Actor's passion

Hi sisters .... just finished watching the 3rd chapter of TWSSG 3 - 別れのきざし, the omen of separation. I’m not going to bore you again by repeating the details of the movie. In brief, this chapter started with Damdeok retrieving the green dragon sacred relic from Chuoro, all the way to Sujini leaving Damdeok thinking she was the black Sujak.


You know, I walked away from the cinema thinking to myself, “my gosh, BYJ is really an amazing actor! From his eyes expression, to his facial muscles, to his tender smile, to his body movements; every single cell inside this man is a creation of art! Pity that he does not have that hot passion for acting now.”

You probably have read that translated article in suehan's blog from My Daily's reporter Bae Kook Nam - 'Bae Yong Joon, Lee Young Ae, who are they?'. Now, I don't necessarily agree with the opinion of the reporter that because BYJ and LYA are top stars, they need to continue to act to please public expectations. However, I do like to highlight the examples of 2 elderly actors, I quote .....

"Lee Soon Jae, 77 years old, has been acting for 54 years : I'm going to retire if I keep making mistakes and disturbing others due to my memory lapses.

Yoon Yeo Jeong, 63 years old, has been acting for 44 years : I want to continue acting until I am not able to memorize the lines.

They have made the viewers and audiences cry and laugh through countless dramas and movies for such a long time, and we were touched by their realistic and truthful talent. "

You can't help but admire the passion and work ethics of these 2 actors. Some people are born performers and entertaining others is their lives. Yong Joon has said it multiple times that he is not a born actor, he has to make tremendous effort to immerse himself in the character he plays. Being a perfectionist as he is, he seems to have that gift that everything he does will turn out brilliant! Appropriately our actor Yong Joon is wearing many hats now - business man, ambassador, traveller, photographer, author, traditional arts enthusiast ..... , and so does his passion for all these roles expand. Acting seems to be a familiar and repetitive task now, something that he had experienced and conquered; unless a refreshing and challenging role presents before him. Of course I am just like every other Bae sister out there; waiting, hoping, longing that Yong Joon would act continuously on one drama after another. But seeing 'acting' is NOT really a breezy and glamouros life always, especially when our prince getting hurt!

Reading how fulfilled and carefree Yong Joon is in pursuing what he enjoys doing like travelling, golfing and just hanging out with friends, I somehow think that he is glad to be under the radar right now. What is going to trigger that passion for acting in BYJ again? Maybe that special script, inspiration or mentor? Just hope that it'll appear sooner than later :)

TWSSG II - すれちがいの運命

Hi hi sisters ...... as promised, I’d like to write about Chapter 2 of TWSSG - The Destiny of Missing Encounter. We’ve read some positive reviews so far, quite an improvement to the first one, huh? Maybe the story was gearing up to the climax of the carefree Damdeok evolving into a mighty king, we were able to enjoy our handsome prince’s acting in many scenes :

Well, to start, we were already off to a winner – a drool-worthy scene @@

His very distressed fight in the rain - disbelief, anger, pain, longing - all written on his face.

Having faith in himself first, so others would have faith in him! Ahhhh ..... don’t we all need a little 'faith' in ourselves too?

His oh-so-naughty drinking scene :) I am still amazed by his superb change in facial expressions – from oblivious to playful to mischievous to commanding, all in seconds! Who says the man only has a pretty face??

Hehe, I remember writing a post about this scene - love with authority. "The man in front of you is ‘King’ ah!" ..... a victorious smile :)

The second chapter covered all the way to Damdeok and his army reaching the foot of Chuoro’s Gwangmi Castle. There were many sub-plots to cover and each scene also happened very fast, but the flow didn’t feel choppy at all. Being an epic production like TWSSG, Director KHJ nim of course would not throw away his precious footage of those large-scale fighting and war scenes. It was a mixed feeling to watch Yong Joon again, in a drama that he put so much of his blood and sweat in.

The 3rd chapter will be out this Saturday, as well as the BYJ 3D in Tokyo Dome. Now the big question for the Japanese sisters is : how are they going to divide their time on both movies? Hehe, I think for myself, I'd like to space the 2 out in at least a week's interval so I can savor each one slowly :) Good night!

The young ones

Hi hi sisters ...... let's talk about something that makes you happy. Have you seen these pics before? These are his CF shot for FRJ Jeans, gosh, this is wayyyyyyy before my time! I honestly don't know when Yong Joon did this, the hairstyle looked a bit like him in "Have we really loved", huh? His autograph should leak out the date too, but I can't make out what our prince wrote?? If you can see it, please enlighten me.

Doesn't his youthfulness remind you of Cliff Richard's song - The Young Ones :
The young ones,
Darling we're the young ones .....

Our shy prince, always will be @@
Hehe, you don't see him in this serious frowning face again

Haha, reminds me of my son, "I'm not letting you take my computer away!"

Hope you enjoy :) I am having visitors from Canada staying over at my home till next week, will try to blog when I have sometime, ok? Have a nice weekend!

Footprints in the Sand

Hi dear sisters ..... how are you doing? I feel sad learning that a few sisters seem to be experiencing some emotional lows in their lives. Without knowing them very well or understanding their situation, I only hope that they have the willpower to pull themselves out of the blues and look forward to the positives.

Sometimes my wishy-washy character doesn't make me the best advisor, but I think it's the same soft heart that I feel the pain for my friends easily. So I'd like to offer a poem I heard when I was a young girl, the words stay with me throughtout my life. I hope it can help my dear sisters who need it now .......

One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord.
Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky.
In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand.
Sometimes there were two sets of footprints, other times there was one only.

This bothered me because I noticed that during the low periods of my life,
when I was suffering from anguish, sorrow or defeat,
I could see only one set of footprints.

So I said to the Lord, “You promised me Lord,
that if I followed you, you would walk with me always.
But I have noticed that during the most trying periods of my life,
there has only been one set of footprints in the sand.
Why, when I needed you most, have you not been there for me?”

The Lord replied, “The years when you have seen only one set of footprints,
my child, is when I carried you.”

Copyright © 1984 Mary Stevenson
website : http://www.footprints-inthe-sand.com/

BYJ 3D in Tokyo Dome review

Hi dear sisters ...... just before I want to hit lalaland, I received this wonderful translation from cloudnine. Aiya, how can I delay my sisters from reading great review about our Yong Joon? Thank you dear cloudnine for your hard work :) Please enjoy .....

Upcoming movie report on ‘PREMIERE PORT’ by Nobuko Kazui

Bae Young Joon 3D in Tokyo Dome in 2009

His smile is right there.
He was just right there. ‘Oh no, BYJ is really cool!’ I’m falling in love with him. Such realistic sensation Being in a preview room, I was almost clapping hands.
Not only those who couldn’t make it to Tokyo Dome but also those who were there can enjoy this movie for sure.

You can see Yon-sama and Jiwoo-hime (princess) so clearly even the feel of their skin.
Because it was shot by 3D cameras. For more information about 3D camera please refer to this site.

Now about Yon-sama’s charm
Probably most Japanese have prejudice against ‘Yon-sama’.
‘Yon-sama’ followed by ‘obasan-middle aged women’ in a wide-show program on TV.
‘Yon-sama socks’ sell at a price of 100 yen as a typical souvenir.

Even a Korean drama fan like me who watched “WLS” and “April Snow”, the title was stunning. ‘What is BYJ 3D?’

Let us think about it carefully.
It’s not WLS 3D. Nor TWSSG 3D. But Bae Yong Joon 3D.
It’s a documentary film of just an event.?! Who said, ‘Let’s make a movie’ ? Who said, ‘Let’s shoot it with 3D cameras’ ? To mobilize in large number for such a purpose, it is only possible when the actor is truly attractive.
I saw the movie and convinced.
BYJ well deserves 3D movie.

Everyone who knows Yon-sama and appears in this movie describes him as being sincere. Actually his character reveals itself in less than two hours film. His behavior, his talk and etc. You can’t help admiring him. ‘How attractive this man is!’
Any woman can’t help falling love with him.
Can’t stop falling in love. (c9: this part is written in English)
“I’ll do my best and head down the right path.” His words impressed me.
This is what seems that everyone can do, but actually very difficult to achieve.
He said these words veeerrrry politely, which gave a catch in the throat.
‘I’m ashamed of myself. I have to live with a definite goal.’

I was reformed.
What is this religious power?
A power like ‘ Imagine all the people ’
He came out being carried on a special vehicle, which was just like a king’s chair, and waved his hands to his family (he calls his fans family). He was a king indeed!
My friend said, ‘BYJ looked like a Christ.’ (She has no religion.)
His clothes were not special, he has no air of arrogance, still he had a distinctive aura.
Umm. He is respectable.
He is worth being called with ‘sama’ (a Japanese honorific for a person)
I called him ‘senior’.
‘　I’m always grateful for your support.’ and then after a pause, with the perfect timing, he concluded saying ‘ I love you.’
Though they are just simple words, he said very politely and emotionally.
I was reminded of the word ‘kotodama – power or spirit of words’.
There was great power, warm and strong.
This must be BYJ’s charm, only unique with Yon-sama.
Only good looking guys are not enough.

There was a scream even when he sat down.
There was a scream even when he wrote a letter.
Nobody but Yon-sama (and raccoons) can excite people by just making ordinary movements.
Yon-sama and Jiwoo-hime, going around the dome in balloons were just like lovers painted by Raymond Paynet.
If live performance of Paynet lovers is to be planned, I recommend this couple.

He said, ‘ Someday I wish to be a beautiful memory of Korea.’ I’m sure you will.
This is what I have been thinking for some time. Yon-sama’s achievement is just great.
He easily changed Japanese people who had looked down other Asians.
Now it’s not rare to find Japanese people who study Korean language.
He has achieved what so- called diplomats failed to do. Those cocky men had spent a lot of tax money flying between two countries for nothing.

Art is wonderful.
So it’s quite possible that BYJ’s statue will be built.
Of course the pose would be that he lifts up one of his hands and looks up.
Those who were not interested in blue men (c9: she meant Avatar?), I would like to recommend you to make a debut in 3D movies with this one.
Thanks to Yon-sama, I did. I’ll go to see the movie when I feel lonely.

From cloud nine : About Nobuko Kazui, to be honest I don’t think she is a very good writer. There was one sentence I was not able to understand and sometimes it’s hard to judge that she was just joking or serious. She became interested in Korean entertainment since she saw ‘Temptation of wolves” Now she is working as a writer and model while learning Korean language. She also watches various kinds of movies. Her favorite Korean actor is Gang Dongwon.

For original review in Japanese, please refer to : http://www.premiereport.com/yjsenpai.html

Thanks to vento for posting the pictures in BYJGallery

This and that ..

Hi hi sisters ...... didn't mean to be lazy, but was busy out 'playing' again :) Let's see ...... I watched TWSSG II on Monday, and maybe KimJongHak director nim has read my complaints on TWSSG I. This 2nd chapter is much much better, so good that I may be very tempted to watch it again! I'll write about it soon, ok? Oh btw, cloudnine told me that the 'Tokyo Dome Events - 3D' movie VIP premiere had received a rave review. Hmmmm ........obviously I am not a VIP, that's why I cannot give you a review yet. But when it starts showing to NIP (Not Important People) like me on May 22, I'll let you know if I can really feel like I am touching Yonsama, ok?


Oh, another thing I'd like to mention is : some sisters have asked me about bb's blog since we all encounter the same problem accessing it. Yeah I understand, bb's blog is very near and dear to our hearts because we just love to read what princess writes, no matter it's BYJ or personal, eh? I asked princess and if I may relate her reply to you - she is just incredibly busy now and when things ease up, she will attend to this matter. So dear sisters, please be patient and we'll wait. Princess, hope work will ease up soon and please take care of yourself :)

Last week, I went to Megane Ichiba in Shinjuku hoping to get my son a pair of Yonsama eyeglasses. They have the same billboard since summer 2007 when I visited! Sometimes I just deliberately shop around there so I can look at his huge billboard @@ Hehe, but the frames look too mature for a young man like my son. So, we picked some other styles. The service is impeccable and the price is really reasonable compared to Canada.Hehe, maybe the salesman saw me taking pictures of Yonsama's standee. He gave me a set of his pictures before I left, happy happy gal :)

Have a good night!

Happy Mother's Day

Hi dear sisters ..... Happy Mother's Day! I hope all the 'omma' today to have a truly sweet and loving time with your children :) As you know, my little family of 3 has been pretty much on our own since we moved to Tokyo. This simple setup really allows my teenage boy and I to bond as we learn to deal with a foreign environment together. This will forever be a very special memory for us, I hope.

Hehe, remember I mentioned some day I will compile all of Yong Joon's pictures holding a bouquet? Haha, what day is better than today when he can give all these flowers to so many mothers out there? Ok, let's start with Face Shop ....

They really love putting Yong Joon with flowers, eh? Then Arnold Bassini, I can only find one with some fresh spring flowers :)

SkyPerfect TV, I think

Viliv and flowers? Even Shinhan Financial Group?! What does flowers have to do with stocks and bonds??
Is this Japanese Hotelier?

Now, some older CF pictures ........

Old & New

So, after seeing so many beautiful bouquets, which one do you want to receive from Yong Joon? Hehe, since I don't know how to take care of plants, can I ask for a blowing kiss instead? :) Yeah yeah I know, I have a better chance in grabbing a star from the sky than that :) Hehe, this is my little presents to you dear sisters, hope you enjoy :

thanks to sayaka for the letterhead designs

Love shines

Hi hi sisters .... found these forgotten pictures in my cellphone which I took a couple of months ago. Didn't realize that my chanoyu (tea ceremony) lesson was in the vicinity of Yong Joon's 'first handprint' in Japan! Haha, cloudnine was kind enough to show me the way there. It is just in front of an office building across from the side entrance of Peninsula Hotel, off the Hibiya subway exit.

Yong Joon's autograph was dated 2005.8.30. So if I've not mistaken, it was the April Snow promotion in Tokyo, right?

Hehe, want to know who Yong Joon's neighbours are? Superstar Tom Cruise.... and the very popular - Jackie Chan.
Are you wondering now why Yong Joon's plate is so gold and shiny? Hehe, the secret lies with the very dedicated Japanese fans. While I was busy sizing up which angle I should shoot using my very sub-standard cellphone camera. Cloudnine quietly took out her own handkerchief and started rubbing the dust off Yong Joon's handprint, so cute! I could actually feel the stares from those salarymen and office ladies who were smoking just in front of the building. They must be wondering why were those 2 silly obaasan photographing and wiping the sidewalk?! Cloudnine told me that some Japanese sisters actually take turns to come here to wipe Yong Joon's handprint, that's our way of taking care of what he gave us. You can tell the result of their tender loving care :)


Of course now, Yong Joon has left more handprints in Japan, like the one on the wall at Gosireh Hwa Nagoya, but this one in Hibiya will always be special. So, next time when you are around the Ginza area in Tokyo, you might like to walk a bit further and check this one out :)