joe is picked to participate in a documentary by director Barbara Wong dealing with break ups...

My comments:
Thanks to cousin p for lending me this movie. Jaycee Fong and Fiona Sit reuniting 5 years later for Break Up Club. They went from playing a teenage couple in 2 Young to playing a 20 something couple in this movie. Their chemistry is evident and I enjoyed the movie despite that I didn’t find their individual character likable. We see them breaking-up for some small matters, making up and then breaking up again in the same pattern so I think a happy ending for them is questionable. I like that it was an open ending, leaving it to the viewer's imagination. I admit that I did cry for the airport scene and I was surprised by the little twist at the end. It’s funny to see Patrick Tang in such flamboyant role.

Love In Disguise

Love In Disguise Synopsis: (from Yesasia)
Impossibly famous an incredibly young age, DMH (Leehom Wang) has only ever known a celebrity pop star existence. Yet, despite all the perks and glamour, there is still something lacking in his charmed life: True love. Refuses to give up in his search, with the help of fellow musician and friend WZB, DMH disguised as regular Joes in hope to find true love. While incognito, DMH and WZB strmble across the performance of a classical Chinese orchestra and DMG is immediately captivated by the melodies of the guzheng soloist, LMQ (Crystal Liu), a classical music student at the Shanghai Conservatory, who's affections lie with the accomplished, if not arrogant, conservatory virtuoso, ZXZ. DMH nevertheless promisses to help bring them together, deteermined to spend more time with LMQ.

Inevitably, DMH's distraction from his superstar responsibilities does not go unnoticed Agent Joan (Joan Chen). Further more, as he and LQM grow closer, it becomes increasingly difficult to conceal his identity. What happens if she finds out who he really is? Can she really love and respect a celebrity pop star? And can she forgive him for lying?


My comments:
Hmm…I’ve been neutral regarding Wang Lee Hom; I’m not a fan or a hater so I can watch Love In Disguise without any biases. How was it? It was cheesy, yes, as I found myself rolling my eyes a few times during the movie. But, overall I thought it was enjoyable rom-com mostly due to the music aspect since I was always fascinated by traditional instruments like er-hu and guzheng. I thought the romance part was unconvincing since I didn’t see any sparks between the leads.

Performance wise, everyone was passable since the actors were not required to do much or acting very hyper. Wang Lee Hom was basically playing himself (notice the way he moves his hands when singing in the movie is exactly the same in real life). The surprising thing was Crystal Liu remained a plain Jane until the end and got the guy. Finally, no huge makeover for the heroine to get the attention of the guy! Also, Khalil Fong’s little cameo as himself is cute!

My Girlfriend Is A Gumiho

Due to busy work schedule and lots of gatherings, it took me longer than usual to finish My Girlfriend Is A Gumiho (SBS, 16 episodes)...

My Girlfriend Is A Gumiho Synopsis (from DramaWiki):
Cha Dae Woong accidentally releases a gumiho, a legendary fox with nine tails that eats the livers of humans. When he finds out that she is a gumiho, he ends up doing crazy things to prevent the girl from eating his liver.

Cast:
Lee Seung Ki as Cha Dae Woong
Shin Min Ah as Gumiho
No Min Woo as Park Dong Joo
Park Soo Jin as Eun Hye In
Byun Hee Bong as Cha Poong
Yoon Yoo Sun as Cha Min Sook
Sung Dong Il as Ban Doo Hong


My comments:
As a Hong sisters drama, I expected My Girlfriend Is A Gumiho to be a cute and lighthearted drama but I didn’t expect to cry my eyes out during the last episode. I was a bit worried that it will be a sad ending. I enjoyed this and I laughed at some hilarious moments (the most memorable one being Mi Ho giving that billboard ad to Dae Woong as a gift and his expression!) but compared to the Hong sisters’ previous works, this one didn’t give me severe withdrawal symptoms hehe…

Lee Seung Ki and Shin Min Ah have great chemistry as a couple and Shin Min Ah is just too adorable as the clueless gumiho; I also wanted to pinch her cheeks. Her naivety and innocence at first created some absurd and funny situations. I can totally understand Dae Woong’s fears and burdens by having Mi Ho by his side. Who would not go gaga over him once he made up his mind to fully accept Mi Ho and that there is no going back for him. But I was more fascinated by No Min Woo’s character Teacher Dong Joo. The actor itself just had a few expressions throughout the whole drama but it worked because it’s such a mysterious character. He was considered as a roadblock to our main couple’s happy ending but it was interesting that it wasn't for love as he didn’t love Mi Ho in the romantic sense.

I enjoyed Dae Woong’s aunt and the director’s part as well because of cheesy references of A Better Tomorrow. I laughed out loud when they played that Leslie song. It’s also nice to see a darker haired Jeremy (Lee Hong Ki) and a longer haired Go Mi Nyeo (Park Shin Hye) from the Hong sisters’ previous drama You’re Beautiful appearing as cameos. Even UEE appeared as a art student. But…where were Tae Kyung and Shin Woo? :p

Antique

Antique Synopsis: (http://www.koreanfilm.or.kr)
Jin-hyuk was brought up as the well-bred heir to a corporate fortune. He has got the looks, the money and the charm, but even so, true love is hard to find. Jin-hyuk opens up a cake shop and hires Sun-woo, a talented patissier who had a crush on Jin-hyuk back in high school. Together with Gi-beom, an ex-boxing champion and Su-young, a clueless bodyguard, four unique and handsome men stir up a quiet neighborhood when they show up at the cake shop, Antique.

My comments:
Apparently this is an adaptation of a Japanese manga of the same name. But what a peculiar movie! It looks like a fantasy comedy but there is actually a mystery behind it. It has random singing/dancing snippets a la Moulin Rouge as well and when they were dealing with the kidnapping, it had the horror movie feel. Don’t watch this when you’re hungry, it makes you crave for cakes and sweets since they displayed a lot of yummy pastries. I liked the chemistry between the four guys and it was interesting that each had some background story. Special mention to Kim Jae Wook for playing a believable gay character (haha...he has Gay Demonic Charms) and I have to say this I’m very impressed by his French too (it’s not perfect but some sentences were delivered pretty accurately).

Shining Inheritance

What to do when I was sick in China? Watching Shining Inheritance (SBS, 28 episodes)…

Shining Inheritance Synopsis: (from DamaWiki)
Go Eun Sung's life is similar to Cinderella's. After her father died, her step-mother, Baek Sung Hee, took away all of her assets and her younger brother, Eun Woo, suddenly disappears without a trace. Despite this, Eun Sung preservers and works really hard to fulfill her dreams. When the CEO of a food company, Jang Sook Ja, suffers amnesia and can't remember who she is Eun Sung takes her in. However, Eun Sung does not know that she is the grandmother of Sun Woo Hwan, the man who she switched bags with at the airport. How will their constant bickering lead them to realize that they care more about each other than they let on?

Cast:
Han Hyo Joo as Go Eun Sung
Lee Seung Ki as Sun Woo Hwan
Bae Soo Bin as Park Joon Sae
Moon Chae Won as Yoo Seung Mi
Kim Mi Sook as Baek Sung Hee
Ban Hyo Jung as Jang Sook Ja


My comments:
Apparently, Shining Inheritance was one of the highest rated drama of 2009 and I can understand why. From the second episode in which Eun Sung’s stepmother, Sung Hee, snatched everything and abandoned Eun Sung’s young autistic brother, viewers have to sit through 20+ episodes of her lies and evil schemes and boy did she have some. She’s greedy and knows how to manipulate others so I was very curious what will be her ending. Also, Sun Woo Wan as the lead male character was so unlikeable at the beginning and seeing his transition from a royal jerk to someone responsible and loving is interesting as well. One of the best moments of this drama is when he greets sincerely the customers for the first time and the look on the staff…priceless!

For a 28 episodes drama, I didn’t feel that tiring but I thought that the last 4 episodes dragged a bit and lost its magic. Maybe because as it goes on, I found Seung Mi annoyingly desperate and pathetic that I just want to fast forward her scenes. Also, when Sung Hee’s exposed, I didn’t have this great sense of satisfaction and the scriptwriters of the drama were too nice with her ending. She did everything for money and it’s pretty unbelievable that she can go back to simple life. From the title, I expected that Grandmother will die but the ending about what she did with her inheritance is a surprise (an unbelievable surprise, I might add).

For once, the romance between the main couple progressed fairly slow in this drama and compared to other dramas, they are also very chaste. Lee Seung Ki and Han Hyo Joo had better chemistry when they were bickering than as a couple. As usual, our secondary hero Joon Sae, despite being a knight in shining armor, helping and giving the heroine a lot did not get the girl at the end. I was relieved to see him not turning into a pushy and evil guy. If you plan to watch this drama, prepare some tissues nearby.

My vacation Part 2: Guangzhou and Macau

After such chaotic trip to Shanghai, we went back to Guangzhou. Since my return to Guangzhou, I got really sick…I had gastro, gastritis and then caught the flu consecutively! So for more than a week, I was not in my best shape to visit anywhere and didn’t have a chance to taste yummy food! Luckily, once I’m well enough, I had at least a week to browse a little bit by myself.

I spent most of the time in Guangzhou and because the Asian Games (equivalent of the Olympics of Asia) are hosted in the same city so there are a lot of people everywhere as well. There was a one week free period of free public transit to all residents so imagine that!!! Plus, in order to take the metro, you have to pass security check as they have to scan your bags so it was quite hellish too! I stayed near Beijing Road and HuiFu Road during the trip and HuiFu EastRoad became a gastronomy section so as early as 9am there are line ups at the food counters (for stuff like roasted cheese yams…)

The five mascots of the Asian Games

The gastronomy section

I went to Macau for a day and luckily it was a pleasant day. It was hot but not unbearable. We visited some casinos and the most amazing one should be The Venetian. I mean how cool is that there is a big shopping mall and a mock Venice scenery within the casino!

Inside the Venetian Casino in Macau

Ruins of St-Paul in Macau

Casino Lisboa in Macau

All in all, it was a waste that I got sick during my trip and next time that I’ll go to China, I’ll choose a period when there are no special events in hope to avoid huge crowds…

My vacation Part 1: Shanghai Expo

After about 18 hours of flight + 2 hours of bus, I arrived in Guangzhou on the 20th and then headed to Hangzhou and Shanghai on the 22nd. It was a 4 days trip to Hangzhou, Shanghai Expo and Wuzhen organized by a Guangzhou local travel agency. It was a memorable [insert sarcastic tone] experience all around. First day at Hangzhou was nice as the weather was pleasant but the next two days devoted to the Shanghai Expo was…

In Hangzhou

I went to the Expo on a Saturday and it was expected to be crowded but not THAT crowded. Apparently, there were near 800,000 visitors that day. It didn’t help that it was pouring rain as the end of a typhoon approached the area. We lined up for the entrance of the Expo for about 1 ½ hour since 8:30. We experienced our first share of pushing and shoving by people and it was scary!

We were supposed to spend the whole day there and at 7 pm the bus would pick us up back to the motel. I was all happy to buy the Expo passport hoping to collect some stamps but ended up not entering any pavilions at all. It was announced regularly that if visitors want to visit pavilions such as China, Germany, England, etc. have to expect 6 hours of waiting…! Even a pavilion like Angola need an 1 ½ hour lineup. Remember it was pouring rain that day and I didn’t have an umbrella so I was soaked fast. I really didn’t want to line up for some hours so I just walked around and took some pictures of the outsides of some pavilions.

See the people and their umbrellas?

The Ukraine Pavilion, one of the better pictures I took

Everyone of the family were so fed up that we left earlier. We took the free shuttle to go to the nearest metro station. Experienced again some pushing and shoving and people cutting the line (Grrr…that’s what pissed me off the most). And then more pushing and shoving while waiting to get in the metro station. The staff just let a small number of people at a time and geez people couldn’t even let a father holding a child pass first by squishing them at a corner…I was so glad to return in one piece and didn’t die by being knocked down!

The public toilets at the Expo and they are surprisingly very clean...

We were supposed to return to the Expo the next day but after such horrific experience, we all didn’t care that we wasted the money; we didn’t go back. We were visiting Shanghai by ourselves comfortably and ding ding ding, it was raining that day too! We finished the trip with Wuzhen and it was more pleasant as the weather was better and it was the other side that we didn’t visit last year.

Wuzhen

Okay, I'm done ranting [not]...

Baby and I

Baby and I Synopsis: (http://www.koreatimes.co.kr)
Jun-su is a popular but rebellious 19-year-old. One day, his parents give him an ultimatum, leaving him alone in the house to rehabilitate his life. He doesn't mind the independence until a six-month-old baby Wooram is delivered to his doorstep. He has no choice but to care for Wooram and attend to his demand for breast milk. Where can he find a nanny?


My comments:
Haha…I’m having my Jang Geun Suk fix so I chose Baby and I to watch and boy, 1-2 years can really make a difference to an actor. If you saw HK movie Rob-B-Hood and thought that baby Matthew was cute; then here, baby Mason was equally cute! Don’t you just want to cuddle and hug him? His expressions are so cute and his crying…the airport scene is just so aww…

The movie is pretty watchable and entertaining if you’re not looking for much depth. I kinda predicted that twist at the end but when you think about it, Woo Ram’s mother (who we never met) has to be stunning beauty to create this baby (I’m sorry, but the biological father is not stunning in the look department, just saying). I found he adult voiceover for the baby annoying more than funny. Overall, baby Mason is really the scene stealer here!

The unexpected daddy and the baby...aww...

*** Yeah...my long vacation abroad starts tomorrow...so later next month...:p

It’s too bad that I couldn’t finish...

- Boys Over Flowers => - Funny how the Taiwanese version was my obsession of summer 2002 and this latest Korean adaptation didn’t have the same effect. I think I stopped around episode 5 last year. I had a second attempt to watch it a while ago but I was still stuck at episode 6. Why it didn’t work for me? It’s hard to explain what’s wrong. Is it because I’m too old for this? I remember cringing during the bullying parts and out of F4, only Kim Bum made an impression from what I saw. My loss, maybe, but pass...

- Cinderella's Sister => I gave up in episode 7. But I give credit to this drama for bringing me back to Korean dramas earlier this year. The reason I picked up this drama: Chun Jung Myung! I adore this actor and I like Moon Geun Young as well. However, both leads cannot save my lack of interest in continuing the drama. The first four episodes were great but then it just seem to go nowhere but everyone being miserable and being mad at each other.

72 Tenants of Prosperity

72 Tenants of Prosperity Synopsis: (from Wikipedia)
In 1970s Hong Kong, rapacious landlords try to evict 72 tenants but sworn brothers Ha Kung and Shek Kin help the group of 72 defeat the landlord and landlady and coincidentally rescue Pinky from a planned forced marriage. When both sworn brothers fall for Pinky and propose to her, she flips a coin heads or tails, they both cheated during the toss but Ha wins her hand in marriage.

The sworn brothers become sworn enemies and Sheks hatred fuels intense rivalry against Ha in business dealings ranging from the manufacture of plastic flowers to the selling of stinky bean curd. Even after 40 years they continue to clash and in 2010 they are in keen competition selling electronics appliances in Sai Yeung Choi Street, Mongkok, the busiest street in the city and still home to the 72 tenants.

In fiercely competitive Sai Yeung Choi Street high rents force businessmen to use every means to survive, with electronics shops employing pseudo models in sales promotion campaigns and comic shops offering foot-massage services by Lolita, etc. These ploys are minor compared with the tactics of the landlord who threatens to close down the shops unless his demands for tripled rent are met. Amidst this strife and struggle the street is hit by acid-attacks and in high spirits the 72 tenants unite and pledge to safeguard their home.

Against a background of fear and turmoil, with the old love triangle between Ha and Pinky and Shek still festering, the next generation of the Ha and Shek families generate their own love affairs: MJ-style dancer Ha Junior is fascinated by Shek's daughter who is a Japanese AV culture fan; Ha's daughter, a kung fu expert, is pursued by Shek's love-struck son, the smart shortie. Affairs of the heart yet to be resolved.


My comments:
72 Tenants of Prosperity was a surprise for me. I didn’t expect that I’d enjoy it so much. The last Lunar Year movie that was memorable enough for me was Fat Choi Spirit. The fun of this movie is that you just don’t want to blink your eyes because you never know who will pop on screen as a cameo next. Really, almost all the actors/actresses of TVB are in this movie. It’s funny to see some ‘classic’ TV characters appearing in the movie such as doctor Paul Ching Chi Mei (Lawrence Ng from Healing Hands) and Laughing Gor (Michael Tse from E.U.) and I cracked up when I saw the parodies of Infernal Affairs, The Eye and Ip Man. I enjoyed gags such as ‘林Phone’ and ‘鄧梓Phone’ and the part with Bosco Wong and Myolie Wu at the end as well.

Well, basically it’s a happy movie with a big ensemble cast (it’s so great to see Jacky Cheung and Anita Yuen to do a comedy) that was pure entertainment for me.

You're Beautiful

Voila, the drama that gave me heavy withdrawal symptoms lately...You're Beautiful ( SBS, 16 episodes)...

You’re Beautiful Synopsis: (from DramaWiki)
The management company of the idol group A.N.JELL insisted on adding a new singer to the group as the lead vocal, Tae Kyung's voice was hurting. However,the new member, Mi Nam, had to go to the States to repair a botched eye job just before signing the contract. His agent came up with the idea of having his twin sister, Mi Nyu,to stand in for him and pretend that she was her brother. The two of them grew up in an orphanage and Mi Nyu, who was all set to become a nun, agreed to this charade as she didn't want to spoil her brother's chance of fame which would make it easier to look for their mother.

Cast:
Jang Geun Suk as Hwang Tae Kyung
Park Shin Hye as Go Mi Nam (Male) / Go Mi Nyu (Female)
Lee Hong Ki as Kang On Yu / Jeremy
Jung Yong Hwa as Kang Shin Woo
UEE as Yoo He Yi
Jung Chan as President Ahn

My comments:
Ah…where to start. I adore You're Beautiful! I’m still having withdrawal symptoms after finishing the drama last month (I’m a really late camper, I know). I also had a second rewatch without fast-forwarding, which is something I rarely do. See my enthusiasm?!

I watched it without much expectation. The first episode was alright as there are some things I have to get used to: 1) lead actor Jang Geun Suk wearing eyeliner and having a weird hairstyle (who I absolutely didn't recognize since I saw him in Lovers in Prague as Jeon Do Yeon's cute little bro) and 2) the cast wearing questionable outfits (I know that the characters are from a boyband but the fashion in Korean dramas never fail to shock). However, things really get interesting after the second episode with Tae Kyung knowing that Mi Nyu is in fact a girl. Then, the rest is pure fun. For a Korean drama, it was not at all draggy. There were a lot of LOL moments which still bring a smile on my face whenever I think about it. Example 1, 2 and 3, just to name a few.

The cast is really great and they have good chemistry as bandmates and as the parties of this cute square love relationship; I love their camaradeie. If it isn’t a norm that the lead actress has to end up with the lead actor, I wouldn’t mind Mi Nyu ending up with Shin Woo or Jeremy too. Tae Kyung should be someone who is hard to be with; he’s a control and neat freak, is allergic to seafood, sesame AND flowers, has night blindness and hates rabbits; but who can resist him when he smiles, pouts and when he creates the pig-rabbit. Shin Woo is the caring, understanding and gentle one whereas Jeremy is the sunshine boy. It’s especially heartwarming to see the trio treating Mi Nyu like a princess when she’s a girl and even when she was posing as a guy whereas National Fairy He Yi is getting the cold shoulders. Haha! It’s also nice that each sang to her to confess their love to Mi Nyu…aw….By the way, the OST is equally addictive, I’ve been looping it for quite some time now.

Now, a little nitpicking. Park Shin Hye did great in this drama but there is no way that she can pass for a guy because of her feminine features and her petite frame. I was a bit disappointed that the ending lacked some sweet moments from the couple…

* Opening credit of the drama

Out of 'drought'

Wow, I didn’t update this blog more than a year! Time flies...There were times during that year that I wanted to delete this blog but as I kept looking back at my posts, it was kind of hard to let go because I had great fun writing these posts. It didn’t help that I absolutely forgot the password of my blogger account. Once I logged in recently, I was surprised (or furious) to delete 300+ spam comments.

So what happened during that year? I had a ‘drought’ period for blog writing because I spent my time…reading. I was reading anything from Stieg Larsson’s Millenium trilogy, Charlaine Harris’ Sookie Stackhouse novels, J.R. Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood novels, just to name a few. It was during that time when I didn’t watch any series and was more or less ignorant of the HK music scene. As time goes by, I just lacked motivation to continue writing about anything.

Now, I want to [try] keep writing this blog because 1) I need to practice my writing, if not I’m afraid I will not know how to write anymore and 2) I recently picked up Korean dramas again. Aah…Korean dramas are like addictive drugs. I thought I’m immune to it now as I consider myself in ‘Korean drama rehab’ this last year but once I had contact with it, I’m a junkie again…