BSJ Event IV

Hi dear sisters ...... thank you for patiently enduring my longwindedness. The rhythm of the event itself was actually quite fast, fun-filled but also with an underlying solemn tone. As you have probably read Satovic/flowerbossa’s post in Quilt recently, you know BSJ has been supporting charities like the ‘Lee Soo Hyun Asia Scholarship Fund’, Asian Tsunami and the Mid Niigata earthquake. Donations from the past 4 ½ years have amounted to a whopping 21,360,324 yen!

I particularly like the interpretation of the Bible story "5 loaves of bread and 2 fish" quoted in the post :

"One day, five thousand people gathered to listen to the teachings of Jesus. Though he did not have the money to buy bread to feed the crowd, a boy offered him five loaves of bread and two fish. When Jesus split the food and distributed it, he was able to satisfy the stomachs of five thousand people, and there were still scraps of bread left to fill twelve baskets.

There are some people who say that this story does not imply that God had multiplied the bread and fish as if by magic. They claim that seeing the boy had offered all the food he had, the others also took out what they had in their pockets and bags and shared them, and that was how everyone was able to eat to their heart’s content."

I am a Catholic since birth and have heard this story in sermon over 100 times. We even joked about this in our younger years whenever we referred to things that are impossible to achieve. Never once have I heard this brilliant interpretation that : we, the average people, could contribute a little of ourselves to create a bigger miracle! I have been pulling my hair today trying to figure out how to write a grand ending to the legacy of BSJ, but I think nothing is more powerful than words that come straight from the heart and I quote Satovic’s words again : (hehe see, if I wait long enough, I don’t even have to write anymore :)

"We are like the people in this story. It was Yong Joon-ssi, who first offered us the bread and fish. Because he called us fans family and respected us, and offered us love, it made us happy. Because he entertained us always trying to look his best, we wanted to make him happy in return, and to share this wonderful joy with others."

A perfect end to the day for me was meeting Makishi san unexpectedly face to face! She has been providing our BYJ Family with all those yummylicious vods of Yonsama on Japanese TV - almost instantaneously too. Without her diligent effort, we could only wreck our brains to imagine how gorgeous HRH looks when reading about his TV appearances. Sometimes, an image kind of pops into my mind associating it with certain handle name, do you? Makishi san reminds me of Yong Joon the first 10 seconds I met her – tall, slim, gentle features, scholastic looking, even complemented with long hair and dark-rimmed eyeglasses! Hehe, so next time when you watch Makishi san’s vods, please thank our sister in her Yong Joon’s image :)


Lastly, I really have to thank our dear flowerbossa for her kindness. She could have enjoyed the event without any distraction with her chinggus out there, instead she was tirelessly translating every dialogue to me. We all know her translation skill is over and above professional. I dare say I got myself a more ‘kwenchanyo’ interpreter than those sitting behind Yonsama in Kyocera Dome :) Without flowerbossa’s expertise, my report would’ve read like this :

1:30 pm – butt on the seat
1:45 pm – wine bottle starts TALKING on stage
2:00 pm – school girl next TALKING to imaginary Yonsama
3:00 pm – hanbok lady continues TALKING to pale-faced Sohn san
4:00 pm – hanbok lady stops TALKING and walks off stage
4:30 pm – butt off the seat ....... thank you very much.


I remember Yong Joon mentioned in his SkyPerfecTV interview that he treats every project/every scene as his last one, and he pours his heart and soul into each one. I dare not claim I share our prince’s sentiment, but I sure feel the unpredictability as a ‘passersby’ here. I DO value every event I attend as my last in Japan, everyone I meet as the last we see each other; and I treasure everyone and everything I see, hear and feel here. To BSJ, maybe they also see things in this new light : an end is not really THE end, an end actually marks the new beginning of something better. You agree?

Phew, that's about all. Thanks for reading, dear sisters. If I've said something stupid, sorry I can't help it, it's just me :) love love

BSJ Event III

Hi dear sisters ....... how are you? Hope you all had a beautiful Valentine’s Day with your loved ones! Nikko is so charming and dreamy, I just can’t wait to introduce it to you (haha, as if I owe it to the Japanese Tourism Board :) Before that, I’d better complete my BSJ Event. Sorry this post is a bit long, please bear with me ;-}

As I last left off, a gigantic wine bottle just walked into the stage. Smart gals like you must have guessed already this was Satovic san. But the question is : How? This was her ‘artistic interpretation’ of what we hope will be Yong Joon’s next drama – Kami no Shizuku.

In the views of BSJ sisters, this was not the end but more of a graduation ceremony. Meaning they are ready to move onto the next level with their love for Yong Joon? The first item on the graduation agenda was singing ‘the’ school song. We’ve all heard or hummed this one point in time, right? Born to be Loved - so appropriate for our prince.


Next came the speech from our Principal – Sir BYJ! Before we got all excited, it’s NOT really another satellite broadcast from Seoul. Satovic just pretended to call Yong Joon live on long distance. They skillfully edited some previous Yong Joon’s Japanese dialogue, teamed it with comically-enhanced pictures to deliver a lively and humorous gig. As our eloquent flowerbossa was translating the dialogue to me (thanks thanks), I was able to laugh heartily along with everyone else, what a brilliant act!


Instead of listing out all the programs, I’d try to pinpoint some fun and original ideas here to share with you, ok? Satovic threw up a chronological chart depicting the history of Japanese family with Yong Joon. From the time when Winter Sonata was first broadcasted in 2004 on NHK creating a Yonsama phenomenon, through the climax of 2 major fan events in Saitama and Osaka, up to his most recent Yokohama satellite gathering. Throughout these 5 years, Satovic highlighted to us that there were disproportionally much more DOWN time than UP time we spent with Yonsama! Hehe, she fittingly labeled these down times as the different ‘Ice Age’ stages like the looooong wait for the filming of TWSSG in 2006-2007 and errrr, like right now in 2009...... not even knowing what exactly we’re waiting for?? So what do we family do during the Ice Age?


Chewing dry cuttlefish, huh? We basically are left with no choice but to re-watch every one of his old drama frame by frame and to regurgitate every single story about HRH’s every move. We know each and every one of them so well that we probably can recite Yong Joon’s lines before he even starts speaking! Hehe, Satovic referred to these periods as ‘dry cuttlefish chewing’, it is very tasty and juicy in the beginning. As we chew and chew after a long while, the cuttlefish becomes tasteless and our gum muscles become weak, numb and we can't chew anymore! How's your cuttlefish now, still tasty?


One of the celebrity guests in the Event was Mr. Sohn, President of IMX. Even though he no longer involves in Yong Joon’s business, he remains a familiar figure with the Japanese family. He actually just returned from Seoul and rushed here to deliver his final greetings to BSJ. I have seen Mr. Sohn before in the BYJ Classic Concert last year. Both times he gave me the impression that of an impromptu appearance i.e. uneasy, unrehearsed, in a rush to leave (mind you, the man was suffering from a very bad cold) but always candid and witty. Sorry, consider I don’t even know the guy, I am being judgmental, ain’t I?


After we watched some clips of Yong Joon’s Japan visit, Mr. Sohn commented that : “My experience behind the camera was very different from your perception. While you laugh at some of the scenes now, but they were not laughable to me at that moment. I haven’t given you an examination yet. You have no right to graduate on your own. You are expelled!” We all laughed but I can appreciate the ‘tears & sweats' behind his words. It’s impossible for us to comprehend Yong Joon and Mr. Sohn’s pressure and mind set under the watchful eyes of media, government authority and thousands of fans in Japan.


This segment was quite fun, BSJ had done a categorization of our BYJ kazoku (family). Just for fun, are you any one of these?

1. Chasers - a stepstool was shown on the screen and I think any fans who had followed Yong Joon from Samcheok to Jeju knew it came in very handy when you tried to catch a glimpse of HRH above the heads blocking in front of you.

2. Collectors – pictures, magazines, phone straps …. we got them all, eh?

3. Crafters – BYJ cushions, bags, curtains .... did you make any of them?

4. Artists – those creative graphics and artworks by the likes of Pallet and Hiyonn

5. Korean buffs – from K-drama to K-pop to K-food to K-man (or men :)

6. Info seekers - from JOB to KOB to another dozen sites and blogs to satisfy our cravings for HRH

7. Philosophers – did you actually set your 2009 self improvement goals aligned with HRH's?

8. Practitioners – Yonsama is a way of life, guess it means you are wearing Megane Ichiba, donning a ponytail and walking with a dozen bodyguards behind you?

9. Unconditional lover – drama, BTS, events DVD, OST, CF ..... everything BYJ

There were many more segments that I enjoyed : like when a BSJ sister playing the piano and singing TWSSG’s Approval, LL san’s MVs, Appreciation awards for those sisters who have contributed so much for the past 4 ½ years with their talents. The screen showed the familiar names like makishi, nagajun, daisukibyj, tomochang and many more. It then dawned on me that these famous sisters were actually sitting among the audience today! Where? Where?

.... to be continued (last part)
picture from Quilt by satovic

Yasumi

Hi Hi dear sisters ..... Thank you for your interests in my BSJ report. I was trying to continue but am too busy, sorry. Well, I am taking a yasumi (rest) in this Valentine's weekend. We are heading to Nikko for an onsen (hot spring) and sightseeing trip. Please take care and have a beautiful Valentine's Day, lots of love :)

pic from byjfan/kaorin

BSJ Event II

Hi dear sisters ....... Thank you for your kind comments, hope I won’t disappoint you with the rest .......

BSJ events have known to be full of laughs and surprises. The wit was pretty obvious in the invitation email to the attendees. Each of us was asked to bring a favorite picture of Yong Joon to exchange with other sisters. On the back we would write why we love Yonsama as well as a message of encouragement, favorite poem or even your family secret recipe to share. As in any BYJ events, camera, alcohols, explosives and other Hallyu stars' posters are strictly prohibited! Since I don't want to upset other sisters' stomachs with my 'secret family' recipe, I went with the safe route :

It translates to "Yong Joon's smile is very kind, I love it very much". Message of encouragement is also from Yong Joon's autograph – "Once in a lifetime".

Hehe, no BYJ outing is complete without a good meal. Afterall, we need topnotch energy to see a topnotch man in a topnotch event, right? So cloudnine took me to Mikura, a topnotch Kyoto country ryori in Shibuya.


As the name 'country ryori' suggests, it is prepared with the freshest ingredients from Kyoto and is very healthy. We chose the bento box cause there’s no time for a multi-course cuisine.

Hehe just like in the Osaka Event, when you got off the train station, you really didn’t have to know which way to go. Just followed the streams of ladies and if they uttered the word ‘Yonsama’ once or twice, then you could confirm you were on the right track :) The Event Hall in Kawasaki city :

Hehe, our handsome 'host' was waiting for us @@

Yes yes, I did attempt to see how we matched up but the handsome hunk made me look like a little troll :(


Wowowow, I rubbed my eyes a few times, and another few more times! Were those genuine paintings from our famous pallet, kinkan, nagajun and hiyonn on display?!

Sorry, I was too rush to snap any properly-angled/focused/lighted pictures. Our Yong Joon would never have approved.


Was I dreaming? I was staring directly with my own bare eyes on the amazing paintings by the talented kinkan @@

I soooooo wanted to touch (you know where) but there were too many pairs of eyes around @@. I still want to keep my fingers, hehe :)

Satovic and flowerbossa were kind enough to reserve a special booth, so flowerbossa could stay with me for instant translation of the event! I don’t know how to thank them for their kindness and consideration. Hehe, even Tomato san got curious and came in to visit us in this 'baby' room. I guess I just had to suck my thumb and pretend to be a baby so I could stay?! Cloudnine joked that this room is for the linguistically-challenged jaime, hahaha.

This 'multi purpose' room is directly behind the control center and has a perfect view of the stage. (this picture was actually taken after the event)

Speaking of stage, I think I am seeing a gigantic wine bottle just walk in!
to be continued .......

BSJ Event I

Hi Hi sisters ...... I hope you are enjoying a nice relaxing weekend. I am happy to settle myself in front of the computer to write about the event I attended last Sunday. Yes, it’s the BSJ Closing Event that our princess blogged about. BSJ stands for BYJ Supporters in Japan (or Blue Sky Jooney :) and is headed by one of the most prominent fan figure in the BYJ family - Satovic. BSJ is the 4th largest BYJ fan circle in Japan on the Brokore network (after BYJ World -19741 members, Winter Sonata Club – 16188, Hotelier Fan – 15322). It is created by Satovic san in Aug 2004 and has over 6000 registered members. In October 2006, Satovic announced that BSJ site would go in a 'hibernation' period and opened up for weekend postings only.

Because of her continuing busy commitments, Satovic san has decided to close the BSJ site for good. On 1 February 2009, they held their last fan gathering to an audience of 800. I have read many stories about Satovic, her innovative ideas, flamboyance and popularity. Her events, even without Yong Joon’s attendance, were still among the hottest tickets sought after in the Japanese circles. You know, coming from a western society of 'individualism’ which we pride ourselves in ‘non-conformity’, the idea of a fan circle is very remote and foreign to me. Thanks to flowerbossa’s brilliant translation of Satovic’s book - Yonsama Gekijo (theater), a journal documenting the background, the path, her thoughts and ideals in creating a fan circle spreading the love of Yonsama. There are numerous familiar stories about Satovic among the BYJ family, like the time she met Yong Joon on the airplane and he asked for her autograph, or when she posed the witty question to him about hugging from front or back in the NHK press conference, those were of course very impressive experience ...... but what stay in my memory are the 2 stories that she wrote in her book : 'A Tale of a Pair of Very Long Chopsticks' and 'The Straw Millionaire' .......


* A Tale of a Pair of Very Long Chopsticks

This story tells us that people tend to think that "life is hard" or "it is difficult to get by in this world", but this is a misunderstanding. Rather, it is like sitting around a grand feast and trying to eat with long chopsticks. Because the chopsticks longer than the length of one’s elbow get stuck every where, it takes a lot of effort just to have a bite to eat, and the volume one can eat is small, too. Thus, people get impatient and greedy, leading them to think life is hard, or it is difficult to get by.

However, god has actually provided ample food in front of us to enjoy life. What is a good way to eat it? How can everyone at the table have their stomachs full even with long chopsticks?

The answer is easy! I can pick up the food with my chopsticks and feed it to the person across the table, and someone at the other side can feed me in return. The long chopsticks are not meant for oneself, but by feeding each other with them, life provides a rich feast enough to satisfy everyone.


* The Straw Millionaire

Long, long ago there was an honest but unlucky man living in a village. He worked and worked from morning till night but he was always poor and unlucky. Thinking of it as his last chance, he one day prayed to KANNON (the Goddess of Mercy) for his happy future, neither eating nor drinking all day. When it became dark in the evening, the Goddess of Mercy appeared in front of him and said to him,

"You will fall down and catch something when you leave this temple. You should go west with it."

On leaving the temple, he fell down and caught something. It was a straw. Though he thought it was useless, he walked towards the west with the straw. A horsefly flew to him. He caught and tied it on the top of the straw and walked again.

When he arrived in a town, a crying baby stopped crying at the sight of the horsefly on the top of the straw. Seeing the joyful baby, he gave it to the baby. Instead he was given three oranges by his mother.

He walked heading west again with three oranges. He saw a young lady suffering by the roadside. As she wanted water, he gave her the oranges. Soon she recovered. He was given a beautiful silk cloth in exchange.

He walked towards west again with the beautiful silk cloth. He met a SAMURAI, or Japanese soldier and his weak horse. On seeing the beautiful cloth, the Samurai demanded that he exchange it with his horse and headed east with the cloth. The man looked after the weak horse all night. The horse got well the next morning.
He walked towards the west again with the horse. When he arrived in a castle town, a CHOJA, or a millionaire saw the horse and liked it very much. The man was invited to the Choja's house, where his daughter brought two cups of tea to them. To his surprise, it was the young lady he had given the oranges to. The Choja was so moved by this amazing coincidence and the man’s kind heart, so he decided to have his daughter marry the young man.

The young man had become a millionaire from a straw as he was told by the Goddess of Mercy. He never failed to take care of even a singe straw for the rest of life. This is how he came to be called the “Warashibe Choja” (“A Straw Millionaire”) by the villagers.

Satovic wrote that the first straw was given to her by Yong Joon, by watching him living with a sincere attitude and always seeks to share joy with others, we fans are motivated to model after him. In return we are blessed with many delightful acquaintances and happiness. She hoped to have people realize that this “Yonsama” phenomenon is not just a trend with women going ga-ga over a star, but that he is someone who is giving us joy and hope by lighting up our “passion to live”.


Sorry I am being longwinded again. I don’t know Satovic san myself, our flowerbossa and princess have a more personal friendship with her. These infamous BSJ (aka Satovic) events would soon be a thing of the past, I for sure would regret it if I didn’t even experience it first hand while I am right here in Tokyo. Thanks to the graciousness and generosity of satovic san, flowerbossa and cloudnine, they accommodated my request immediately even though I don’t really fit into any fan category?! I figure if I keep reporting on these events, I might as well dub myself as the overseas correspondent of BNN English Channel :) So on Feb 1, I was armed with my pen, notebook, camera, my 4-eyes and 2 ears ........ to be continued

* A Tale of a Pair of Very Long Chopsticks and The Straw Millionaire are flowerbossa's translation from Quilt, thanks thanks :)

Desperately Seeking BYJ Fan Club

Hi Hi sisters ...... sorry, have been really busy with my own personal stuffs, but that doesn't translate to I miss our prince less :( With no light at the end of the horizon on any acting work, I suddenly remember this old article I posted in Quilt 2 years ago when we were waiting for his TWSSG. Do you know that this cool guy only did an average of (no more than) 1 drama a year before Winter Sonata? After Untold Scandal in 2003, we now have to wait at least 2 years (and more) for 1 piece of his acting work?! Upon re-reading it, I find that one thing stays constant for BYJ family, it's PATIENCE, PATIENCE and more PATIENCE! If you have read this before, please bear with me. I keep the original contents and pictures for my record, hope you enjoy reading ......


Dear sisters ....... Do you have enough of this long stretch of silence from our handsome prince? Are you going nuts wondering what he is doing at this very moment? Are you missing him like fish without water, eating ramen without kimchi or driving without a compass? Well well midear, welcome to the club – the ‘Desperately Seeking BYJ Fan Club’.



I came in as a fan at the beginning of his hibernation period – Dec 2005, just after his whirlwind promotion tours for April Snow. Throughout the past year, even though there were numerous delays and denial of his appearances, there was still no shortage of his news, CFs and filming updates. We were kept busy and satisfied with his warm words, touching acts and gorgeous pictures.



They say ‘absence makes the heart grows fonder’, but if you are experiencing the following symptoms :

- Starring out afar with a blank expression as if you’ve been captured by aliens and released

- Walking like a zombie, keeps bumping into walls and getting all kinds of bruises that people thought you’ve just lost a boxing match to Rocky

- Following any 5’11”, pony-tailed, muscular hunk for several blocks and have a restraining order filed against you

then you are ‘certified’ missing him! Wait sis, before you completely pull all your hair off your head or drown your pillows with tears, please allow me to offer a few remedies to keep that BYJ fire burning in these cold wintry days (hehe sorry for sisters living south of latitude 20N , you just have to turn your air-conditioning a bit higher).



1) For the couch potato :

It’s time to catch up or re-immerse yourself in his old dramas. You can check out all minute details, scrutinize the logic of every scene and pause at his handsome face for as long as you want. Believe it or not, I actually ‘fast-forwarded’ all 56 episodes of ‘A Sunny Place of the Young’ to swoon over the ruggedly handsome director Sukjue! ~@@~


2) For the neat freak :

Isn’t about time to organize those hundreds of drool-worthy pictures and videos that you have hastily downloaded onto your disk? Let’s see, should we categorize it in chronological order, by dramas and events, colour of his clothes, thickness of his chest or simply from handsome to handsomest?

What about those precious BYJ souvenirs that you’ve been collecting? Why not take them out of your treasure box and savour it once again? (just a reminder : please wear your white gloves to avoid any finger prints on the face of our handsome prince)


3) For the intellectual :

If you are in this group, you are in luck. There are thousands (I dare say thousands) of precious articles, interviews, analysis, fan fictions floating around various sites and blogs. You can start right here in Quilt and check out its fantastic collection of fan fictions. For a list of recommended articles, vods and everything else about him, I suggest start off with the first page of SOOMPI which liezle and frances have so diligently consolidated for us. To get an insight of his person, I suggest going into the forum of Joonsfamily, the famous ‘fumi analysis’ and magazine interviews all reside there.

Hehe, and then it’s almost impossible not to know about the famous happiebb blog which is like a CNN/Entertainment Tonight/Oprah all rolled in one. Not only that you can get all her insider information, it’s so much fun to read her humorous writing and enjoy her warm hospitality. Oh oh, and while you’re there, please read her post picks and her ‘Follow YJ’s trail’ is more exciting than a biography! (um hm bb, I’ll be collecting my advertising fee later, ok?)


4) For the eager beaver :

If you are in this category, I have to make a formal Korean bow to you. Yours truly have attempted N times to sit in front of the computer and read Paintshop tutorial, study HTML hoping to measure up to other sisters and post something a bit more ‘sophisticated’ and ‘civilized’. But 5 minutes (I swear, 5 minutes) into the first page, my body will begin to have an allergic reaction to the English language – my eyelids become as heavy as lead, my neck becomes as soft as jello and my head will start bopping onto the monitor. This allergy can only be resolved by yours truly grabbing a big soft cushion and doze off in the couch zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.


5) For the social butterfly :

Hahaha, you know who you are! The ones who constantly have that red ‘New Mail’ signal in their mailbox and spending all their time replying to emails. You are on every distribution list in the BYJ world, so you end up getting 50 copies of the same joke, and are ‘threatened’ to return or forward sentimental message to 5 more of your ‘true’ friends! I congratulate you if you are in this lucky category, this means your BYJ sisters really love you and cherish you as a true friend. How about spreading your love and warmth to other sisters during this down time and build more friendships? You’ll be amazed at how much love you’ll receive in return.



Any one of these interests you? No? OK, what about pursuing what you always want to do, maybe lose that extra 5 pounds? Tell me, who doesn’t have 5 extra pounds to lose? Maybe spring cleaning, a wardrobe revamp? Try to catch up on that book or craft you’ve been putting aside? In any case, I hope you dear sisters will have a wonderful, warm and safe winter. Please emerge when TWSSG comes out, see you in spring!

Waterdrops amid drought

Hi Hi dear sisters ...... The Arnoldo Bassini homepage has released a few more new pictures of our prince in some cheery spring colours. Hopefully these will brighten up our gloomy winter days.

Do you have days that even when you've worked darn hard, but nothing is accomplished? (and instead you could have completed 100 things that are on your list of urgent to-dos?) Sigh, I have wasted a whole day researching an onsen (hot spring) trip but comes out with no satisfactory ryokan (Japanese style inn) whatsoever. Sometimes I think I should just close my eyes and point to anyone on the map? (yikes, what if my finger landed on a public washroom?) Yes, pictures can tell 1000 words, but sometimes it can also lead to another 1000 questions! Oh well, what am I mumbling about? I do enjoy planning my own itinerary, then I kind of force myself to learn about the history and culture of the place too, but along the way I also make quite a few stupid 'touristy' mistakes too. Now Yong Joon dear, after finish writing your ''Beauty of Korea' book, do you mind doing one on Japanese onsen next? You said it yourself that you love to go to onsen in Japan :) Well, if he really does that, I think I will get buckets of rotten eggs being thrown at me cause our sisters' necks have grown by a foot already waiting for HRH to start on some 'serious' acting projects. In the meantime, hope these waterdrops can ease your BYJ drought :)

original from Arnaldo Bassini Homepage
posted by maron in BYJgallery