Happy Halloween

Well, by now, the little ghosts and goblins should be soundly asleep, probably still dreaming about their fun ‘trick or treat’ outings AND hopefully have brushed their teeth thoroughly after gobbling up a whole year’s quota of candies! I always love handing out Halloween treats to the kids. This is the only night in the year that I get to see the neighborhood kids all made up in their elaborate costumes. There are certain activities that are governed by age, and ‘trick or treating’ is definitely one of them. Some adolescents have already decided that it’s too embarrassing (and not cool!) to knock on neighbors’ doors to ask for candies. I cherish the precious moments of watching my boy’s face turning strawberry-red, panting and sweating, waving his pumpkin bowl high up in the air after running through 10 different streets screaming, “Mama, mama, look how much I’ve got!”


Hehe, I don’t know if you’ve ever run into a situation like this : You try to strike up a conversation with the other passengers in an elevator (beats everybody standing like a wooden log facing the wall, right?) Well, the easiest way is to pose a happy question to an eager expectant mother, so you notice this woman who looks like she’s 5 months pregnant. You proceed to ask smilingly, “How many more months to go?” The woman is caught a bit off guard by your question, then realizes what you are thinking and subconsciously looks down at her tummy. When she raises her head up again, her face is written with displeasure and her eyes pierce you with disgust. At that moment, you just wish that you had cut your tongue off and there is a hole somewhere that you can stick your head in.


Ha, I guess one really becomes wiser when one gets older (either that or my last lesson was so embarrassing that I can’t afford to forget!) ...... Today being Halloween and all, it’s a big deal for kids in the school. Besides teachers and staffs, even some parents are dressed up in costumes (or so I assume). I run into another mother who normally looks pretty decent in a sense that her hair is neatly tied up, her clothes quite simple and low-key. However today she is covered up in this elaborate oversize black robe-thingy and her hair all frizzed up, soooo not her. I was this close in blurting out “Nice costume” but I quicky realized she is changing to a new look today. (Boy, what a day to pick to go to a hairdresser!) I am so glad that I swallowed my 'compliment' back just in time!

Hehe, lesson learned : no assumption but the truth. Happy Halloween!

Cuddlelicious Damdeok - 4

Hehe, my son is a big fan of TWSSG, this happened one day :

Mama, my tummy hurts hurts ......

NO NO! I don't want a stingy needle!!

Do I really have to drink this medicine? It tastes disguuuuusting! :(

Really?! You promise to let me watch TWSSG after homework?? Yippie!

Ummmm...... NOW it doesn't taste so bad anymore,

Hehe, it's even yummylicious! Can I be sick again tomorrow? :)

original from cafe.daum.net/byjfan 수지니
reposted in baidu wlbyj

When he closes his eyes .....

Chinese Baidu BYJ thread is a forum which I visit quite often because just one simple, fast link and I can see news, pictures, videos and articles. There is no classification of materials, just a list of topics sort by the latest update. One of my favourite source of pictures comes from a sister wlbyj, who seems to have a bottomless library of the rarest, most gorgeous, clearest pictures of HRH. Trust me, from the responses of those Baidu sisters, a good many of them have suffered from dehydration, irregular heart beat and sleeplessness as a result of of her postings :)

Hehe, don't be shy. You are free to do anything you want this time since he's not staring back at you!






original post in cafe.daum.net/byjgallery by style
reposted in baidu by wlbyj

More words of wisdom - from mishio

I know I don’t deserve it, but I always have this fortune of crossing my path with some of the kindest and most intelligent souls. Maybe it’s the law of equilibrium, after all, you cannot have dummies like me walking all over the planet. God knows, we already have too many ruling over the world. Remember that ‘Random Thoughts’ post last week which I wonder what is considered ‘overdoing’ it when it comes to BYJ? As some of us feel that this is not a mere hobby or fan craze anymore, his ethics and values have incorporated as part of our lifestyle already. A few wise sisters have so generously shared their golden rules with us :

gosijo – balance
bb – moderation
vegas – choice
heippieh - follow your heart

Thanks also to moichan and mymy for your valuable comments.




A few days ago, I am honored to find one of our most articulate sisters (I dare say) has graced my humble blog and shared her view on this ‘overboard’ issue too. Yes, you guess right, it’s our ‘award-winning’ writer mishio (hehe, in my heart she is). Similar to our HRH's style, waiting for her priceless production causes our neck to grow longer day after day but it always guarantees to be a masterpiece! Thank you mishio for sharing your view :

hey there jaime,

Gotta agree with everyone up there - love the questions you've raised and of courses, the outpouring of sensible and eloquent answers from our super smart sisters. Yea, really just love what bb's written here - it's dead on right.

You know, the fact that someone is aware of these issues is already half the battle won. Like any out of control "addiction" if you will, it usually goes hand in hand with denial.

This whole balance thing - it is a question that I deal with every single day, I kid you not. How can you define a person who is overboard vs. one that is not? Everything is so relative.

It is undeniable that BYJ (or any other interest) has done a lot of good without express intent. In the most extreme, we've all heard of the ladies who've found the motivation and renewed hope to fight certain ills after finding something positive to look forward to everyday. Sure, he's no mighty healer, but the improved mindset he (or any positive hobby) generated cannot be ignored. To those ladies, is surfing 4-6 hours of BYJ news a day extreme if it's doing them more good than not? If I judge them by my standards, a loss of 4-6 hours a day on any hobby would cause my life, as it exists, to crumble. Again, so very relative.

And there are so many extensions of BYJ-ism. Other than keeping up with the "news and action," what about the new friends we've cultivated withing the circle. I'm sure your email box is plumper than it has ever been these days.

The other interests - language classes, travels, aquisition of computer skills, etc, etc keep us busier than ever before. Expanding our horizons in this way - where to draw the line between where the positives end and the negatives begin?


I think the key is to stay grounded and true to our goals, responsibilities, and priorities in life, which are fuzzier for some than others, but that which everyone, if they search hard enough in their heads, is ultimately quite clear.

Each of us have a clear idea of what is truly important and a vision of the ideals that we aspire to. When we start falling short of those purposes in life, whether our own or defined by social standards, it's time to reel back.

Don't know when? Look around - there are hints all around. Like when my dad groans, "what? You choose - it's going to Korea or keeping my last name! Which is it, huh? " (haha, folks, that's once a year!! Dad just exaggerates so much!)

Or friends that whine, "we never seem to see you anymore, so there's so much leftover food on the table." Kids that moan "mom's on a computer date with her Korean hunk again!?" or "why are you decorating my hamburger patty with a ketchup laced BYJ design?" :)

Ultimately, when I sense that my BYJ-related activities are deterring me from crucial steps on my path, you see me shrinking backwards - hence the multitude of absences.

So.............dear jaime,
sorry that you had to suffer the consequences of opening that can of worms for me. That was a really stimulating and relevant subject you've raised.

Anyway, please take a step back often as you just had. As long as you keep that habit, you'll develop the proper perspective. Yep, you're ok, sis!

*Dude, been writing for a while now - is it 2008 yet?*



Such 'well thought out' analysis! What I take from mishio is we can try to align our BYJ activities with our goals and aspirations, so we will gain something positive out of this whole experience. There is really no one right answer for all the fans. For a fan who has married children, spending a few hours a day on BYJ may fit perfectly well into her schedule while it would be a luxury for a working mother with young children. For some fans who love traveling and exploring other countries, it is a perfect opportunity for them to learn in depth about the culture of Korea and Asia while other fans might find it more satisfying sitting at home and venture into the world of technology, internet and communications. However we choose to enjoy this BYJ experience, there is one certain reward that no treasure in this world can buy – it’s the friendship and love we gained from our dear BYJ sisters! We’re all winners coming out of this!

What's with the Hair?

Hehe, while we are on the topic of hair. I remember maybe I should add my old article to my blog for record purposes, please bear with me. This one was posted back in 09/2006 in Quilt :

Dear sisters ……. What do you think of our prince’s recent evolvement in his hair style? Here’re my thoughts to share with you, hope you’ll enjoy …..



The first time I laid eyes on our gorgeous prince was in Winter Sonata, besides that ‘out-to-kill’ sunshine smile, was that ‘out-to-shock’ golden hairdo that caught my attention. What a glorious combination of an ultra-handsome modern man living in an ultra-romantic fantasy! I was so totally electrified that if you plug the socket of your microwave oven into my ears, I can probably help you to defrost your steak for tonight’s dinner (Asian sister, please use your AC adapter, we use 125 volts here in Canada). Determined to live in my prince’s image even though it’s already 4 years after the fact (never mind, we Canadians are not known to be fashionistas anyway), so without wasting another second, I frantically summoned my ‘favourite’ hairstylist. You see, my hairstylist is the type who scouts the latest trend around the world, then eagerly want to experiment it on his victim’s (I mean, customer’s) hair. Being a ‘self-respecting’ woman living a simple life, I try to voice out that I have absolutely no desire to look like a ‘gel-up, make-up’ runway model in a John Galliano’s fashion show donning those asymmetrical puffed up hairdo (maybe another time, another life, but definitely not now). But at the end, Mr. Trendsetter always prevails, I usually let him win. Hey, I’m not dumb, after all he’s the guy who is holding the scissors up there. I don’t want to risk turning my haircutting session into an ‘open face surgery’!

But this time is different, with my powerful prince behind me, I was pretty adamant that MinHyung’s hair IS my hair. He had no choice but to succumb to my demand and fussed on my hair with a pouting face the whole time. I specifically instructed him on the cutting angle, blow drying technique, what base colour, how much highlight and where exactly I want it (I could have easily shown him MinHyung’s picture but I was afraid he’d be laughing at me all the way to the washing basin). Have you ever wondered what mysterious ‘magic’ mist those stylists spray on your hair and somehow randomly fluff a few strands up here and there, and voila, you look so Hollywood-glamorous at that instant but you can never re-create it again at home?

I was one satisfied customer this time and proudly strode out of the salon, through the busy shopping malls and into the parking lot. Along the way, I couldn’t help but noticed everybody was staring at me, some even turned their heads around to look. I was smiling to myself and feeling totally gratified with the attention I was getting! I got into my car and decided to flip down my vanity mirror to admire myself one more time. ‘Holy moly! Who sticks a picture of Lion King on my mirror?!’ I rubbed my eyes, touched the mirror and looked closely again, Holy Moly, that’s NO ‘Lion King’, that’s MEEEEEEE! My golden brown hair was sticking up and out in all directions like a lion with a GIGANTIC mane. Those passers-by were NOT admiring yours truly, they thought a half human/half beast lunatic has just escaped from Prehistoric Jurassic Park! I felt like taking my head off and stashed it in the back seat while driving all the way home. I swear I will never go back to the Trendsetter guy again (btw, I’ve also said it at least 20 times before)!



A few months has passed, both my hair and shattered self-esteem has slowly restored to its normalcy when our prince revealed himself again attending the wedding of SSH’s manager. This time the ultra-handsome prince donned a long hairdo tied loosely and casually at the back in a pony tail. Remember his Korean fans joked in the AS screening that Yong Joon should have more ‘dirty thoughts’ so his hair could grow faster? I was just so glad that my hair has caught up to his length so quickly even though I SWEAR my thoughts are totally clean and pure. Well, at least when I am NOT thinking about him (it’s another story when I do think of him ~@@~). For the next 5 hours, this silly woman was standing in front of the bathroom mirror extending her poor arthritic arms and hands up to tie those hair at just the right looseness and length, running between the bathroom and computer to verify that ‘easy breezy cover girl’ look. My effort finally paid off, for the next few months, yours truly was also donning this exact same ponytail as my prince. (Please don’t laugh at me, my heart really feels very warm and close to him knowing we are wearing the same hairstyle!)



Then the new summer Lotte pictures showed a slight variation by introducing curly waves to my prince’s hair. That may sound easy enough, after all it’s just curling a few strips of hair using the hot iron right? WRONG!!! Do you have any idea the torture ‘a night owl’ like me experience by dragging myself out of bed in the morning even 1 minute before the absolute latest wake up time?! Let me tell you, that degree of torture is equivalent to actually putting 10 burning hot curling irons directly on my hands, feet and forehead! But to ensure I resemble the Asian Goldilocks, I had to set my alarm clock half an hour earlier every morning to curl my hair now. Aye, the sacrifice I have to make for you my prince!



Wow, when the latest Lotte pictures came out a few days ago, the prince once again shocked me with this ‘gender-blender’ hairstyle, I was literally at a loss of words. His face still looks heavenly gorgeous, but WHAT’S WITH THE HAIR? Who doesn’t look ridiculous walking in an average crowd wearing a hairdo like that? How much disguise does a girl have to wear on her face so as not to be recognized? I know I know, you say ‘Who told you to copy the same style as our prince?’. But you see, it’s my destiny already, some fans wear his Megane-Ichiba eyeglasses, some wear his pinky ring, I just wear his hair! I can’t speak about other actors or actresses, but Yong Joon’s facial features are so beautiful and delicate, only he can carry a hairdo like this and still manage to radiate a princely, refined and sultry air. Now my big question is how do I achieve that look? Is this one of those styles that you have to hang your head up side down to dry, then tease the hair high at the top and back? Isn’t that similar to the lion mane that I’ve just recovered from a few months ago? Looks like I’ll have to crawl back to Mr. Trendsetter and beg him to try this one for me too (hopefully he has amnesia since my last visit and has forgotten about the Lion King incident, so our professional ‘stylist-client’ relationship can blossom once again, amen)!

Those Trendsetters

Hi Hi ..... today is the broadcast of episode 13, past the half way of the whole drama. Besides all those twists and turns in the plot bringing us through 2000 years of evolution, there is another more 'earth shattering' evolution that I (am sure many other sisters too) notice. Still don't know what I am talking about? Haha, of course is the sexy locks of our handsome Damdeok. Our prince has gone through so many hairstyle changes and we all agree that he looks absolutely gorgeous in every single one. My gosh, I dare say even if they put a mop on his head, he still comes out looking like a mighty King :)

Which leads me to think .... these men in ancient times were definitely more avante-garde and flamboyant. They did not want to look like 'the boy next door' and would not go for your everyday 'cookie-cutter' hairstyles, don't you think?

(on second thought, maybe they DID use a cookie-cutter to cut thier hair??)

Officially Yummylicious - 3

hi hi ..... so many yummy pictures to share. Remember that official TWSSG Photo Album bb blogged about. It is scheduled to be out on Jan 1, 2008 and 2 of those princely pictures are released :)

original in cafe.daum.net/byjfan kaorin
reposted in Baidu wlbyj





And then another kind sister has also shared his gorgeous Winter Megane-Ichiba pictures :)

original in cafe.daum.net/byjgallery miemi
reposted in Baidu wlbyj

Have you heard that JP is getting married next spring? His future bride is pretty and very young, only 22 years old! Congratulations JP! OK guys, you have your turn. Now, better help your handsome 'Hyeong' to find a girlfriend :)

在你面前的男人……是王

Dear sisters .... The title of this Baidu post really caught my eyes, the scene is drawn from a future episode. For sisters who don't read Chinese, it literally translates to "the man in front of you ..... is King". However in this context, it does not just refer to any man on the street. It has an implication of 'the special man in a woman's life', per se. To his ministers, guards and peasants, Damdeok may be the all mighty, divine King of Jyooshin; but to Sujini, he is simply HER MAN - a real life partner on an equal level. Listen to their sweetheart dialogue :


Damdeok : Will you stick by me?

Sujini : Stick by you? Am I the flea in your bed?

Damdeok : Can you be agreeable just once and say 'yes'? The man standing in front of you .... is King.

Sujini : Yes. (Damdeok smiles contentedly)


Hehe, just a few short words, but it reveals the mischief, power, respect and understanding in the love between Damdeok and Sujini.

Now dear sisters, what is 'the man in front of you ..... is _______' to you? :)

original vod by AQUA in HerMesyongjun.com
translated by 石灰虫之虫 from 蓝宝石别墅吧
reposted by wlbyj in Baidu

From Taeja-nim to Baeha

Damdeok : Ha, so you think it's easy to go from Taeja-nim to Baeha, eh?! The things these idiots make you do ......

work as David Copperfield's assistant

Stand under lightning to get free electricity

Lock you and your friends out of your house the whole night

Make you wear a lampshade when you go out on a date

Worst of all, sing in front of Simon in American Idol