Hot Shot/ Basketball of Fire 2008 - Review

Jerry Yan will be my hottie forever (according to my fan-heart)... And wow! Has the packaging of his stardom improved by meteorical measures since Meteor Garden (no pun intended). For one, his fashion sense has greatly, astoundingly improved...If in Meteor Garden I, he was up against his tacky clothes and reliant on his amazing looks, in Hot Shot, Jerry has become a real star!

But since this is not mainly about Jerry, let me get to the "review" part of this post.

All in all, I highly enjoyed the series. Surprisingly, it got lower ratings compared to high ones of Fated to Love You. Perhaps it's because Hot Shot wasn't all that emotionally sensational - again, compared to Fated to Love You. In fact, Hot Shot is a very easygoing watch, with its fair share of intriguing twists and turns and spectacular scene sequences (especially when they play basket!). I also love how they interspersed the comedy and drama of it.

But then again, my son and I were looking out for an important sequence at the end, which would have tied up the whole series and make the title truly worth being called "Hot Shot". The sequence we had in mind wasn't there.

Other than that, I should say it was worth watching. It was not sensational, but I must say it was really good!

Image from Crunchyroll.

Beatlemania Live!

I Will by Hikari San on Polyvore.com

For a couple of nights now I've been beating the drum pads of our Rockband like mad. Well, small wonder since I've loved the Beatles since high school.

It was in the middle of our junior year when one of my girlfriends lent me a Betamax copy of Steven Spielberg's '80's flick "I Want to Hold Your Hand" starring Nancy Allen (from "Carrie"). The movie was a total riot! Lucky for me I was able to get hold of a rare copy of it on DVD and still break into fits of laughter whenever I watch it.

On Christmas of my junior year, the sister of my late godmother gifted me with a Beatles songbook and I sung out most of the songs from their earlier albums.

Since then, I've been a staunch fan of the Beatles. My favorite (among my favorites, is "I Will", which you will hear if you click on the Polyvore image). Boyfriend after boyfriend, I have sung that song, and break up after break up, "I Will" has never grown old, never tasted bitter.

Now, my son and I enjoy The Beatles Rock Band so much. In fact, my son has memorized some songs which I never bothered with such as "Back in the U.S.S.R", "The End", "Paperback Writer"& many more.

I'm glad their music will never die. The Beatles' passion for music should live on!

"She loves you, yeah! yeah! yeah!!!"

Hot Shot - Taiwanese Series

Oh yeah!!! I have recently bought the DVD of Hot Shot, the Taiwanese series, starring none other but Jerry Yan. It took me awhile to buy another Jerry Yan series (I am/was fixated to Meteor Garden), and when I was about to launch into another MG marathon, I decided, enough!

So, I got a copy of Hot Shot and my son and I are enjoying the first two episodes so far. The director has done a great job so far (episodes 1 & 2), very watchable. Also, I love the comic relief of the movie.

Well, I have to admit, that though I am a Barbie Xu as Shan Cai fan, the girls in Hot Shot nice looking too. Oh, well, this is it for now.

My Favorite Anytime Vacation - Legendary

Meteor Garden I & II has approximately 50 episodes all in all. On the last week of September, while recuperating from the flu and pneumonia, the maid and I (both sick) watched another marathon round of this legendary TV series.

Legendary? To me, it is. Sure, the acting started out cheesy, the storyline common (because it was adapted), and for some it dragged on for too long. But I say it is legendary in a very personal sense. After approximately 8 rounds over the years since I purchased to VCD set of Meteor Garden, I still get that exhilarating feeling of having visited that place.

The maid and I finished all 50 episodes over 1 week. But the giddy feeling has remained.

Meteor Garden. It never fails to cheer me :D

Ethan Ruan - My Queen

I definitely think Ethan Ruan looks hot. He's definitely my type - he has the physical features which capture my fancy = in equal footing with Jerry Yan that is! :D

I was searching Ethan Ruan via Google and saw that he has a new series called My Queen. I checked out the synopsis through different blogs and drama-wiki which says it's about a love story between a 33 year old hardworking single career woman and a 25 year old guy with a regular job.

This post won't have spoilers as I decided that the storyline isn't my type, younger guy-older woman affaire de coeur. Oh well, different strokes for different folks.

I'm still in the parallel world of Fated to Love You. LOL.

(image source: http://www.crunchyroll.com/forumtopic-435074/my-queen/)

Thoughts on My Favorite Asian Dramas

I started watching Meteor Garden at the middle part of the second season. I was smitten by its story and having to wait till the next day to find out what happens added to the excitement.

I was amazed at how intricately these drama writers (the playwrights and Ms. Yoko Kamio herself) could've come up with almost real situations. I was just disappointed with the last episode of MG2 because it was cut abruptly. I wanted more ShanCai <3 Dau Ming Sz action - a pulling together of strings - but then, it was assumed by many viewers that a season 3 would realize. In vain.

Nonetheless, MG became my staple background noise whenever doing paper work. It helps greatly that the Taiwanese F4 are hunks!

Last year, a friend of mine recommended Itazura Na Kiss the anime series. That was something else! I'd use every chance I get to watch episode after episode, and to my secret chagrin, was even reduced to tears by paper and pencil (CGI, of course!) and the late Tada Kaoru's amazing imagination... though she went ahead before her story was finished, the ones who concluded INK did a good job in giving Irie Kun and Kotoko their happy ending.

I was glad this year to have watched Boys Over Flowers, the Korean version. It gave more depth to the Taiwanese version. Same characters, same plot. But the differences in versions give one and the same story more depth and detail.

An now, here I am loving Fated to Love You. I have to admit, the practical, level-headed part of me says that the way Ji Cun Xi and Chen Xin Yi met is bull. But then again, the escapist is more than willing to enter the story. I also have to add, it is not a series for children (unlike BOF which could at least pass, though PG is still needed due to violence) - and even too whimsical for impressionable minds. But heck! I watch it alone, so I indulge myself - - - -

Indeed many thanks to the authors of these stories, who have painstakingly followed their passions of bringing their imagination to celluloid life. These stories are wonderful in themselves, for all their merits and imperfections, but hey, they're part of us now.

At the end of the day though, I think about how, though dreamy and exciting these TV series are, they are merely 1 dimensional copies of reality. Like my younger cousin wisely said (and I bet she's not the only one who realizes this) - the best telenovela is our own lives... but hey, some jaded people (wink!) need their prince charming in 24 episodes just to get by.

Long live love stories, though many belong in books and TV... at least some of us can live it vicariously...

Fated To Love You

OMG!!! I am soooo loving Fated to Love You, starring Ethan Ruan & Chen Qiao En. I am still at Episode 10 but definitely captivated (addicted?!).

I thought no Asian drama would beat the different versions of Yoko Kamio's Hana Yori Dango (haven't seen the Japanese version though).

After having finished Boys Over Flowers, I was recommended by my cousin, who's resides in New York, to watch Fated to Love You. She, herself, hasn't seen FTLY but said that her bff recommended it.

So I decided to give it a try. After all, Ethan Ruan looks cute, and I like Chen Qiao En's "ordinary" cuteness - very refreshing.

Watching FTLY is what I use as a reward after 3 hours of paper work, and my oh my, this jaded writer feels the flutter of how fate plays tricks to satisfy Cupid - at the expense of unwitting people :D :D :D

I won't put any spoilers here... Maybe later. But here's the trailer... Whoopee!!!


P.S. DEFINITELY ADULT STUFF

Rainy Morning

I love waking up to a cool rainy morning. Despite the short sleeping hours, I find myself waking up refreshed and alive.

It's another working day, and I'm looking forward to it.

Have a nice day to anyone who reads this! Jaa Ne!!!

Insomnia attack! Despite the heavy medications I am taking due to otitis media, my mind can't find the silence of the night... I don't do well with surprises... Good thing I have my "quiet playlist" which include:

What Should I Do? by Jisun (Boys Over Flowers OST)
Can't Lose You Instrumental (Meteor Garden 2 OST)
Season of Fireworks Instrumental (Meteor Garden 2 OST)
Falling Slowly (Once OST)
God Only Knows (AmEx Commercial Chillout Version) - I couldn't find this version online :( The CD was given to me by a friend
River Flows in You - Yiruma
Rose Garden - (Becoming Jane OST)

I want to sleep so help me God!!!

What Should I Do? Jisun

I gave up my lunchbreak nap to listen to this song and look for What Should I Do? by Jisun - the English translation.

Here are youtube clips and the heart wrenching lyrics of the song.

Spoiler/comparison: This is approximates to Broken Vow of Meteor Garden. Both songs are a trip to a lonely path in heartbreak meadow! Enjoy!!!

You ask me how my day was as if it is same everyday
I say I’m okay but you really don’t know how I feel
Do you think I’ll be okay without you?
Are you okay without me?
The world without you is so hard that I blame myself for still breathing

What should I do? Even now, I live each painful days because of your words
Tell me if this is a bad thing to do
Are you living each day painfully like I am?
You and me

Are we too late? Do we not have a chance?
I still think about you and you might know this
Finally is this it? Are we going to end like this? Is it okay with you?
I don’t think I can do it. The love I find with you, I won’t find it anywhere even if I die

What should I do? If it isn’t you no one else can hold my heart
Please hold me. And you know that even though the whole world tries to
No one can erase your memories. So please hold me

What should I do? Even now, I live each painful days because of your words
Tell me if this is a bad thing to do
Are you living each day painfully like I am?
You and me

Is it too late? Do we not have a chance?
But me, I still think about you, and you might not know.

http://redgeofsanity.wordpress.com/2009/04/21/what-should-i-do-by-jisun-ost-boys-before-flowers/

Hana Yori Dango, Meteor Garden, Boys Over Flowers Visited 2

"That is so codependent!" my mom huffed in exasperation when she saw that I was reacting emphatically to a scene in Boys Over Flowers.

I bit my tongue. BOF is not worth an argument with the Queen Mother.

I wanted to say, "Aren't most love stories codependent?" (Save for A Walk to Remember which was very inspiring and spiritual.) But I kept mum...

Her Western preferences are so full of S-E-X! Betrayal and violence. What makes it any different from my preference?

Though I concede HYD, MG and BOF have more than their fair share of violence and betrayal, the sex thing is not so blatant. In fact, the kissing scenes are tame and decent (save for the episode in MG where DMSz forces his kiss on Shan Cai in the school balcony. His lack of social skills and restraint was made evident in that scene. Either that, or I'm defending the story hahahah! In fact in the manga version, there are "up yours" hand signals and expletives). But for all 25 episodes of the Korean Version, there are only a few kissing scenes which are more sweet than sensual.

Besides, the redemption of Tsukasa/DMSz/Jun Pyo's role were threshed out clearly (from my point of view) that his wrongdoings are forgivable if only as a TV show. I haven't thought about the real life plausibility of his character's evolution.

After all, I'm all in it for the fantastic relief. After all, it is a most girls' codependent dream to be a catalyst for change. After all, in A Walk to Remember, Jamie Sullivan was a catalyst to Landon Carter's improvement.

One more thing that fascinates me about HYD/MG/BOF is that Tsukushi/ShanCai/JanDi's role as a middle class girl thrown into the world of the spoiled, rotten and rich and overcoming obstacles just to get by is a feat many of us would like to achieve... And of course turning the frog into a prince just by being oneself is the height of that dream. Though Shan Cai and Jan Di's role of being violently oppressed by the F4 is too much for reality, it sadly resonates most women's capacity to suffer. The healthier thing to do is WALK AWAY, but Tsukushi/ShanCai/JanDi is a radical activist who stands up for her "rights", to the point of putting herself in harm's way. Oh well, that's why it's called fiction. The danger is that impressionable minds might think it's okay to brave it out; in real life it's called being foolhardy (but that calls for another discussion).

Going back to the fantasy, it is every person's dream to be the kind who doesn't give up even in the face of destitution and humiliation. To still have that strength to stand straight, chin up, shoulders back and walk steadily, confident that the world is still a friendly place despite all the hardships. And getting the happy ending - which Tsukushi/ShanCai/JanDi got in the end, after many twists, turns and tears.

And those back up guys, the rest of the F4. I love saying that the F4 in MG are hunks, while in BOF they're cuties. But nonetheless their characters which are seemingly shallow eventually revealed men whose loyalties are towards the righteous (Tsukushi/ShanCai/JanDi) - to the point of them being there for the T/S/JD at every whiff of trouble - is again, another favorite fantasy. In real life, we know that people only help to a point, because they have their own lives to lead; besides nobody likes to be anyone's charity case. But the genius of Yoko Kamio lies in that Tsukushi/ShanCai/JanDi was never portrayed thus. At the same time the F4 were not portrayed as guys who keep tabs, what is given is a gift; and it is implied that after all things in each characters' lives are taken care of, they attend to our protagonist.

Is this codependent or not? LOL...

Oh my, count on it, there's a part 3 of this...Jaa Ne for now!

Hana Yori Dango, Meteor Garden, Boys Over Flowers Visited

Jerry Yan is texting me through his Sony Ericsson cellphone. Tonight, he's saying, "Miss U".

Fantasies are for free!

Jerry Yan has been the leading man of my dreams since I went crazy over Meteor Garden back in 2003.

Before Meteor Garden, I've always been a snob in my viewing preferences; always rationalizing my choices of shows and leisure time activities etc., and mostly, if not always patronizing Western shows and literature.

It irritated me when the buzz at work was all about Dau Ming Sz and Sancai. Who the hell were they? Finally, I decided to watch an episode to see what the frenzy was all about.

Before I knew it, I was hooked to the max. After work, I would cozy up at the couch in front of the TV and cross the threshold between reality and paradise.

After the show ended, many months later, I ordered the VCD set online and would use MG as my background noise while doing paper work.

***

I think I have viewed the two seasons of Meteor Garden five times over and still get that giddy feeling while watching and even after.

***

Last year, a friend of mine introduced me to Itazura Na Kiss, an anime series, and I was sucked into the colorful world of Irie-kun and Kotoko. The same friend recommended Hana Yori Dango the anime series.

After 6 years of Meteor Garden, I found myself entrenched in Yoko Kamio's drama.

So much so that one of my bestfriends sent me the first four books of the original manga (which are part of my prized possessions).

***

And now, the same co-workers who were crazy over Meteor Garden are busy updating on Gu Jun Pyo, Geum Jan Di and Ji Hoo...

What's a girl to do? I joined the band wagon, and am hooked.

***

The Real Star of the show I must say is Yoko Kamio. She has retold the Cinderella and Little Mermaid stories in the modern day Asian setting. Who could resist a fairy tale?

It is every girl's dream. Unabashedly, it is mine.

And of course, in a jaded, heartbroken era, happy endings are best sellers. If it eludes us in the ground we tread, we get the vicarious victory through the TV screen for that moment in time.

Sayonara for now, xie xie ni... Jaa Ne! Till my next musing...

Weekend First

Jaa Ne! I googled this Japanese expression which is an informal way of telling your friends, "See You!"

Just About Anything, Ne!

During my waking hours, I find myself thinking about different kinds of things: books, situations, my favorite story Hana Yori Dango and its versions, parenthood, aging, friends, money, going to my counselor, anyyyything that catches my fancy.

Right now, I am distributing my energy among chatting with one of my bestfriends (who's abroad), writing this first entry and watching Boys Over Flowers Korean version (my background noise).

Jaa Ne!