i'm not afraid of a little boredom

[reposted from my other journal]

20-Year-Old Model Daul Kim Is Dead

Wow. So basically one of my favourite models and favourite people has just died. I'm still shocked and trying to process this. I frequent a lot of random blogs and her's is one of them, I read her blog like almost everyday coz I can relate to it alot and she's hilarious and she has very cool weird interests. I love the way she writes. It's kinda broken and disconnected yet it makes perfect sense and then you get this random posts where she reveals what a depressive and perverted person she is among her other loud and opinionated entries and I love that too. I think what I relate to the most are her entries about loneliness and it's like I get this moments of great depression too but there's nothing I can do about it but go on with life and put a smile on my face and pretend things are cool and then I forget that I'm depressed and then like the weather in Singapore, my mood changes and I am sad again. I guess what's inspiring is how I know how she feels and yet she can still do so much in life so when news of her death broke and how rumours are going around that it's a possible suicide, I was shocked and disappointed. It is so freaking random that wow, life can really be random and unexpected and like you really don't know what goes on in someone else's head. And it's like if this could happen to her, it could happen to me too? You could be fine but then no one is free from feeling completely hopeless, and helpless and feeling completely alone and I pray for myself and the people I care about that we'll never crumble under all that emotion up to the point where nothing in this world could lessen that burden.


Daul Kim, you will be missed. T_T

Also, this Tuesday marks the end of my 1st semester of my last year in school. I have an exam for my Forensic Science module and also a presentation on my final year project(FYP) on the same day and this news basically distracted me from doing any form of studying. Prft.

Oh and, hi everyone. I know it feels like I've disappeared from the face of the Earth in this journal but I'm gona start updating and checking out the friends list more often once this semester ends. I apologize for the depressing entries. Hah. Till then, goodbye.

Today has been depressing. Basically, a member and leader of my favourite kpop boyband, 2PM, the only thing I've been obsessing with lately, has left the group.

It's just all so surreal, I still haven't stomach the news yet. 4 days ago he was still the leader of 2PM and now, he's not. Seriously. What. Just. Happened. I don't even know. It's terribly heartbreaking.

I've voiced my opinion on this before. I still think it's ridiculous the online-hate-parade Jay is getting all from a silly (and yes, very retarded and ignorant) message he posted on myspace 4 yrs ago. I can't believe something so trivial that was meant for his friend (hence, the language I suppose) was used against him which resulted into one big mess of I-don't-even-know. I had not experienced nor witnessed such a thing before. Because I wasn't really a fan of any kpop group until 2PM so, I hadn't exactly take note of what Korean netizens are capable of and boy, the power they seem to possess, it is ridiculous.

Bleh. I feel embarrased to say this but that whole thing was emotionally exhausting. So many things occuring one after another in such a short period of time. I am glad I had school and real life issues to deal with but now that I'm home and I see all these articles, it's making me feel a bit depressed again.

This feels like that Uchi-suspension-kick-out-of-News-and-Kanjani-8 shit and the whole waiting-for-Uchi fiasco which I have been indifferent to coz I have no emotional attachment to Uchi and News and I am fine with K8 the way they are so. I never thought I'll be experiencing a similar situation. I guess this is what I get for laughing at people who were emotionally attached to Uchi and 8-membered News/Kanjani8.

Meh...I've lost one of my main source of online-entertainment. I think I was about to get into Kpop a bit too deep and the forces above know it'll be bad for me so they took 2PM away coz they want me to focus on my final year of Uni. Hm..makes sense, but argh, no way, too soon, I say!

Hi.

• My 4th and last year of school has begun. Time to put on my thinking cap on and start working.
• I am still into 2PM. But the obsession is dying out. Which is great. I love my shortlive kpop obsessions.
• My obsession with Kanjani 8 (basically the only JE/Jpop thing I follow) has died and the only thing that keeps me updated with them is through enshinge's Recomen transcripts. Recomen is sitll hilarious and I wished I got into the Japanese class instead of Chinese. :'( I am however, thrilled to know that they're releasing a DVD soon. I enjoyed the bonus clips of their 47 DVD (I have to confess I didn't watch the concert version except for some clips of some songs, my love for them is selective, don't hate me). I'm sure the offshots for this concert will be as entertaining as well.
• I am so thrilled how I am not the least bit interested in G Dragon's new album. I love his new hair though. But not because it's him, it's just that I've always had a thing for platinum blonde hair. meh.
• Kings of Convenience on the other hand are releasing their new album and it is sounding great!

Will probably not update as often since I'm suppose to concentrate on my final year project as of now. I'm still around and reading though. :D I hope everyone's doing well.

Till much much laterrr

Hello journal, it's been awhile. This journal was initially meant to track my obsession with Japan (both the low and high cultures); Jdramas, Kanjani8, random JE clips that are amusing, etc. But for the past month or more, I have been denying how this obsession seemed to be cooling down from an obsession to just occasional interests that I check up on occasionally, hence the lack of updates. Instead I've been into whatever 2PM has got to offer, mostly coz they're funny and also coz clips of them accompanied with sub-titles are so highly accessible that I just can't help it.

Anyway, I finally got around to finish some dramas that I've started before the Great Jdrama Break(GJB) that I created for myself in order to study for finals and meet deadlines, where I stopped watching any new dramas. So here's an update for myself.

Arifureta Kiseki
I really really liked this. My adoration for Kase Ryo has multiplied after watching this. Like I've mentioned before, the drama is really...chill, for a lack of a better word. It is such a simple love story; no ridiculous love triangles, or crazy evil step-mother or crazy jealous ex-girfriends or...you get the drift. The characters are relatable and the problems they encounter are believable and somewhat honest. Arifureta Kiseki, if I remember correctly, means Ordinary Miracles and the drama is certainly about ordinary miracles. The dialogues are interesting as well. You'll get the funny, realistic bickerings between the family members (I really enjoy the dynamics of the Tasaki(Kase Ryo) family; so funny but so heart-wrenching) justaposing the thoughtful text messages exchanged between the 2 main characters. Overall a well-written, well-paced, well-acted human/romance drama. Those who enjoyed Haikei Chiechiue-sama, like myself, would love this too.

Aaand, that's it. Hah. So much for a drama update. I thought I've been watching quite a bit but then I realised I never really did finish any of the series. I just kept on watching a new one instead of continuing with an old one. Let's see, unfinished dramas I've watched recently,

- Voice
I am currently at ep 8. I stopped watching this during the GJB and haven't got around to continuing it. Well, let's be honest, it is kinda boring. The only reason I've been watching it is coz I like watching the 5 main characters interact with each other. They really are an interesting bunch, the stories within each episode? Not so interesting. I don't know if I'm gona pick it up again. I feel like I'll prolly end up watching only the bickerings and Eita-being-a-dork moments and fast-forward through the actual drama.

- Pride
This is only my 2nd Kimura drama(well, not really since I didn't actually complete it but I'm gona put it as 2nd coz I almost completed it?). I know, I fail as a former-Jdrama-junkie. My first Kimura drama was Kazei Nare Ichizoku which was awesome, but let's not talk about that here now. Anyway, I'm at ep 8 before I stopped. I don't know how or why I had a sudden desire to watch a very typical romance drama but I did, so I took the opportunity to start this. And then halfway through it, I realised I couldn't take the predictable storyline any longer. It is as typical as any typical romance drama can get. I even got tired of rolling my eyes at the expected plot twists. However, I have to give points for the faster-than-expected pacing of the drama, as in, I didn't need to utilise the fast-forward button, at least I don't remember using it so much. I can totally see why this series was a big hit though; gorgeous cast, likable main characters and it's not so slow either. But, urgh, not for me I guess. Typical romance dramas are not my thing afterall.

- Kekkon Dekinai Otoko
I really enjoyed watching this. The only reason I stopped this was coz of the GJB, I'm gona start watching the rest of the series soon. Apparently, there is a Korean remake of the drama which is currently really hot. I watched bits of it and it does look really good and funny which makes me want to get on this series asap before I get hooked on the Korean one coz I have this sense of loyalty towards Abe Hiroshi who is the star of this drama (the Korean lead looks like he's playing the character as well as Abe). I guess I like those love stories that doesn't look like a love story, coz that's what this is. Abe Hiroshi is hilarious in this, playing this eccentric and stubborn character who can't seem to settle down because he's too difficult to deal with. And the situations he gets himself into, are hilarious. The other casts are pretty brilliant as well. No JE pretty boys here, but there's Abe and Tsukamoto Takashi! I haven't even finished this yet and I already think this is gona be a good drama, plus it has to be good for it to be remade into a Korean version (that seemed to be doing really well) eventhough there weren't any pretty boys in the show.

That's pretty much all I have for now. Gona go watch some dramas now that I feel like it, I haven't been having the desire to watch dramas in such a long time. Finishing Arifureta Kiseki has rekindled that flame a bit. :D
Till much later.

It's been awhile since I've been excited for a drama. I'm so excited for this!


It is looking cool. The animation somehow reminds me of the opening of the film Party 7, which is as crazy as a film can get. It seriously is.


I don't remember finishing the whole film so I can't say much about it, but doesn't it look crazy?

I have to confess I am neglecting my favourite 7-member idol group from Japan (Kanjani 8) for the other new favourite 7-member idol group from Korea (2PM) and the latter has even slowly pulled me into the world of kpop which before this has been a big mystery and the only kpop groups I was aware of was DBSK, SuJu, Big Bang and Wonder Girls. Well, it is a bit different now.

Anyway, less talk, more rock: 2PM in Vogue Girl.



I am too lazy to look for the actual photoshoot pictures and re-upload them here but they're very pretty to look at. :)

That's all I have for now. lol.
Till much later.

I have submitted to the force that is 2NE1. T_T


Let's be honest, they are kinda fierce. And it's nice to have a new girl group attempting to not adopt the cute image (we'll see how long they can last before submitting). Yes? Also, I am digging the 10 year age gap in the members (I mean, finally! They're debuting people who aren't 12 or something).

The big hype YG created for them certainly was for the better coz without it, I probably wouldn't have paid any attention. And the whole techno-electro-pop influenced music reminds me of Perfume who I am quite fond of. Did anyone else made the same connection? Techno-eletro-pop is the new pop I tell you.

Their fans on the other hand are some of the anal lot I've seen. I mean this in a non-negative way, don't get offended. Soompi is swamped with endless posts containing reviews and analysis of the girls' first pre-recorded live (I know, I don't understand this phrase either, lol) and it's pretty interesting. As far as I'm concern, who the hell cares whether we can hear their real live voices. I guess I'm thinking of this in the lines of Perfume's live performances. Some people are giving the Jpop group a lot of flak about them not singing live or that their voices are digitized/vocoded (whatever it is you call them). Oh no, that's cheating, this means they're not good! [/sarcasm] Uh..I don't get it. Perfume can don't sing live, it doesn't matter coz it's not like we're hearing their real voices in their songs. And we're kinda not meant to, that's the whole point. The highlight of the music (produced by Yasutaka Nakata, who's previous works as Capsule is much much more awesome than what he's producing for Perfume now) is the techno beats and those damn computer voices complimenting those beats. The way I see it, anyone could've lend their voices to the songs and it won't make that much of a difference hence, I don't get when people comment "These girls aren't singing live!" "They can't sing!". I mean, SO WHAT. The songs doesn't exactly require amazing singing skills, so why does it matter, the song as a whole is still catchy and addictive.

I guess my point is (well, not really, but here's another point) if their live music is supposed to sound exactly like the studio recorded version, what difference does it make if it is live or not? I mean, it's not like 2NE1 or Perfume is an orchestra or that they're re-creating the whole song live or something. A large portion of 2NE1's preparation for this debut performance has been largely on their dance and less on their singing capabilities and yet, all we care about is the fact that the mic is not loud enough for the real voices to come through or that the background music is too loud that we can't hear Dara's real-non-digitized voice (when isn't her voice meant to be digitized in the song? I mean, if her real voice don't sound better than the digitized version then I'd rather just listen to the digitized version thanks). I personally enjoyed their debut performance despite whatever mic problems they had. Maybe my expectations weren't as high as other fans, but I am actually satisfied and impressed. It is their first performance as 2NE1 afterall. And how amazing do fans expect their first performance to be anyway? Perhaps they were expecting fireworks and skillful acrobatics. Heh. I kid. Oh well, whatever.

So uh...that's a little piece of something. Back to Japanese shores, Ryo will be in a new drama next season!
The storyline sounds really interesting. I'm not gonna put high hopes on it though. I'll just enjoy it as it comes. I am not too familiar with Tackey but let's just say I've always been in favour of Tsubasa whenever I have to choose between T&T (not that there was ever a time where I had to choose).

And the only drama I'm watching from this season is The Quiz Show and I'm liking it so far. Yoko being cunning and manipulative makes me giggle. :D Sho on the other hand impresses me. I really enjoy watching him in this.

That's it for now. Are there any good things that I should see? I would like to watch Boss because of the oh-so-hot Yutaka Takenouchi but the all-star cast kinda scares me a little (coz we all know an all-star cast is supposed to make up for bad storylines *shrugs*). Btw, I'm typing this in school and am trying to spend as little time on lj as possible so, excuse my screwy English.

Hello LJ. Sorry for neglecting you. The thing about going on hiatus from LJ is that it's hard to get off the hiatus. Anyway, the school semester has ended and I feel much freer but knowing how the school break will just pass me by really fast with me doing absolutely nothing, I've applied for summer classes. So, I still have classes this month. Anyway, this is what I've been into since school break has started,

I swear, it's is like Super Junior all over again. 2PM is a seven member group produced by the same guy that produced Wonder Girls. Aand, I've been hooked on their tv show Idol Army ever since I watched it. It began when my sister was watching an episode of their show and I was as usual, trying to irritate her and then I ended up watching the show with her coz the boys are absolutely hilarious.

Anyway, of course I recommend you to watch them! Like Super Junior and Kanjani 8, they're a bit loose with their image management lol, which totally works for me! And every single boy oozes hotness along with their dorky antics. Links to the Idol Army episodes HERE! (yes, I even revived my soompi account just so I can get updated with them -__-;;). I haven't watched everything myself and I'm not exactly sure if every single link is working but Ep 1, 10, 11 and 12 are hilarious and you should start off with those. They talk all over each other just like how K8 is on Recommen. XD Speaking of which, apparently K8 brought Eito Ranger back! woot. I missed their alter egos. If only the possibility of seeing a fancam is as high as it is for the Korean boybands...

Ok, I'm kinda done here for now. I have to go for classes. Btw, I watched Star Trek in the theatres the other day and it was awesome. If you're going to catch a movie but don't know what, go see Star Trek!

Peas out,
carrots in.

As if it's not obvious, I've been on an unannounced hiatus coz school is killing me. I'll continue being on hiatus from LJ till late April coz that's when semester ends and I'm already looking forward to all the new stuff that's gonna be available.

- I have yet to see News's full new video for their new song.
- And then there's K8's new album to look forward to which on it's own brings more than enough excitement and anticipation what with all the unit songs and PVs and solo songs and making of clips!
- Toma on SCP with K8 as guests!
- also Yoko's new drama, The Quiz Show (hopefully subs would be available once I'm back. heh)
- and I haven't finished any dramas that I've started, so I'd like to complete VOICE, at least.
- and not to mention all the books and films that I've been dying to get my feet into once school is over!
gahh... Motivation to get my final projects over and done with as soon as possible! yes I can do it!

This is the first time I'm logging into LJ using the school's computers in this account which I've been trying my best to hide from any real life friends as much as possible. If someone springs up behind me while I'm typing this I'll probably die. So I guess this is as far as I can go now.

Take care friends, till much later.
Chow.

I am not exactly a big fan of Rip Slyme but I think they occasional come up with some gems and approach what is known as hiphop music differently. Of course we also have the mandatory songs about girls, partying, booze and money that is required of any hiphop unit. But this song's different, and I quite like it.
I obviously have no idea what they're singing about in this song but I'm guessing from the title and the video and the vibe from the song itself, it feels like it's something motivational/inspirational? Also, I've always kinda enjoyed these type of documentary style videos rather than the usual dancing in a nice looking place or standing around and u know what I mean.
I've been listening to this song while finishing my comic about my great grandmother which was due 2 weeks ago. hmph. I'm behind in most of my assignments and yet, I don't feel the urgency to do them at all which only means that I'll suffer major stress issues once deadlines for final projects and exams are near (and they are, in about 3 weeks time?).
Things will be alright, I keep telling myself that.

I've been going through some emotional turbulence in my life right now thanks to a series of unfortunate events that's just keeping me away from here. But I realised I've been feeling this way for a little too long and I need to get back to my usual routine (not that I have any specific routines) and guilty pleasures to at least have some normalcy back into my life. So, here I am with a not-so-little update on things not related to real life.

Dramas:
I haven't been watching much actually, these were watched quite a while ago in only a few sittings.
Akai Ito, despite being visually pleasing has turned out to be quite the Koizora-ish storyline that I knew was going to turn up sooner or later. Yes, it is getting ridiculously sad and just plain absurd. And because of that, I've kinda strayed away from it. I don't need any more depressing stories added to my already depressing life. But I do feel like making screencaps of the pretty scenes, if I can ever get to it. I'm not downloading any dramas because I'm not always home so I get my fix from mysoju whenever I feel like watching a drama and I'm currently watching whatever they have of Arifureta Kiseki, VOICE, and Mei-chan. The latter turned out to be quite entertaining. I think the key to make silly dramas tolerable is to have a likable leading character acted by a likeable actor/actress (eg. Nodame with Ueno Juri - successful, HanaKimi with HoriMaki - not so successful) and I think Eikura Nana is doing a pretty good job. I appreciate the stylist making her really look like a commoner by chopping off her hair and all that jazz and Eikura's control with exaggerations that actors of such genres tend to go overboard with (or for Maki's case, a huge deficiency in that department) and not to mention the eyecandies.
It doesn't seem like there's much going on with VOICE, and it certainly didn't turn out as I expected it to be - quite ordinary. But what's interesting and enjoyable about it is the dynamics of the 5 characters. I love the bantering that goes on back and forth with the characters and how eccentric Daiki is.

JE and not:
- Firstly, the long overdue K8 album is finally going to be released. This HAS to impress us and I can't wait.

- The K8 calendar/postcards are looking goood~ I like the documentary feel of how the pictures are taken as opposed to the very rigid studio shoots for News and the typical idol-y classy-ness of Kat-tun or even the overly planned and extravagant Arashi pictures. And there were some really gorgeous pictures in the mix too. But I have to admit that I like last year's calendar photographs a little more though (the 3 ossans's solo shoots were simply too gorgeous, I can't understand how Yoko does not see the brilliance of Hina's stadium photo).

- WHUD, JE getting friendly with DBSK? I can't help but wonder if Johnny has a hidden agenda. Anyway, DBSK on SmapxSmap! and the hilarious collaborated perf. I've always seen this portion of Smap's show as a way for them to shamelessly butcher other people's songs by collaborating with them and as expected, they didn't only butcher the song but also give DBSK JE-fied versions of their dance choreography complete with unnecassary hand motions (see: Doushite-therestofthetitle song). I am always full of anxiety for the guest performers during this segment. Anyway, both groups were really nice to each other, and adorableness all around. It feels like alot had to be cut out though. I wonder what it was that made Kimura and Shingo laugh so bad at the end there.

- More fandoms colliding! DBSK and Arashi on the same Music Station episode! The question is, Why is DBSK's outfit looking more JE than Arashi's? haha. If there is ever a JE band that can go head to head with DBSK in the terms of the whole idol package, Arashi would be it so I'm glad it's them. They're promoting Suvivor and Believe respectively. In case, you haven't listened, Survivor is quite a strange song if you compare it to DBSK's past releases. But, I quite like it actually. :D It started off sounding Perfume-ish and then it sounded very Britney too. However, the dance moves were a bit not-on-par with the kind of dance quality that we're used to getting from DBSK. It's almost like they're conforming to the standard of Japanese boybands, in other words, if DBSK is considered level 10 performers, in Japan, they're giving level 8 performances? But despite that, I'm a big fan of DBSK in Japan. Haha, I think they definitely have cooler songs and performances back in Korea but I think they're much more appealing when they're in Japan and being not-so-perfect and a little cheesy. I guess the anarchical side of me can't help but be a big fan of the DBSK-taking-over-Japan-and-JE-while-they're-at-it thing. Also there's nothing but benefits for us if JE gets competition in the form of DBSK. Already, we're seeing some quality improvements in Arashi and Kat-tun (especially Kat-tun) in terms of dance and PVs (the signature JE twirls are still there though).

My sister says that the white DBSK represents the DBSK in Japan and the black DBSK is the perfect Korean ones and in the end they have to leave their perfect selves for Japan who seems to prefer the strange things in life. haha not a bad theory.

- Kat-tun's Rescue vs. DBSK's Survivor. What else is there for me to say about this? The competition is obvious. Kat-tun needs to step up their game and they know it. Also, LOL at Koki and Maru going "I not afraid" and "we'll survive" at the beginning of the video, yeah guys, I'm sure you're not afraid *rolls eyes*. Looks like they hired some professional back-up dancers for this one and actually practiced for their solo dances too (I like Junno's the best, I mean if you're gonna do twirls you might as well do some serious ballet eh). So, which group will actually need rescuing and who will be the real survivor?? dun dun dunn.

Ok. I need to write 3 proposals for 2 different assignments now.
till later.

I've been wanting to do one but have been putting it off because I wanted to watch Voice, well at least an episode but things keep popping up and jumping the queue and Eita and Toma got unintentionally pushed back in the drama line and now, I'm just gonna go ahead with it.

- Akai Ito was unexpectedly enjoyable. Firstly, if you're into beautifully filmed Jdramas, this, is. IT. Seriously. Whoever their director of photography is, she/he is doing a good job. The lighting and compositions are gorgeous! And I love the colours too. "It looks so much like a movie" that's what I thought before I found out that there is a movie tie-in to the drama and that it was the exact same production crew and cast, and then I thought, well no wonder! Akai Ito basically means 'the red string of fate' that binds 2 people together which is sort of what this drama is about but, it's actually a high school romance drama (in this case, they started at middle school). I never thought I could tolerate high school romance drama because the teenage characters are treated as full-grown adults with parents that have the same maturity level as their kids and plots are usually developed too quickly and outrageous misfortunes will inevitably fall upon the main characters making their lives unrealistically miserable. But, there is something forgiving about Akai Ito that didn't evoke as much annoyance in me as a drama of the same genre could and, the gorgeous-ness of the drama sold me. Koizora is an example of a drama/film within the same genre that didn't go down well with me at all (except for the fact that Miura Haruma is so nice to look at). I think the unrecognisable cast (with the only exception of Kimura Ryo whom I've only seen act as a bimbotic gay dude, so this is a much welcome change and the lead actor) helped in that aspect. Of course, they have their fair share of corny romantic situations but overall, I thought the drama was pretty good for its genre. I'm currently at ep 6 and already, ALOT of exaggeratedly sad things that a normal 15 yr old would probably never experience has happened and I'm pretty sure there's more to come but I'm kinda prepared and looking forward to it! XD


- I'm still watching Arifureta Kiseki. Yes, this is another romance drama, I seriously don't know what's up with me and my drama choices this season. Anyway, I thought it is one of the more relaxing love stories that I've seen. I like that it doesn't play the romance card too obviously and the pondering-about-life moments were effective distractions that makes the viewers forget that this is a love story as well. It certainly is more than just a love story but I think I need to complete it to figure out what that actually is. I don't know if many of you are familiar with Haikei Chiechieu-sama but both these dramas share a similar quietness. I'm still smitten by Kase Ryo. He is so charming even when he's playing the wimpy guy role and I like the chemistry between him and Nakama Yuki. I guess the lonely and can't-get-along-with-world characteristics of the lead characters is something I can relate to. I like the other characters in the drama as well especially Shota's (Kase Ryo) grandfather and Kana's (Nakama Yuki) grandmother, they're just so endearing. However, I'm currently at ep 4 of the series, and the drama is still maintaining that slow pace of theirs and it's starting to make me think that they're either intentionally doing this to tease the viewers or they've run out of filler plots and are stretching the drama just so that it'll be at least 9 ep long. I seriously hope it's the former. I don't want to see this go downhill.

Other dramas: I gave up on Boys Over Flowers (the Korean HYD) at ep 6 coz I suddenly don't have the tolerance for this anymore. Zeni Geba was put on hold, or more like it went down the priority list and the same goes for Voice and Triangle, both of which I have yet to finish their 1st ep even. Uta no Oniisan in Singlish terms can be described as "not happening leh". In other words, it's kinda boring. Woops. I mean, I like Ohno and god knows, I love Maru but, it's just not that interesting. I'll probably eventually watch it, just not before everything else.

On the other hand, I am dying to watch that Fuji TV Super Drama Festival thing because Kase Ryo is there! I'm starting to turn into a huge Kase Ryo fan. I'm feeling the same way when I found clips to Asano Tadanobu's appearance on Bistro Smap. They're just too cool for these shows (I mean, Matsuda Ryuhei didn't show up when his drama team was on) so when these guys show up to these kinda things, I get really excited! Also, TomaxNakai interactions and watching all the other actors is an added bonus too! Does anyone know if this is being streamed somewhere?! I don't have the space to download them into my laptop. :(

edit:
- I am currently watching Love Shuffle, the 1st episode and am liking it alot! Matsuda Shota is looking oh so fiine~

I have to go to school now. According to the schedule I made for myself last night, I am 2 hours late for school. Actually, I don't think I would be this lazy towards school if it wasn't a 2 hour journey from home. bleh.

I have a Graphic Storytelling class in a few hours and I haven't even started on the comic assignment due. crap. Maybe I should skip that class.

Anyway, just a few minutes ago I was at uwasako and read that Nishikido is a copycat entry. Clearly, there is a HUUGE similarity in Ryo's Ordinary and Acidman's Slow Rain that is undeniable. I actually really like Ordinary and I have to admit that I was slightly disappointed when this was revealed to the rest of the world. Maybe this was made into a big deal because this is brinking on plagiarism (which is as horrifying as it can get in the music industry)? In Ryo's defence, maybe we could use the excuse of imitation being a sign of flattery? So Ryo really likes Acidman, and wants to make music like them and in the process gets too much off them that people are accusing him of copying. But are we being too hard on him? At least there is some effort in making the song different and he didn't butcher it and made it sound almost equally good. I'll have to say that I'm not trying to imply that plagiarism is alright or am I being a mindless fangirl and is trying to deny the similarities just because I like Ryo but I think at this age, there is very little art that is still original. I guess what I'm trying to say is everything is some form of appropriation of something else. It seems that the influence Acidman had on Ryo was really strong and Ryo's approached to dealing with it isn't exactly condoned by the masses because it is not original enough and the remnants of his influences is still too strong to be dismissed. But lets look at the world now, we're living in the age of remixes. Something is bound to sound like something else and lately musicians are intentionally using pre-existing music to create new music. Ryo is obviously not the first or the only one recycling an existing song. Here's an excerpt from a reading that I had to do on Postmodernism,

There is no place in the postmodern world for a belief in the authenticity of experience, in the sanctity of the individual artist's vision, in genius, or originality. What postmodernist art finally tells us is that things have been used up, that we are at the end of the line, that we are all prisoners of what we see.

Sounds depressing doesn't it? Obviously the reading was talking about the visual arts and photography but I can't help but relate it to any type of art form. Just as visual artists are prisoners of what they see - we can't help but re-use an image we've seen before by recreating that image into another version of the same thing, sort of - musicians can be prisoners of what they hear too? Maybe we should accept this evolution - creating art based on experience which has been blemished from the ideas of popular culture - with an open mind and not be too burdened with the issue of authenticity.

Wait, where am I? I don't even know what I'm talking about anymore. I basically intended to say that without this revelation, I would have not been aware of Acidman who makes really good music and that I actually like their version slightly more and that the Japanese music industry which is supposedly the 2nd biggest music industry in the world is not as horrifying as I thought it is - because what has been constantly topping the charts are JE bands and other mediocre/bad pop music. Yeah, how the hell I got around to this mumbo jumbo postmodernism crap, IDEK. :/ Maybe I felt an obligation to give this issue another light.

Anyway I'm gona go and check out other songs by Acidman now and think whether I should start that comic or not.

Perhaps it is best if I do not think too much.

It seems like the obvious has happened. My lj is falling apart as i'm slowly losing the commitment needed to update this thing. oh boy.

That aside, I'd like to say hello to the new and old friends on the flist and the random stranger that happens to read this. It's been awhile. Basically, school has been happening, I've gained weight (enough to not allow me to return to my favourite hand-me-down jeans) and did I mention school? Anyway, Mogwai the other day was <3<3<3 awesome. And! My flu has finally moved on and transformed itself into repeated coughing whereby when it starts, it's hard to stop. Oh body, why are you so weak.

I haven't continued with any jdramas since the last time I mentioned it except for watching the 1st ep of Zeni Geba and Arifureta Kiseki, both of which seemed promising, especially the latter, which so far has been good, the kind of good that I think is good (heh) and also Kase Ryo is in it, which means it should be good. XD

Anyway, just so this entry is not merely filled with my mindless babbling, a ( meme! )

I am going to watch Mogwai tomorrow night! EEEEEEEEEP! cantwaitcantwaitcantwait. CAN'T WAIT. XD

Also, i'm gona use school as an excuse for the lack of updates. well, it's partly true. school has started and it is eating me up alive and running my pockets dry. but it's been fun so far. i got the illustration module that i wanted and all i need to do for that module is draw draw and draw; whatever i like. i love it. today, i met up with J at Little India to do some recce-ing for our documentary project and i was actually down with the flu and it turns out, so was he! it was hilariously pathetic.

Anyway, i havn't started watching any dramas of this season except for the Korean Hana Yori Dango. :D i'll leave my thoughts on that for another day. but i guess i could say it's entertaining and if you ask me, the Korean cast on the whole is prettier than the Japanese cast and it looks like they have a bigger budget too. i'm not that big of a HYD fan but i thought the different approaches we get from Japan and Korea would be interesting to study. so yeah, another time. XD

this is some amazing cinema. chekkit!

Adam Kimmel presents: Claremont HD from adam kimmel on Vimeo.
going fast was an understatement, i mean, they skated pass a moving car!!

long time since we've spoken how are you?

2008 has been a rollercoaster ride and with the recent turn of sad events, it is unfortunate that i had to end mine on a low note. T_T 2009 looks like it is going to be a challenging year. low notes. gotta get used to them. i'm not too much of a New Year's person and i don't particularly care that much about it, so. no big parties and getting drunk for me. instead, we welcomed the new year smoking on the steps, pondering about life and mean people with the bleak starless sky above us, drinking coke and waiting for our ride to come pick us and then played the band-name-alphabet-game in which i lost and listening to Morcheeba and random punkrock music that we used to be into when we're 16. but it was all good. good times it was.

JE or Johnnys or Jpop or Kanjani 8 specifically, had played a HUGE part of 2008 for me. i'm not really sure if this had been for the better. i can see it still playing a big role in my life in the coming years (it's like a bad addiction) and probably shaping me into the person that i will be in the future just like how punk music and the punk culture in my young adolescent years has shaped me to who i am now. and to think it like that, i'm a bit worried. i love Japan and my interest in it began with me being interested in the high culture, zen, quiet elegance, part of it and now, here i am flailing over dorky japanese pop idols and listening to bad pop music that 2 years ago, i would have been disgusted at myself and now i am beginning to like it because you get used to things. but i think i'm actually more worried about me not actually being worried about it. i think. what? O whatever.

fandom stuff: i managed to watch a bit of the Johnny's Countdown on streaming sites. XD obviously, hyper-ryo moments makes me smile, especially during the idols-sushi-bar thing. also, is it just me or does eito seem to be the only ones stuck with spoilt mics; Subaru during Sorafune sounded weird almost out of tune and we didn't get to hear the first few parts of Tacchon's greetings during the Ushi-somethingsomething. my other favourite part is the same one i had for last year which is the Seishun Amigo part of the concert. last year we had RyoPiJin in it and this year we had Kudo's boys, NagasexOkada and RyoxNino accompanying the original duo! it was interesting coz it looks like someone forgot to plan how this part of the performance is going ot be like and quickly threw in those 4 boys on stage. it's nice to see Ryo and Nino making no attempts with the choreography. XD

i just got back from a road trip to Malaysia hence, the slight hiatus. other than that, i've been doing errands for my grandparents and reading and watching tons of jdramas and more random shows -- productive things basically. hah.

so obviously i've been watching Ryusei no Kizuna. i just finished watching ep 9. and woo...can't wait for the final episode where everything is revealed! i've had tons of monologues regarding the many different aspects of the drama in my head (like a lot of times since i've watched it) so now i'm like completely drained, sort of, and find myself 'talking' better in response to someone else's thoughts on it than having to word my own opinions. i guess what's left that i could talk about is the speculations. i'm not sure if they're considered spoilers since they're just my own speculations and its not like i've read the novel or anything but,

( cut, just in case )

other dramas this season that i'm watching is SCANDAL and am currently enjoying it. it's actually a very nice break from all the dramas with pretty boys. besides, i've always been a sucker for stories about women and that bond between women plus the struggles they face with marriage, friendship, etc. it also features really popular and gorgeous actresses (not the idol kind) and a pretty awesome wardrobe! however, it does bear a resemblance to Desperate Housewives (i love the first few seasons of DH), which could explain why i like this. obvious similarity is the fact that they're all housewives as well and that they're also solving the mystery of the 5th woman. in each episode you learn a new secret from a new character. of course, it's not as high budget as DH and the mystery is completely different and not as much adultery and betrayal, which i feel could be a good thing. i've currently watched up to episode 6 and can't wait to finish this series (i meant this in a good way) so that we can get to the bottom of things!

i've also just finished watching Maou which was reeally good. i'm a bit sad that i wasn't into this drama when everyone was really into it coz now i feel like i've got no one to flail about the drama with and no one to discuss characters with too. Ohno was brilliant btw, and i looove his character Naruse that i can't help but support him with his evil deeds. the last episode made me cry so badd but it was such a good and satisfying cry! this definitely falls into the dramas-to-rec-people list.

i've actually started watching Code Blue as well. i know that i've been complaining about Yamapi having the emotional range equivalent to a wooden plank (sorry Yamapi) and how i don't exactly fancy Aragaki Yui (and her bangs, especially her bangs) and how the drama didn't seem that interesting to spend my time on, before. but! i guess i do like medical dramas (i'm just not into asian ones) and even devoid of emotions, Yamapi is nice to look at so i'm giving this another go and i'm surprised that i'm actually liking it. my favourite characters so far are Hiyama and Fujikawa (i even know their names!) played by Toda Erika and the glasses dude respectively. i don't know if that'll change but, i'll update you guys if it does. XD i actually like the treatment of the drama. i guess one reason i was a bit sceptical about this is that asian medical dramas are usually on such a low budget that everything looks freaking fake and unconvincing which turns me off. but this one definitely did not have a small budget. i'll give a follow-up review of this when i finish it and a more justifying review of Maou if i feel like it. heh.

that is all.
very long huh. making up for lost grounds. XD

oh shit where have i been? sorry journal, for not keeping up with my happy days post as i have intended to. i have been busy, you see, like catching up with unfinished jdramas and stuffing myself with chocolate bars and rice and chilli crabs, and planning and creating embroidered illustrations in my head all day long.

actually, i can't say i've been up to much at all. i think i should create a list of jdramas that i've watched with a little comment about each of them and a scoreboard next to it just to show how productive i've been with my free time these past few days. i realised, my appetite has grown tremendously and i feel like eating all the time. everytime i'm going out, i make a trip to the conveniencce store before heading to the desired destination and get myself a snack and then finish it in the few minutes after the purchase. i scare myself. today i shall attempt to be more productive than usual by going to school to save all my files into dvds coz they are going to clear the system or whatever cleanup thing they're gonna do with the computers in the lab. losing data or important files scare me. they scare me so much i get nightmares. i am normally not attached to things and people but i think if my house is on fire the first thing i'll save will be all my photo series/portfolio/schwork i did in Uni just coz i need them to graduate and get jobs. i think i'm losing any ability that i have to be on time. i should have been out on my way to school an hour ago! i hate you H. Aside from that, i've been getting 5-hour sleeps every day and chats with S and R and a lot more other people represented by other alphabets each day. yeah, it's fun.

blahblahblahblah sorry this is such a rambly post. i was watching a bunch of FRIENDS episodes last night and with that leave you with Joey and his card trick. i promise i'll come up with something more than just mindless babbling next time.

I had been flailing about it before the show even began and now that its on going, I haven't even talked about it here once. I'm referring to Ryusei no Kizuna and to be honest, I've been kinda tired of wanting to put my thoughts into tangible words and has basically lost any form of desire to express how I feel about it. Despite that, I feel like I owe it to myself to do this. I don't know; I have a strange relationship with my head.

Anyway, I need to say that I am in LOVE with Kisarazu Cats Eye and Tiger & Dragon as drama series and that makes it harder to see any other Kudo dramas post these. Because of that, I really cannot decide whether I think Ryusei is a good enough drama or a great drama. Also, I have been viewing the drama in weird orders and I really regret doing that. I mean, I 've been watching the drama raw weekly and then going back a few episodes to watch it with the subs and then fast forward a few episodes from that to watch the new episode raw and basically sort of screwing up the whole story in my head. I wished I had just be patient and watch it in chronological order with the subs. BUT, my dumbness aside, I am actually enjoying it alot and I've been looking forward to new episodes every week.

( spoilers maybe? but...I don't really think so )

So yeah, you can say that I'm really into this drama. But my love for KCE and T&D has sort of blurred my visions of it and has made it hard for me to view the drama on its own with a neutral judgement. Hence making it seem like it is lacking something all the time when it could probably be just me and my high expectations. I think it's time for me to let go and enjoy this as it is...and in chronological order too!

I was gonna ramble about other dramas worhty of viewing this season and those that I've been watching but man this is long already so I'll just stop here. And I think I'm gona fall asleep any second now so excuse any weird english phrasing or whatever. I suck at writing.