K-drama: 49 days (Pure Love)

I've just finished watching this drama called 49 days ^^ This must be the most interesting drama I've watched after quite a while.  It has the best story plot that I've ever seen in any drama up till now.  I was initially watching the drama 'Flower boy ramyun shop', a comedy and romance drama in which the actor Jung Il Woo plays but the drama is currently airing so I have to wait for new episodes, there are only 6 episodes broadcasted currently.  Meanwhile I looked up dramas in which Jung Il Woo stars in and I came across this drama called 49 days.  This drama has a brilliant plot and I think it is worthy of winning the best drama storyline for year 2011 ^^ (dunno if their is an award for best drama story).

The summary of the drama tells us this much:  Shin Ji Hyun was enjoying absolute bliss as she was about to marry her fiancé, Kang Min Ho, but her perfect life is shattered when she gets into a car accident that leaves her in a coma. She is given a second chance at life by a reaper, but it comes with a condition: she has to find three people outside of her family who would cry genuine tears for her. In order to do this, she borrows the body of Yi Kyung, a part-time employee at a convenience store for 49 days.

When I read the summary, the drama instantly appealed to me.  In the 1st episode it takes quite a longtime before anything significant happens, but I guess the producer was just introducing the characters in the story to the viewers.  There are several things in the drama that I find quite realistic although it is a fantasy genre drama, I guess it's the outlook on human feelings portrayed in the drama that seems quite true.  As the story unfolds, viewers can't help but become attached to the character of Shin Ji Hyun although in the first episode she just gave the impression of being another airhead that we usually see in many k-dramas.  At first, Shin Ji Hyun thought she could easily collect 3 sincere tears because she thought there were atleast 3 persons (excluding her family) who loved her.  But as she wanders around unseen by the living she discovers the cruel truth that the ones she trusted the most were deceiving her.  As Shin Ji Hyun realises the harsh reality, she starts losing hope on finding even a single sincere tear meant for her.  I don't blame Shin Ji Hyun for losing hope because it is true that finding a person who can shed a sincere tear for you is very difficult.  However, Han Kang the person that Shin Ji Hyun always thought hated her actually loves her the most. 

Starting from the left, the first character is Shin In Jung (Shin Ji Hyun's best friend), the scheduler (angel of death who guides and helps Ji Hyun), Song Yi Kyung (the person possessed by Sin Ji Hyun), Han Kang ( Ji Hyun's highschool friend), Shin Ji Hyun and the last person is Kang Min Ho ( Ji Hyun's fiancee).

Another thing which strikes me in this drama is the fact that they talk about the time of death as something decided by fate and although this a fact which is hard to accept, eventually Shin Ji Hyun, Song Yi Soo and the other characters close to them learn to accept this fact. 
There's one part of the drama when the scheduler says those words which might seem cold but are definitely realistic.

The Scheduler said: Human beings' hearts change, that's their speciality.  There's no such thing as everlasting. Love, then hate.  Hot, then cold.  Upset, then grateful.  Full of resentment, then understanding.  And others and so on.
In that situation, these words seemed harsh and made Shin Ji Hyun lose hope.  But in another context, the fact that 'people's heart change and nothing is everlasting' can also bring hope to Shin Ji Hyun that things can get better, that hate can change to love.
I would really recommend this drama to people who like k-dramas and are looking for something new on the other hand 'Flower boy ramyun shop' is also a nice and refreshing drama. 
   

Tips on how to use Google skethup

Hi!

Today I will give a few tips on how to use 'Google Sketchup' ^^ a software that allows you to produce 3D modeling.  When you are using Sketchup, avoid using other applications because the system will tend to slow down due to lack of memory space.  

What is 3D Art?

Producing object that can be seen from any angle.  It has depth, proportion, shape and volume.

What is the difference between 3D Art and digital 3D Art?

Digital 3D Art can be animated and editing can be done on it to give a better presentation.

The advantage of 3D modeling:  

Corrections, editing can be done to the virtual model.

The model can be viewed from every point in an animation video.

Notes:

Panning/pan: a tool used in sketchup that allows you to move the object on the screen

Make a Closed Loop: means the line drawn must end at its starting point

These tips will come in useful when you start using Sketchup.

To open Sketchup on Apple mac:
Go to Finder_Application_Sketchup
Choose: Simple Template_meters

Mouse tips:
Roll the centre button to change the position of the origin.
Press the centre button to get the orbit tool used to view the image in different planes.

Keyboard shortcuts:
The command key as shown in the picture below:

On some keyboards the command key has the apple logo on it instead of the word command.



Press command key and 'Z' will undo.
Press command key and 'B' will turn cursor to orbit tool.
Press command key and 'C' will copy.
Press command key and 'X' will cut.
Press command key and 'V' will paste.

To make a square:
Choose the icon square tool.  Hold the mouse button and drag until icon 'square' appears.  If the icon 'Golden section' shows up, it means that the quadrilateral obtained is not a square. 
Measurements are displayed at the lower rigth corner of the display, for example you can select the square then enter 1m,1m in that measurement box then press enter on the keyboard to obtain a square with the 1m by 1m dimensions.
Note: To display the large tool set, go to: View_Toolbars_Large tool set
To include more 3D dimensions to the square or rectangle, use the push, pull tool.  You can then turn the shape into a 3d form like for ex: a cube or cuboid.
To undo, you can also go to Edit_Undo or use keyboard shortcut command and 'Z'.

These were some of the basics.  Look forward to my next post where I'll expalin how to make a pyramid on Google Sketchup ^_^

    

K-pop boy band: U-KISS comeback with 'Neverland'

Hi ^^It's been quite a long time since my last post ^^'
This time I'm coming back with a K-pop review ^^
I've provided a link to U-Kiss music video Neverland below: 
Neverland by U-Kiss

U-Kiss totally grabbed my attention throughout the whole music vid, the song, the music the dance wooooow everything was just soooo coooool.  I would really recommend this music video for those fans of K-POP to watch.

I have to say that the dance for Neverland nicely matched the rhythm and beat of the music.  So well done U-KISS ^o^, this mv was awesome!!

I love the chorus part where they go: Neverland andandandand... wow that was just so cool and the dance move at that point totally matches the chorus. 

Another cool thing in the vid was the snowy background that gave out a cold and austere atmosphere, that was totally contradicted by U-Kiss members who were dancing their super synchronised dance totally unaffected by the cold looking surroundings lol ^^. 

Well now that I think about it, in BEAST's music video 'Breath', there was at some point a similar type of atmosphere.

To watch Beast's mv 'Breath' click on the following link:
Breathe mv by Beast

Alright!
I hope you enjoyed this K-pop review on U-Kiss' comeback title^^
See u ^^

K-Drama: City Hunter

Hello and welcome to you (Bienvenue chers lecteurs)^^
Thank you for viewing my blog^_^
I hope that you'll find my blog postings interesting to read, I'm now posting overviews of the K-drama that i am currently watching, which is called City Hunter.

This korean drama is based on the manga 'City Hunter' which was created by Tsukasa Hojo, a manga artist whose drawings and story writing I really like^^  The manga consists of 35 books published from 1985 to 1992.
The genre of this manga: Action, comedy and crime fiction

When I was 12 or 13 years old, I read several of the City Hunter manga and also watched its anime mostly in french though and I even learnt the opening song of the anime by heart at that time haha^^
If you want to listen to the 'City Hunter' anime opening song that i used to watch when i was younger, you can click on the following link:

City Hunter anime french opening song

After watching the video from the link posted above, you'll notice that the name of 'City Hunter' is known as 'Nicky Larson' in the french translation of the anime.  Don't get confused with the names, Nicky Larson is the french name for City Hunter whereas in the manga City Hunter's name is Ryo Saeba.

In the manga of 'City Hunter':

Ryo Saeba is a 'sweeper' known as City Hunter.  He and his sidekick Kaori Makimura (her french name is Laura) are hired to solve problems that the police is unable or unwilling to handle. From what I can remember from the manga, Ryo Saeba is an assassin trained since a child in a guerilla troupe.  He lost his parents in an airplane crash (resulting in a phobia of airplanes) during which he miraculously survived and was abducted or adopted by a guerilla troupe (i don't remember the location of the guerilla troupe).  That's how he was brought up as an assassin skilled in using all types of firearms, learnt many fighting techniques and shoots very accurately (example: he can shoot many times through the same hole on a target, he is also a sniper i.e. he can shoot from long distances of up to about 400m...i think).  However, after Kaori became his partner he stopped killing and took on various types of jobs ranging from body guard, spy to investigator.

When he's not keeping the streets of Tokyo (Shinjuku) clean, Ryo is chasing the ladies and Kaori chases after him to hit him with a giant hammer whenever he's being indecent to or stalking the ladies^^ There are many funny gags created in these situations I remember^^

Ryo Saeba is a character who hides his feelings and his heavy past is hardly mentioned in the anime, most of it was mentioned briefly in the manga.  Ryo is known to be a player who constantly flirts with pretty girls.  Eventually, we learn that Kaori and Ryo actually love each other but they don't dare to admit it because Ryo cannot allow himself to fall in love in this dangerous life he leads.

In the french translation of the manga; Ryo said: « une femme peut tomber amoureuse d'une personne pour le reste de sa vie, moi je ne peux l'être que de temps en temps » (Amour, Destin et un Magnum 357) !


I've translated the above french words below:
Ryo said: "A woman can fall in love with a person for the rest of her life, for me it can only be now and then
OK!^^ Now I'm going to talk about the Korean drama of 'City Hunter', it's quite addictive because of the occasional suspense and cliffhangers.  City Hunter's name in this live action drama is Lee Yoon Sung and this role is played by handsome and talented actor Lee Min Ho.  

The plot of the City Hunter drama is very different from the storyline in the manga, so people who have read the manga before should not expect to see the same episodes and scenes from the anime in this live action drama.  The start of the drama does not immediately introduce the City Hunter, there's some dark and a bit complicated background story provided first, telling us about Yoon Sung's father, how the latter was betrayed and how Yoon Sung is raised up to become the City Hunter who seeks revenge from the 5 perpetrators who have ordered the assassination of his father and comrades who were soldiers sent on a secret mission.
So this was a very brief summary of how the drama begins^^
If you want to watch this drama, go to the google search bar on my blog and type: City hunter drama ep 1     

Thank you for reading my posts^^
I'll do some other reviews of the City Hunter drama next time^^
I hope you'll enjoy watching this drama^^

Super Junior M

What is Super Junior M ?

Super Junior is a South Korean idol group made up of 13 members.  They are artists trained in singing, dancing and even acting by SM Entertainment.  Super Junior is a concept group because they are different and more innovative compared to other boy bands.  Super Junior members are very versatile, they participate in various types of events in addition to their boy band activities.  Some Super Junior members have made solo songs, others are show hosts, radio hosts, actors and moreover they have held concerts in several countries and have become internationally renowned.  To produce different style of music and to target specific markets, Super Junior has formed four different sub-groups, namely:

1.  Super Junior-Happy (sub-group made up of members who are good comedians, they set up happy moods and sing lively songs)

2.  Super Junior M (Sub-group formed to target the chinese market, this sub-group has released chinese songs and has been operating in Taiwan, Hong Kong and other parts of China).  Their album for the year 2011 is called 'Perfection'.

3.  Super Junior-KRY (A trio consisting of the best vocalists from the main group)

4.  Super Junior T (Sub-group that sings trot songs)

The new album of Super Junior M for the year 2011 includes the songs listed below:

Super Junior M song: Love is sweet

Super Junior M song: My all is in you

Super Junior M song: Destiny

Super Junior M mv: Perfection

Super Junior M, Henry's solo song: Off my mind

Super Junior M song: True Love

I hope that you will enjoy Super Junior M's songs just like I did \(^o^)/

From this album I think Super Junior M has truly proven it's worth^^

K-Drama: Oh! My Lady

Hi everyone!
I've just finished watching the K-drama 'Oh! My Lady' and I love it.  The ending is a happy one, kind of like a modern love story(^o^)

Choi Si Won who played the lead actor in this drama really impressed me with his acting skills.  He is also a member of Korean boy band Super Junior, which is also a dance group.  Choi Si Won is very talented in singing, dancing and acting.  I hope to watch him in his future dramas^^.  The drama he is currently filming I think is a taiwanese drama called 'Extravagant Challenge', in this drama he will have to speak mandarin and that's quite a challenge for a foreigner.  But I'm sure that he'll do great in that drama as well^^

Profile of Choi Si Won:

Name: Choi Siwon
Birthday: 1986, April 7th
Height, weight: 183 cm, 75kg
Religion: Christian
Sibling: a younger sister, Choi Jiwon
Profession: Singer (SM Entertainment, Siwon is a member of Super Junior and it’s subgroup, Super Junior-M) , Actor, Model

Here are some links if you want to check out Choi Siwon's songs:
'I must be bad' sung by Choi Siwon, featured in k-drama Oh! My Lady
Choi Siwon's solo song: Who am I

K-Drama: My Name is Kim Sam Soon

Bonjour! Hello!
Hi there! ^^
I was thinking of some K-dramas that I have watched in the past and a fun one that came up to my mind was 'My Name is Kim Sam Soon'.  I really enjoyed watching this drama.  It is funny, interesting, romantic and I really like the main casts for this drama because they made a very good job in acting their parts in this story.  I also like the music in this drama, I think it really fits and emphasizes the different situations in the drama, when there is some funny situation, there's a music that makes you follow the action of the characters in the movie and anticipate their next action.  To watch the opening theme of the K-drama 'My Name is Kim Sam Soon', click on the following link: 
My Name is Kim Sam Soon_Opening song

This drama was a success in South Korea, with numerous viewers and received several Drama Awards in 2005. 
The lead actor of this drama is Hyun Bin.  It is in this drama that I first saw the actor Hyun Bin. 
The lead actress is Kim Sun-ah, she had to gain 15 pounds to play the role of Kim Sam Soon.
 
This drama is about the story of Kim Sam Soon, a woman in her thirties who works as a patissier.  She has a broken heart because she was betrayed by her boyfriend who was two-timing her.  She is a character who is quite realistic about life but sometimes her imagination makes her think up weird scenarios of how she would have wanted things to be like.  She also dislikes her name 'Sam Soon' and wants to change it to 'Hee Jin', because many people make fun of her old-fashioned and embarassing name.  However, this name was chosen by her father who has passed away and this must be the reason why she hesitates to change her name.  Kim Sam Soon is very skilled in baking pastries and finds a job at the restaurant owned by Hyun Jin-Heon (Hyun Bin), 27 year old man who is very rude and considered to be very cool by his employees. 

This series is very interesting to watch because it tells the story of a woman who finds love in her thirties with a younger man.  The love story between the two protagonist itself seems so improbable, that you'll simply adore the way they end up together without regarding the odds.  When you start watching the drama, it seems almost impossible for that good-looking and arrogant guy Hyun Jin-Heon to fall in love with a chubby and old woman like Kim Sam Soon.  I mean Hyun Jin Heon could have a younger and better looking woman but somehow he falls in love with old, long time single woman Kim Sam Soon.  The funny thing is that even when Hyun Jin Heon's long lost beloved girlfriend comes back chasing after him, he gradually loses interest in her and prefers Kim Sam Soon.  I recommend you watch this drama to see how Hyun Jin Heon falls in love with Kim Sam Soon, the plot and scenarios in this drama are really interesting and fun to watch.  You'll definitely have a good time while watching this drama. 
I think that Kim Sam Soon and Hyun Jin Heon really look good together.
They make a really cute couple^^

 

 The story has its touching and sad moments too.  But, this time I don't want to spoil it for you because I think it is better you watch it for yourself to enjoy it best^^

The problem of Water Scarcity and ways to overcome it

Hi^^
I have been researching on the problem of water scarcity lately and I believe it is an urgent problem that everyone should be concerned with.  The problem of water scarcity is as urgent as the problem of increasing carbon footprint or of energy depletion. 

Therefore, I came up with a set of recommendations which will help to implement a water management policy. This water management policy will promote the conservation of water which will also help businesses to comply with principle 8 of the UN global compact.

Principle 8: Undertake initiatives to promote greater environmental responsibility

For water scarce countries like South Africa where water is becoming an increasingly limited natural resource, such a recommendation will be very beneficial.

The aims of this recommendation are to:

1.  Overcome water scarcity

2. Reduce water pollution 

3.  Prevent water overuse

Firstly, businesses will have to provide water data disclosure, to locate the parts in their supply chain where the use  of water can be minimized.  Furthermore, the recommendation includes the application of alternative water sources.  For example, recycling waste water, by using treated waste water obtained from industrial waste water or from the city waste water treatment plants to wash away dust on construction sites or to cool down power plants. 

The second alternative is to use seawater wherever accessible.  In fact, raw seawater has become the new choice for big mining companies located in coastal regions. 

 The third option is to capture rainwater on-site. By installing rainwater harvesting tanks like the one in the picture below:

Now I will talk about the lessons learnt of several companies which have implemented a water management policy. 

The first example is Barrick gold mine which has excellent water reporting practices and a very comprehensive water accounting. Furthermore, it has implemented the industrial rainwater harvesting system as well as maximizing the use of seawater and recycled waste water in activities like dust suppression and excavation. Eventually in 2010, 31 percent of its water use was salt water.

De Beers has been implementing this water management policy to ensure that its daily water consumption does not adversely affect the local communities.  In 2008,its partner Debswana has achieved a 35% reduction in water consumption.

The next positive lesson learnt is Calpine power plant’s initiative to recycle waste water.   Calpine (Minnesota) has been using the Mankato city's treated wastewater to cool down its power generators, and has also provided funds to improve the City’s treatment system that cleans both the water that is used in the power plant and the water that the City discharges into the river. Overall, the discharge to the river is cleaner hence reducing water pollution.

Benefits of this recommendation to the business would be:

1.  Achieving sustainability by reducing dependence on main water supplies.

2.  Gaining a good reputation for its responsible water consumption practices.

3.  Saving money since there is a lesser need to clean polluted water sources. 

This recommendation can significantly save water, to ensure that there is more clean water for the local community.  It will also help to preserve the ecosystem.

However, it is very likely that not all three water saving strategies are feasible for all the businesses.  Therefore, from each companies’ water data disclosure, and environmental inspection like the distance from the sea or the frequency of rainfall, the companies will have to evaluate which alternative water source suits them best.

There is also the risk that companies refuse to cooperate, therefore it is important  that the participating companies encourage these reluctant companies to examine their corporate water issues and emphasize the advantages that better water management can present.

Another issue is the cost of implementing such a project.  This challenge can be overcome by gathering several companies to collaborate and fund a central water saving system from which they can all benefit.  Since, the cost of implementing this system is shared there will be less financial pressure on each company.

'Water Scarcity is a concern for all!

It is our duty to preserve our fresh water resources, to ensure that there is potable water for all communities and for future generations as well.

For a better world^_^

K-Drama: Oh! My Lady

Hi everyone!
The drama 'Oh! My Lady' that I'm currently watching is becoming more and more interesting.  Choi Si Won showed great acting skills in playing the role of Sung Min Woo in this drama.  I'm getting the impression that the pace of this drama is much faster than the k-drama 'Secret Garden' that I have watched previously.

Oh! My Lady features main casts Chaerim and Choi Si Won.

To continue with my overview of the drama:

Sung Min Woo has accepted to take part in the musical, on the condition that Yoon Gae Hwa takes care of the little girl called Ye Eun (who is possibly his child).  Sung Min Woo does not want to take any responsibility for the child because he does not believe that he is the father of that child.  Sung Min Woo proves to be quite a selfish character who thinks only about himself and doesn't care for Ye Eun, since he suggested that they abandon Ye Eun and of course Yoon Gae Hwa was infuriated after hearing this. 

Later on, Yoon Gae Hwa accepts to become Ye Eun's babysitter on the condition that she can move in Min Woo's house and receive a salary.  Both parties agree to this arrangement.
Yoon Gae Hwa proves to be a very meddlesome person but she is very nice and caring as well.
Sung Min Woo's character is also changing little by little, I think it's all because of Yoon Gae Hwa's influence^^
Definitely, this drama is turning out to be better than I expected. 
If you want to watch a teaser of this drama^^ go to this link:
k-drama Oh!My Lady Teaser

If you want to watch some music video of Super Junior (the boy band Choi Si Won forms part of) you can click on these links:
Super Junior_Bonamana
Super Junior_It's You
Super Junior_No Other

K-Drama: Oh! My Lady

Hello!
I am watching the korean drama 'Oh! My Lady' and it looks good.  I'll give a brief overview of what I've seen in the drama so far(^_^)   

Yoon Gae Hwa is an Ahjumma (a korean term used to identify a married woman or woman old enough to get married), her husband has left her for another woman and she is desperately looking for a permanent job to make a living to take care of her daughter.  She worked for one day as a housekeeper at Sung Min Woo's place.  Sung Min Woo is a celebrity known for his handsome looks and mediocre acting skills.  From what I have watched of the drama so far, Yoon Gae Hwa has been appointed for a job interview at a company called 'The Show' but when she went there, they were expecting a young woman and not an Ahjumma, so they refused to hire her.  She managed to convince the director to hire her on the condition that she gets Sung Min Woo to accept to play in the company's new musical.  The musical is looking forward to make money by including the new rising star Sung Min Woo.  But Sung Min Woo is a very stubborn person and refuses to play in the musical even after Yoon gae Hwa persistently tried to convince him.  

It seems that Sung Min Woo has some dark secret from his past...I wonder what it is? 
Then, there's a cute little girl who suddenly appears at his condo complex and is placed in the care of Yoon Gae Hwa who was waiting to see him.  Yoon Gae Hwa finds a letter addressed to Min woo in the little girl's bag and she looks shocked after reading the letter.  I wonder what's in the letter?
Oh! The letter says the kid is Min Woo's daughter and that he should take care of her.^^
Yoon Gae Hwa blackmails Min Woo to sign the contract to play in the musical or else she will start the scandal about him having a 5 year old daughter and this will ruin his career as a top star. 
What will Sung Min Woo do?  I'll tell you in my next post (^o^)
The role of Yoon Gae Hwa is played by Chae Rim and the role of Sung Min Woo is played by Choi Si Won:

Choi Si Won is a member of boy band Super Junior.  He can sing, dance and has been acting in a few dramas.  He is playing the role of Ren in a new upcoming Taiwanese drama called Extravagant Challenge which a story based on the manga Skip Beat.  His fellow Super Junior member Dong Hae will also be starring in this Taiwanese drama.  I think the greatest challenge for both Super Junior members to play in the drama 'Extravagant Challenge' would be to speak in mandarin, a foreign language to them since they are Koreans.  But, I'm sure they'll manage to overcome this challenge because after watching some of the Taiwanese variety shows in which Super Junior M appears in, I was surprised to see how both Si Won and DongHae's mandarin had improved and even their pronunciation was better. 

Chae Rim is a great actress too^^  I've seen another one of her dramas before, 'Da Jal's Spring' and I really enjoyed it.  Below is the poster of that drama:       

K-Drama Secret Garden

Today I will give an overview of the korean drama called Secret Garden that I have watched recently.  Secret Garden has a mix of different genres in its plot because there is romance, fantasy, melodrama and some comedy.

I wanted to watch this drama because I saw some of the epic scenes in this drama being re-enacted by  Super Junior member on a variety show.  And this sparked my interest about this drama. 

To watch Super Junior members parody of Secret Garden drama, click on the following link:

Super Junior EunHyuk's parody of a 'Secret Garden' scene

The main cast of Secret Garden are:

Male lead actor playing the role of Kim Joo Won: Hyun Bin
I know Hyun Bin from his role in the k-drama 'My name is Kim Sam Soon'.  A funny and romantic drama.

Female lead actress playing the role of Gil Ra Im: Ha Ji Won

This is my first time watching a drama with the actress Ha Ji Won starring in it.  While watching the drama I got the impression quite a few times that she ressembled the actress who played the role of Kim Sam Soon.  Maybe it is because she's playing a film with the same lead actor as in Kim Sam Soon.  Or maybe they do have some facial similarities... 

In the drama:

Actor Hyun Bin plays the role of Kim Joo Won an extremely wealthy CEO who owns a department store, hotel and other resorts.  Kim Joo Won is very arrogant and so full of himself.  He looks down on people who are of lower class and treats those of the same class as him with sarcasm if he dislikes them or is not impressed by them.  To be more precise Kim Joo Won is a very eccentric man.  He is also funny because he likes to wear that ridiculous looking track suit that he claimed to be designer made from Italy.      

Actress Ha Ji Won plays the role of Gil Ra Im a stunt woman.  She is very serious about her job although it is a very risky job since she's placing her life at stake during some of the dangerous scenes she has to play.  However Gil Ra Im is very dedicated to her work and always works very hard to be able to continue working in this field although she does not receive any credit for her work since all the recognition is taken by the main actress and even though she is often mistreated and unfairly scolded by the producer.  

Secret Garden is the story of a rich guy who falls in love with a poor stunt woman.  The funny thing is Kim Joo Won starts to like Gil Ra Im because he saw how cool and unpredictable she was and she kept appearing in his thoughts everyday.  He himself did not understand why he was attracted to a poor woman since he's been used to wealth and dislikes lower class people.  To understand why he likes Gil Ram Im, Kim Joo Won starts intruding Gil Ra Im's life and becomes somewhat of a trainee at the action school where she works.  Gil Ra Im does not understand why Kim Joo Won, a stranger she just met keeps appearing in her life.  She is irritated by him and is annoyed when Kim Joo Won claims that he is very rich, because she thought that he worked as some kind of errand boy for famous Hallyu singer Oska.  Gil Ram Im is a big fan of Oska.   

In fact Oska is Kim Joo Won's older cousin and they often quarrel with each other.  Oska has his own love story in this drama.  The good thing about this drama is that Gil Ram Im does not really have any love rival so you won't need to watch any argument or fight between two women for the same man. Moreover, the woman who is supposed to be Gil Ra Im's love rival will actually support both Kim Joo Won and Gil Ra Im to be together, because she is not really interested in marrying Joo Won, she was only using him to get revenge on Oska whom she really loves. 

The fantasy part in this drama  is a body swap between Kim Joo Won and Gil Ra Im.  Both characters got lost in the forest and they took shelter in a small inn where they had dinner and an old woman gave them a peculiar bottle of alcohol each.  After they drank this alcohol, their souls switched bodies when they woke up in the morning.  That's when both of them get to know each other better. 

I have seen this body swapping plot in a Canadian/UK movie called 'It's a boy girl thing'.  

The mother of Kim Joo Won plays the role of the evil character in the story.  She is the one who draws the dislike and hate of the audience by trying relentlesstly to separate Kim Joo Won and Gil Ra Im by any means.  She plays a character who is completely blinded by the power and wealth that she possesses, sometimes so much that her hatred doesn't make sense to me, because there were a few times while I was watching the drama I got the impression that it was the perfect time for her to realise that Joo Won and Ra Im deserved to be together.  Unfortunately, she remained persistent in refusing the idea that her son loved Gil Ra Im and this constant denial really make people hate this devilish character. 

Actually, Kim Joo Won and Gil Ra Im are a fated couple who were brought together by some significant events from their past.  I won't go in details about this, you'll have to watch the drama to know more about it.  Overall Secret Garden was a good watch and the songs in the drama were nice...I guess like most k-dramas.  I think one of the songs was sung by Hyun Bin himself. 

Below is the link to listen to Hyun Bin's song in the drama, but you'll also catch a glimpse of some scenes in the drama if you watch this video, so it's up to you to click on this link or not...but I guess a lot of the story has already been revealed in my short overview of this drama...so some more spoilers wouldn't really matter (^_^):

To watch a trailer of this Korean drama, click on the following link:

Secret Garden trailer_song: 'That man' by Hyun Bin

Thank you for reading my blog postings(^_^). 

I will post something that you'll hopefully find interesting in my next post too^^



Super Junior

Super Junior (or SuJu) is a South Korean popular boy band made up of 13 members when they first debuted in 2005.  They are one of the largest boy bands in the world.  They are well known for their album songs: Bonamana, Sorry Sorry, No other, It's you,...etc.  Starting from the left of the picture the first member is ShinDong, followed by KanGin(who later left in 2010 for his mandatory military service), HeeChul, SungMin, LeeTeuk (the group leader and the eldest in the group), DongHae, EunHyuk, HanGeng (He is Chinese and had to learn Korean during his training with SM entertainment, he later sued SM entertainment and left the group in 2010),  KyuHyun (the youngest member), SiWon, RyeWook and finally YeSung. 

Like many other Souh Korean idol groups, Super Junior participates in many TV shows.  The following are some links to videos of some TV shows in which Super Junior appeared:

Happy day with Super Junior part 1
Happy day with Super Junior part 4
Happy day with Super Junior part 5
Super Junior Star Dance Battle 2010
Super Junior Dance Battle

Below is the link to the music video of Super Junior's song Bonamana.  Although, I don't understand Korean, I really like the rhythm of the song and the synchronised dance moves of the members really impressed me. Well I'm glad I was able to share my liking for this idol group with potential and existing Super Junior fans.  I hope you enjoy this music video.^_^

Super Junior Bonamana MV

Main cast of You're Beautiful

I've just finished watching the K-drama 'You're Beautiful' and it has a happy ending.  In my opinion the casting was good; the lead actress was Park Shin Hye acting the role of Go Mi Nam, an apprentice nun disguised as a boy to be part of an idol group called A.N.JELL and the lead actor was Jang Geun Suk who played the role of the leader of the idol group Hwang Tae Kyung. 
The appearance of the characters Go Mi Nam and Hwang Tae Kyung were as follows:

 The role of Go Mi Nam was played by Park Shin Hye:

Name: Park Shin-hye
Profession: Actress
Date of birth: February 18, 1990
Height: 163cm
Weight: 45kg
TV shows: Goong S, You're Beautiful,...









The character Hwang tae Kyung was played by Jang Geun Suk:

Name: Jang Geun-suk

Date of Birth: August 04, 1987

Height: 183 cm 

Weight: 62Kg

Profession: Actor, singer

TV shows: Mary stayed out all night, Baby and me,...

K-Drama: You're Beautiful

Hello(^_^)
I've started watching this korean drama 'You're beautiful' since yesterday and I'm completely hooked to it.  It's a good drama for those who like funny, cute and romantic movies.  Right now I've reached the 11th episode and the drama has become a little tense.  What I mean by tense is that the lead actress is in big trouble, the lead actor is faced with a love rival, the evil characters are becoming very proactive, the mystery about the main character's parents will be soon unveiled, the truth about the main character's secret will be revealed soon and there are 6 episodes left for the story to end.

The most interesting part in this drama according to me is that actress Park Shin Hye, actually played the role of the mean girl in Goong S....I recognised her only after someone posted a comment about it on dramacrazy.com.  Then, I also remembered that she filmed a commercial on drinking water with Kim Hyun Joong.  The role she plays in Goong S and the role she plays in this drama are totally different...hard to believe it's the same person.  These korean actors are really good in their acting. 

 

Egg Project

This is a straw structure that I had built for the Egg Project.  This Egg Project is an assignment that I had to do for 3d class during my days at Art school.
The only materials we were allowed to use were:
1.  Straws
2.  staples
3.  elastic bands
4.  strings

The aim of this project was to protect a raw egg in its fall from the 5th floor.  Really dumb right but I had no choice but to undertake this project since I would be marked for it.
My first try was a complete failure, I threwthe egg from the second floor and it broke.  So I spent my whole weekend designing a new structrure that could atlest survive a fall from the 3rd floor.  Most of the other students straw structures were huge (about 60cm by 60cm).  The egg was definitely well protected by the big mesh of straws surrounding it.
So, I decided to build a bigger structure around the egg.  But I was very inspired by the Bucky Ball structure because on the I had started building the straw structure, I saw the picture of the Bucky Ball on the Google page.  That date was actually the day that the bucky ball was discovered.  The Bucky ball or buckminsterfullerene is an allotrope of carbon.  It contains 60 carbon atoms and ressembles a soccer ball.  When I saw the bucky ball I was reminded of my highschool days when the chemistry teacher was covering the chapter on nanotechnology.  The bucky ball really impressed me because it has very high resitance to high speed collision and can withstand slamming into a stainless steel plate at 15,000 mph, merely bouncing back, unharmed. Moreover, when compressed to 70% of its original size, the buckyball becomes more than twice as hard as its cousin, diamond." 
This is how I started building my straw structure based on the structure of the bucky ball:


Below is the structure of the bucky ball that I reconstructed using straws.



Then I stapled several straws close to one another to create a protective mat to protect the egg:

Then, I tied the two ends of the mat to enclose the egg inside:

Afterwards, I attached the straw mat inside the bucky ball.  Unfortunately, I cannot upload more detailed pictures to describe the process of building this structure because it takes way too long to upload.  However, the bucky ball sort of tightened and is narrower because the straws are too soft and bend easily.

So, I had to reinforce the external structure of the bucky ball to provide a more bouncy effect and to absorb the impact on the egg.

I kept on adding triangles and squares around the bucky ball until it was completely surrounded by a protective mesh.  My hands and fingers hurt a lot after stapling all these straws together.  It doesn't look too bad since the straws are all colourful.  You can't see the egg at all but it's safely hidden at the centre of the structure. 

 This structure is quite big, about 50cm by 50cm or more.  When I threw the structure with the egg inside from the 3rd floor, the egg survived and did not break but it moved a bit lower in the straw mat, meaning this structure is not that safe for the egg so I did not try throwing it from the 4th floor to avoid making a mess if the egg came to break.

Now, that I think about it...all these 3d, 2d and drawing works I put so much effort to do seem so distant now...as if they were part of a distant episode of my life.  A new chapter of my life has begun, since everything is different compared to before.  I do sometimes regret this episode of my life and I wonder what would have happened if I had continued working hard towards that goal instead of taking a totally new and different path like the one right now??

But maybe this is just what fate has planned for me.... 

We never know (^_^)