Fairy III - Literature

Hi hi sisters ...... yeah yeah I know, just the title is boring enough to warrant a yawn. But I really really love these quotes from some fairy tales and poems. Hehe, my feelings won't be hurt if you just skip the words and enjoy the artworks. Okkkkk, even if you skip the artworks, I can't tell anyway. Hope you enjoy :)

As much as I admire the allure of fairy art illustration and thoroughly embrace its visual sensation than plain linguistic representation, I do feel literature plays a more significant role in preserving the legend of fairy and fantasy. From ancient Greek epic poet Homer to the greatest English playwright William Shakespeare to Nobel prize winner Irish poet W.B. Yeats, fairy is depicted as innocent, joyous and a source of wisdom. The very thought of fairies bestows a sense of hope, a sense of escape from the harsh reality of human burden and conflicts.

Perhaps it is the same impression when we immerse ourselves in the deep contemplation of Yong Joon. We do feel that sense of peacefulness and warmth, in a safe haven that is embraced by his kindness and beauty. An ideal world where there is no judgement nor prejudice, where love needs no reason.

Let’s enjoy the charm of some fairy literature composed by the greatest scholars in history :





William Shakespeare was regarded as the greatest genius in the English language. His works included numerous famous plays, sonnets and narrative poems; among them Romeo and Juliet, MacBeth, A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Up until today, these plays are continually being adopted and performed in famous theatres around the world.

The iron Tongue of midnight hath told twelve;
Lovers to bed;
‘tis almost fairy time.
~ A Midsummer Night’s Dream, William Shakespeare 1564-1616

Hand in hand, with fairy grace,
Will we sing, and bless this place
~ William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night’s dream




Sir James Matthew Barrie was the Scottish novelist and dramatist who created the famous character Peter Pan and Tinkerbell. His sentimental and nostalgic depiction of ‘the boy who refused to grow up’ was a welcome to the harsh reality of industrialized 19th century England.

When the first baby laughed for the first time,
the laugh broke into a 1000 pieces and they all went skipping about,
and that was the beginning of the fairies
~ Peter Pan, J.M. Barrie 1860-1937

Now when every new baby is born,
its first laugh becomes a fairy.
So there ought to be a fairy for every boy or girl
~ James Matthew Barrie 1860-1937





On Beauty :

Wherever the 3 magical trees oaks, ash and thorn grow together
is a place where fairies gather,
and the space between 2 oaks offers an entrance to fairyland
~ Cicely Mary Barker 1895-1973

The fairy poet takes a sheet of moonbeam, silver white;
His ink is dew from daisies sweet,
His pen a point of light.
~ Alfred Joyce Kilmer 1886-1918

"Where round the bed,
whence Achelous springs,
That wat'ry Fairies dance in mazy rings."
~ Homer (Iliad, B. xxiv. 617.)





On Wisdom :

In the morning of life came the good fairy with her basket and said :
"here are gifts. Ask one, leave the others.
And be wary, choose wisely; oh, choose wisely!
For only one of them is valuable."
The gifts were five : Fame, Love, Riches, Pleasure, Death.
~ The Five Boons of Life, Mark Twain 1835-1910

The fairies went from the world, dear,
Because men’s hearts grew cold :
And only the eyes of children see
What is hidden from the old
~ Kathleen Foyle, "The Little Good People, Folk Tales of Ireland" 1949

Deaf folk hear the fairies
However soft their song;
'Tis we lose the honey sound
Amid the clamor all around
That beats the whole day long.
~ Rose Amy Fyleman 1877-1957





William Butler Yeats was one the most influential scholar in 20th century literature. The Irish poet and dramatist received a Nobel Prize in Literature for his inspired poetry and plays, reflecting his mystical interests in spiritualism and Irish folklore. Yeats was known as a ‘symbolic’ poet, famed for his use of allusive imagery and symbolic structures to present a deeper meaning. Can you see the symbolism in these 2 extracts?

On Freedom :

She came into the Land of Faery,
where nobody gets old and godly and grave,
where nobody gets old and crafty and wise,
where nobody gets old and bitter of tongue.
~ William Butler Yeats, "The Land of Heart's Desire," 1894

"Come faeries, take me out of this dull world,
for I would ride with you upon the wind
and dance upon the mountains like a flame."
~ W.B. Yeats 1865-1939


References :

1. A Complete Guide to Faeries & Magical Beings, Cassandra Eason, Judy Piatkus (Publishers) Ltd., 2001
2. Faeries, Brian Froud and Alan Lee, Harry N. Abrams, Inc. Publishers, New York, 1978
3. The Book of Faeries, Francis Melville, Barron’s Educational Series, Inc., 2002
4. The Little People - Stories of Fairies, Pixies, and other Small Folk, Neil Philip, Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 2002
5. The World of Fairies, Gossamer Penwyche, Sterling Publishing Co., Inc, New York, 2001


Next ......... Fairy - Aura

Tokyo Conrad 2008

Hi Hi ...... It's the weekend and you know what, it's one of those Tokyo exploration day again. I am really not a sightseeing type of gal, open up a BYJ site and I can glue in front of the computer the whole day. But come every Friday hubby will eagerly anticipate what adventures I am planning for the whole family in the weekend! Fortunately I don’t really have to wreck my little brain too much as Tokyo is so huge and every area has its own distinct character and attractions. This time we went to Shiodome, a futuristic bayside district with modern designed buildings and state-of-the-art monrail. I learned about Shiodome in a recent gathering, apparently the following is very popular among foreigners :

Hama-rikyu Gardens (浜離宮恩賜庭園) was built in the Edo Period (17th century) as the family garden of the Tokugawa Shoguns. After the Meiji Restoration, the garden became a Detached Palace for the Imperial family. The gardens have seawater ponds and moats surrounding some tiny islands, graceful bridges and many species of interesting flora and fauna.

I am especially enchanted by this little teahouse - Nakajima no ochaya. This teahouse was first built in 1707 for the Shoguns and Imperial Court nobles to relax and entertain in the serene surroundings of ponds and greens. Today you can enjoy a cup of macha (powdered green tea) and Japanese sweets for 500 yen inside this teahouse.


You are probably still wondering, yyyyeahhhh, it’s a nice garden alright, but what’s so worth blogging about?? Hey hey hey, take a closer look at what’s behind the Gardens and the teahouse, it’s the Conrad! Still doesn’t ring a bell? Hehe, I don’t blame you. Actually I only found out from those Japanese interviews afterwards that HRH was staying at the Conrad Hotel last month while he was in Tokyo!


I wonder how’s his stay at the Conrad as this hotel is situated in a business district and surrounded by highways and rails. There isn’t any open area for fans to wait outside. So you think he had a chance to skinny-dip in this elegant infinity pool upstairs?


Or perhaps enjoying a relaxing massage looking out to the beautiful Tokyo Bay?

No?! Poor dear! Well, at least he could look at his own handsome face all day in this chic bathroom :)

Everything becomes him

Good morning sis ..... I read a comment in baidu that I really like, so I can't resist reposting it here :

他在的时候，他是一切；他不在的时候，一切是他…… by 6821后座

When he's here, he becomes everything;
When he's away, everything becomes him .....

Born Free

Hi dear sisters ....... It’s so quiet in Baeland that you can practically hear a pin drop there. But that’s good news, it means our prince is enjoying his ‘free’ time doing what he longs to do. I read that Yong Joon is striding down New York streets with a camera in his hands, and he’s even cooking for himself! Haha, imagine the gorgeous man sipping wine and tasting his sauce while listening to his favourite classical music in an artsy Manhattan loft? Wow, such a scene is already a great movie in the making :)

However the fact that his injured knee and shoulder are still not fully recovered is truly worrisome to me. The only consolation I find is if he ever has to undergo surgery, US is probably the best country to be in terms of medical facilities and technology. Location wise, New York is so far from Asia that he can have his undisturbed rest, away from the chasing reporters and waiting fans.


You know, the similarity of the thought process among BYJ fans sometimes really amazes me. Yesterday, I was contemplating on doing something like 'A Day in the Life of BYJ in New York' and started gathering my thoughts and associated pictures. When I got around to blog tonight, I am surprised to see a post in Baidu titled 勇俊纽约的~~~~一天, literally translates to 'Yong Joon's New York day' by a sister called 爱是俊心. It is an entertaining and humourous post, yet I can feel the cuteness and thoughtfulness of this sister. You know the eerie part is, even some of the pictures we chose are the same!

Hehe, since I don't feel like repeating what has been done, I just thought he might be enjoying his new found freedom like this? It's just for fun, hope you enjoy :)

Hi officer ...... Seat belt? Obviously. Valid license? Of course. Speeding?? You're joking! You should see some of my fans, they run even faster than my car :)

I'm not moving an inch till I beat that bad guy and advance to the next level!

'Incognito' and counting sheep .... blah blah black sheep 1, blah blah black sheep 2...... zzzzzzz

Still wide awake? Try counting toes then ...... 1 2 3 4 5, 5 4 3 2 1 ....... Good, all present and accounted for!

Practising the role in his next drama "The previous life of Prince Charming" aka "a frog" :)

Fine fine, he looks too adorable to be a frog, how about "Sleeping Beauty" then?

Hmmmm ....... thinking about 'SE_'? WHAT are you thinking?? I MEANT SEI water!!!

I was just talking to cloudnine over lunch today, I know I am being a 'mother' again and worry too much. Yeah, Yong Joon is a 'big boy' and he is perfectly capable of taking care of himself. But still, he has been so 'sheltered' from the mean streets since he became an actor 14 years ago. He is constantly being surrounded by assistants, managers and bodyguards. Now he is in a foreign city on his own, still recovering from his injuries. How I hope these guys are still there to protect him from any danger!


Please take care of yourself, Yong Joon!

TBS BYJ Special

Hi Hi sisters ..... remember TBS is airing this BYJ special tonight? Since I missed the NHK interview broadcast last time, I made myself sat down in front of the TV this time to watch this special. And it's sooooooooo good!!!

First , this 'Bae Yong Joon' special basically followed HRH on his Japan trip from the date he landed at Kansai to the time he left Japan. Not only that, they focus entirely on him (hehe, I mean lots of close up shots of his gorgeous face) and behind the scenes footage. If I didn't see enough at Osaka, this TV special plus the NHK interview definitely make up for it :)


Sorry, I don't have the a VHS player here to record it down for you, but I am sure footage will be out very soon :) This is roughly what they show :

His arrival at Kansai, you know we have seen these pictures so many times, but it's so nice to watch how he walked into the airport train and kept waving to the fans.

Ohhh and the rehearsal, we have never seen these footage before. Hehe, he kept drinking that SEI water, way cool :)

And the Event itself. He looked really serious just minutes before the show started, you can tell he was preparing himself again - like in a role.

And then comes the NHK interview. They actually aired Satovic's question (only her voice) and his response, so much fun to watch!

Then his other official engagements included the magazines' interviews. Wow, so many of them, I feel sorry for him, he's such a professional. Again, he kept drinking his SEI water.

Interview by Nikkan Sports. Hehe, this handsome man still appeared so shy in front of the camera :)

Oh, we don't want him to leave but he needs his rest in the US :(

This TV special is really worth watching when the video clips are out. It's a whole hour of drooling, set aside some time and buckets :)

Skull Culture

Hi Hi ..... It's slow news days again after HRH has left Japan, eh? Hehe, I notice bb and other sisters have been checking out every item HRH is using lately - the rebellious John Galliano coat, elegant Damiani jewellery, sleek pilot pen and even that ultra-cool SEI water bottle! Btw, isn't it amazing how much trend you can pick up just by looking at HRH and learn from other sisters? It is really an eye-opener for an ajumma like me, so here is my little tiny share on his 'yester-year' jewellery ......

Remember some time last year, HRH was wearing this beaded bracelet in his CREA photo shoot with Leslie Kee. I always thought it is a buddhist bracelet as I have seen people wearing it as a symbol of safety (right?)

The other day, I was casually strolling inside Esnation, a unique clothing store in Tokyo. I had no idea why I stumbled into the men's accessories section since hubby is just a plain old suit-and-tie man, not the flamboyant hat-necklace-bracelet type of hunk like HRH. Then I spotted this :

You probably recognize his famous 'Rockstar' necklace which he wore numerous times at the airport and to weddings. This bracelet, simply named the 'Skull' bracelet, is also designed by Luis Morais. The beads are black Macassar ebony from the Indies with brown diamonds in the eye sockets of the platinum skull.

At first glance, I wasn't too thrilled about the skull figure (hehe, not my favourite sight in the middle of the night for sure :) Upon digging deeper, the designer wants to express a deeper meaning :

The symbol of skull is a reminder of our temporal existence in this world. It dresses us down on prejudice towards other human beings.

How profound! I wonder if our Yong Joon chose this necklace-bracelet set because of its special spiritual denotation?

Fairy II - Art

Hi Hi sisters ...... Back in March, I started a fairy series on Yong Joon but have been so occupied with other events that I have reluctantly set it aside. Exploring the art and literature on fairies and coalesce them with our prince has always been lingering in my heart. After Osaka, I realize my most fulfilling way of appreciating Yong Joon is still through art and writing. So here I am, missing him and decide to continue my part II - Art ........

In case you like to revisit Fairy I – Purity, please click here

Tales of fairies have always been perceived as fantasies derived from a child’s overactive imagination. Perhaps only through a child’s innocent mind can we appreciate the wonders of the world beyond – a realm of beauty, longing and wishing. The journey returning to the fairy realm which existed long ago in our childhood - a world older than civilization itself and as elusive as longlost memory.

Reckon Yong Joon is also blessed with this quality of insatiable curiosity, leading him to discover the endless opportunities that exist beyond human limits. His childlike stubbornness keeps him persevering in all his endeavours until they appear perfect to him. Imagine the monotony and hopelessness living in a world without any fantasy or imagination? It is also his innocence and purity that endows our prince to feel the love from the family which he has never met before.





Fairy is attracted to all forms of creativity and in particular moments of soaring emotions when ingenuity is in abundance. Poets, artists, musicians and even actors alike have long acknowledged an invisible and elusive force (or an inner voice) which they called ‘inspiration’. Throughout history, there has been no shortage of artists dedicating themselves to the realization of their impression of fairies on canvas.

Among the most celebrated is Cicely Mary Barker, born in 1895 at Croydon, South London; Barker displayed an innate sense of creativity early on. She was influenced by Pre-Raphaelites - an art reform movement in the mid 19th century advocating genuine idea and detailed composition on art subjects.





Barker is renowned for her ‘Flower Fairy’ book series based on her extensive botanical knowledge and enchanted depiction of flower fairies. Her subject often flit around in dazzling vivacity, fulfilling its delightful task of tending to the blooms ensuring their proper colors, scents and shapes. The crowning glory was an accompanying poem penned by Cicely Mary herself for each fairy leading the admirers to her magical realm of fantasy. Her works were embraced by the English society at the time as an escape from the harsh realities of industrial progress, and people’s desire to return to a simpler and more innocent pre-scientific age.

My heart, however, lies with the works of a modern day fairy painter by the name of Mary Baxter St. Clair. Some say Mary Baxter St. Clair entered the world with an artist brush in her hand, others remark that she paints with fairy dust. St. Clair infuses her compassion in paintings by honoring the beauty of nature and liberates her vivid imagination of the fairy world. One cannot help but immerse in the rich brilliant colors and soft, sincere brushstrokes of her detailed depiction of flower fairies and their natural habitats.





She is born in St. Clair Shores, Michigan and now resides on the island of Kauai. "Fairies and angels have been part of my life since I was small and have always been very real to me." St. Clair believes that "fantasy is necessary and helps us to remain balanced in this all too real world."





Through the sentimental minds and eyes of these artists, we are able to appreciate the beauty of fairy forms - be it the flower fairy of country garden or water fairy of fountains and ponds. My unfair preference for flower fairy and water fairy may have cloud you from the fact that there are many more species of fairies flitting out there. Suffice to say, innocence is a virtue in these legendary children’s guardians :

Wee Willie Winkie and Ole Luke Oie – our bedtime/nursery spirits which soothe us with a peaceful sleep and sprinkle ‘magic dream sands’ in our eyes for sweet dreams (about HRH hopefully :)

Brownies – pamper us by doing all our household chores so we have time to make ourselves looking pretty (for HRH perhaps?)

*** But don’t forget to leave some bread and water for them, or else they’ll turn your house upside down! Now come to think of it, how long has it been since I last fed my little brownies? See, I know there is a logical explanation to the mess in my house :)

Fairy Godmother – hehe, who doesn’t need a pair of glass slippers just in case we have a chance to dance with HRH someday?




References :

1. A Complete Guide to Faeries & Magical Beings, Cassandra Eason, Judy Piatkus (Publishers) Ltd., 2001
2. Faeries, Brian Froud and Alan Lee, Harry N. Abrams, Inc. Publishers, New York, 1978
3. The Book of Faeries, Francis Melville, Barron’s Educational Series, Inc., 2002
4. The Little People - Stories of Fairies, Pixies, and other Small Folk, Neil Philip, Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 2002
5. The World of Fairies, Gossamer Penwyche, Sterling Publishing Co., Inc, New York, 2001


Next ........ Fairy - Literature

Osaka - the Event II

Finally the curtain rises, all 5 characters are standing there in their costumes. I admit I am quite fond of EJA and Philip Lee too, but where is our MAIN MAN? Then, a small door opens in the center and there ….. HE STEPS OUT! Yong Joon, a man I have been watching, reading, thinking, talking, writing, drawing, dreaming about in the past 2 1/2 years is right in front of me. Ok, miles in front of me, but still we are both existing in the same space, same instant, same air! I try to use my binocular to look at his facial expression, his eyes, his lips, his smile, but he’s really really too far from me. I can only see a little tiny figure of Damdeok, so I decide to abandon the binocular idea. I rather see him in flesh with my own bare eyes, no lens (well more or less, I confess I’m pretty nearsighted), no screens between us, just the air which transmits the sound, breath and hopefully my thoughts.


Yes, he lifts his beautiful head and looks at his cheering family, he waves and starts to smile but I cannot see his misty eyes. We are all applauding, cheering, waving back, anyway we can do to show him how much we love and miss him. Everyone there only has this one single man in their minds, imagine all these energy being channeled to him, you think he can feel the vibes?


Then the stage is taken over by the Hwachun and Guemool people fighting, so all 6 stars retreat to the backstage. When MSR steps backwards, she trips; luckily our Yong Joon and Jumoochi react fast enough to lift her up.


Then the 2 MCs come up to introduce Joe Hashashi and the orchestra. Now I love the soundtrack of TWSSG and admire composer Hashashi’s talents, but this mini-concert lasts for a good hour and 15 minutes! I keep thinking : Is Yong Joon coming out soon? At this point, I am very thirsty and hungry already. Luckily, I still have a bottle of green tea and dear liezle has given me some dried mango, these sustain me for the day!


Next, all 6 stars return on stage again. As you all know already, they sit on the barstools and being interviewed by the MCs. By now, Yong Joon has changed into a suit and white shirt, very handsome of course. This interview lasts for an hour and HRH gets his even share of 1/6 of the time. Sorry for keeping watch of the time, by now 2 hours and 15 minutes have passed in this supposedly 3 hours event and Yong Joon has only spoken for 15 minutes max?! Excuse me for being so close-minded, but whenever HRH is present, anyone around him just dissipates. Hehe, but I have my survival strategy, I take out my binocular again and just aim at that gorgeous man as I can’t understand the interview anyway.


You know what follows the interview already? Right, The costume guy comes up and talks about, what else? The costumes! Let’s say I give up tracking the time by now because I practically doze off in this segment. The highlight (at least to me) is this young singer performs one of the theme songs ‘Approval’ and his voice really captivates me. The melody of ‘Approval’ conveys this feeling of sadness and hopelessness, which is pretty much how I feel at this point.


I am just about to give up, after all it’s almost 5 o’clock now. Suddenly the walls down the left side of the stage open up and the sisters in that section start to scream. I can’t believe my eyes, I saw a float type of thingy moving out very slowly. I mutter to myself, “Am I seeing it right?” I look at the wide passageways between the sections, then it dawns on me that he’s going to go around the stadium. The float is so high, it’s obvious that it is constructed at the same level as the second floor. Lucky lucky sisters on that level and also near the aisle.


Yong Joon is up there, smiling, waving, holding his heavy-duty camera and start clicking away! He looks so beautiful in his ‘funky’ outfit, I swear it’ll look tacky on other guys, but he looks so classy in it, boy are we prejudice or what? I am still very very far from him cause my seat is not near that wide passageway at all. Still I realize this is possibly the closest distance I will ever be able to get to HRH. So I tell myself, “Jaime, glue your eyes on him, remember this moment. This is the closest you’ll ever get. Take a mental picture of him and keep that image in your memory forever.” So I freeze, blank out all the noise and everything around us, fixate my eyes only on him – his glowing face, CLICK; his luscious hair, CLICK; his sincere gaze, CLICK; his genuine smile, CLICK; his gentle waving, CLICK. I capture all these images and imprint them in my mind that I will not allow myself to forget. Up to today, whenever I close my eyes, this image of him will come up in front of me.


Now having said all these, this moment really lasts for only a few seconds before he turns away to wave to the sisters on other side again. The float slowly moves farther and farther away from me. I can only see the back of him, waving and nodding to his family and their overwhelming response. Whenever he turns to one side, the fans on that side all scream, jump and cheer. Any little gesture coming from him will generate a huge reaction, that’s how commanding his presence is. Of course when you are inside the dome, you only get that few seconds of him passing by your section. The rest of the time, you just cheer with everybody else, all those precious blowing kiss, heart gesture, victory sign, thumbs up, pointing and teary eyes scenes are only known to me afterwards.




This lasts a good ½ hour, I think. Next PD Kim and each star come up individually to talk about their future plans. Yong Joon comes on last to talk about his plan on WLS animation and ‘Kami no Shizuko’, then joined by everyone to bid the audience goodbye. I thought the show ends quite abruptly as I expect Yong Joon will spend more ‘alone quality’ time with his longing family. I dare say 99.9% of the women entering the Dome only have him in mind, but I guess after all this is a TWSSG Premium Event, the title says it all, doesn’t it?


As I am walking out of the dome, 2 sisters behind me are talking in Cantonese. I get curious so I say ‘Hi’, as I remember bb said something about a big group coming from Hong Kong BYJFriendsForever for this Osaka event. They are so friendly and immediately take me to meet their fellow sisters. They look surprised when I introduce myself and everyone greets me very warmly. I love to linger on and talk some more Cantonese but I am supposed to meet cloudnine like, 10 minutes ago? So I bid them goodbye.


You know there are so many fan groups’ gatherings around Osaka in these 2 days? Since most fans are converging at Osaka from all over Japan and overseas, this is the most convenient time for these fan circles to hold their gatherings. Unfortunately cloudnine and I have to miss kiyomi’s ‘April Snow & Now’ party. There are really so many reasons to stay but only 1 reason to go – Home! (personally I think this is a strong enough reason)


I remember bb once wrote about she wasn’t sure about returning to Seoul knowing Yong Joon was still staying in Samchoek. I think I can understand it now, my heart lingers knowing Yong Joon is still staying here tonight. Will he go out to look around Osaka? Will he take a casual stroll along the riverbanks? I think of Cinderella having to run out of the castle leaving her Prince Charming behind when the clock strikes midnight. Now I am not saying I am Cinderella, but cloudnine and I really have to run for our lives to catch the Shinkansen. Hehe, the Shinkansen is like our horse carriage, if we miss it, we will really be left with a pumpkin and 4 mice on the street! So we run and run and run (in heels and dragging our luggage along), cutting through crowds, keep apologizing ”sumimasen” to every person I bump into. Towards the end, we practically make an Olympic 100-meter record dash and narrowly jump on the last car just 2 minutes before the train pulls out of Shin-Osaka station! Suffice to say, after no food and drink for the whole day, we grab everything that’s edible from the food cart and I present to you, our dinner! sorry, not very appetizing, isn't it?


I lean back, look out the window as the train moves further and further away from Osaka (and Yong Joon); my body is weak, my mind is blank and my heart is empty. I know I will have a lot of to digest - my first sight of Yong Joon, my first encounters with a lot of Bae sisters, my first star chasing experience; and where do I go from here? ........