Limbo Rock

I am going through a limbo brought upon by my own doings. Honestly, I'm not feeling great. And there are people I carefully avoid cos I've got no freaking mood to entertain. I don't need consolations. I just need a breakthrough to make amends.

Coffee Savouring Never Get this Fun

It's official. My number 1 favouritest K-drama, to date, is Coffee Prince Shop Number 1 or 咖啡王子1号店. In an attempt not to over-raise expectations, I shall try my very best in containing my about-to-spill-it-all urge in sharing what I [heart] about this drama.

Instead I present you 10 generic reasons on why you shouldn't miss it, when you decide to embark on a new show:

1) Eye candies

They should add a 's' to Prince. We're talking about at least 5 Coffee Princes here. This is one drama that's crazy about its 'visual appeal' i think.

2) Chemistry

Not only do the leads have great love chemistry, the cast as a whole shone through with brotherly chemistry, sisterly chemistry, brother-sister chemistry, old-folks chemistry... hahaha...

3) Great Houses

'Oppang' (rooftop) houses get redefined here. It's no longer those crampy attic homes which are cute for the first time and boring next. The 2 key houses featured in this drama got great panorama + to-drool-for interiors. So good, you thought you wanna live in Seoul.

4) Men who can Sing

Maybe a female director made the difference; maybe the guys offered to do it, but this drama shows their happy men singing. And they all sing considerably well.

5) No Wily Foxes

Sometimes you really wanna pull the hair of those vixens in some series, wondering how one can be so evil. This drama has got none of such. And you wonder how then does it keep the narrative interest going? I dunno... it works for me somehow.

6) Cliches that Work

This drama has no original plot whatsoever and it didn't make an effort to hide that. I started with sceptism too, wondering how a 'Hana Kimi' theme can be done better than the Taiwanese's adaptation. But the 2 cannot be put on the same scale. The approaches are different.

7) Great Soundtrack

If Coffee Prince doesn't score with you, you can't fault its soundtrack. Superb choice of music, not just typical Korean pop songs that go "sarangheyo sarangheyo". It has muscial depth, truly.

8) The Coffee Prince Shop

Yes, the very cafe where the key story unfolds! It's lovely where it is. The cafe has drawn such huge crowd ever since the drama catches on. I want a Coffee Prince Shop here too :p

9) Gong Yoo and Yoon Eun Hye

Watch it for them. Eun Hye shows her acting range. If you think she's good in Goong, then you don't know much yet. As for Yoo, he doesn't seem like he needs to act at all.

10) Miss It Only to be Left Out

With its humongous popularity, you won't want to be left out once the folks on our shore go into coffee-whiffing mode. This is Korea's highest rated mini-series to date, beating the records set by Goong. And surely, some magic is brewing within?

* Screen caps courtesy of Javabeans.

Fellow CP addicts who drop by, drop me a line too! :D

Why Why Love, why like this?

Sometimes, my own words can be foreboding. The plot development for the last 3 eps of Why Why Love just downslided the way my excitement plunged.

SPOILERS AHEAD

As though a last ditch effort to prove the series' worth as a more serious and in-depth drama, the writers took a turn towards the last few eps to throw in really cliched sob stories. I've got no problem with worn-out ruses but there's always better ways of handling the narratives. Despite closing all the loops that it created right at the start of the drama, the whole effort is contrived and lacking in mastery. Shan't say more but I'm contemplating to auction off my VCDs while pondering over if the first 70% part of the drama makes it worth keeping.

My Cuties List is Taking a Break

Seriously with Coffee Prince filling my head all the time over the last few days, I can't imagine myself gushing over other men for now. It's kinda exciting that I'm catching this super hot Korean drama almost 'real-time' as it airs in Korea. Thank gawd for internet and computer, it's gotta be the greatest invention of all time!!! Thank goodness for fan-subs, they gotta be the most generous people around!!! Thank all those kind souls for uploading as soon as they can, I wonder how they find all the time and bandwidth!!! I can't wait to rewatch the entire series again after I've landed my hands on the VCDs. CP is such great dope that I've neglected my love for Why Why Love - I can't believe I'm not a tad excited that the VCDs are finally all out :S

I'll do a rank and review of my Top 5 Korean dramas after CP ends its run on 28 Aug and I'm crossing my fingers that the last 3 eps live up to expectation so that my love for it thus far comes full circle to a great finale. You know lar, there are a lot of sucky endings these days that spoil it all - especially those TVB dramas. Ask XY, she knows best.

Btw, I'll like to warn all potential antagonisers that I've got a few pet peeves so try not to push the wrong buttons with me these days when I'm not in the best of moods:

1) Don't take me for granted as a walking encyclopedia. Yea, I'm resourceful but dun ask me something as though I should know and expect answers like I should be responsible for knowing. I REPEAT, I'M NOT PIPIPEDIA.

2) Don't ask me anything only to refute what I think or insist on your opinion. When asked, I always try to give my 1/2cent worth. You can take or leave it but you shouldn't doubt the 'quality' of my answers. I normally tell it as how I see it, whatever that falls short is an issue of your own expectation or preference.

3) Lastly, respect my likes and dislikes but I dun need any superfluous 'sucking up' by trying to identify with my likes.

Wun name examples of incidents here. I'm not touchy-feely, just testy over how lacking in consideration some people can be.

My Top 10 Korean TV Leading Men: #7

Korean Cutie #7:

Cha Tae Won

Laughed in-between tears for/at/with him in My Sassy Girl.

Pi's Sizzling Meter:

His Wiki page here.

Sure he's not the best looking lead around but I will not give Tae Won a pass cos he is why I started on Korean movies and dramas. His cutiness is in his way of making you laugh with his effortless honest, sincere (and sometimes 'toot') look. His off-screen persona completes him as one of the best guys you could possibly ask for - dedicated, down-to-earth and endearing. Heard that he had a fine showing in his latest drama despite the poor ratings.

My Top 10 Korean TV Leading Men: #6

Korean Cutie #6:

Jae Hee

Made me grin silly in My Sassy Girl, Chun Hyang.

Pi's Sizzling Meter:

His Wiki page here.

This Kenji Wu lookalike is the reason why I pressed on with the draggy Chun Hyang and he was why the otherwise average drama becomes a little above mediocre. There's so much of him in the show - you get ice-cream for your eyes watching him transform from a high school boy to become a prosecutor, wah, lovely styling ok! He hasn't got much big break since My Sassy Girl but I'm looking forward to see more of him.

My Top 10 Korean TV Leading Men: #5

Korean Cutie #5:

Joo Ji Hoon

Caught my eyes in Goong.

Pi's Sizzling Meter:

His Wiki page here.

Ji Hoon stands tall, very tall in fact at 1.89m! What is this?! Korea has an industry full of NBA-qualified leading men...I wonder what they eat over there. Honestly, Ji Hoon's acting in Goong is not fantastic but he has a well-produced drama to thank for. You'll really grow to love this block of wood who looks wondrously befitting in the entire set. Quiet guys can be quite charming. And you know we gals fall for "oh, how he opens up to you because he so loves you" kinda fluff. I know too well... -_-

Top 10 Korean TV Leading Men: #4

Korean Cutie #4:

Kim Rae Won

Enchanted me in The Attic Cat.

Pi's Sizzling Meter:

His Wiki page here.

Lai Lai (as I fondly call him) is one cutie that XY has stood by despite the emergence of better, cuter and handsomer cuties. I swooned over him in Attic Cat though he was quite a jerk with intelligence being his only redeeming quality. Until he realised that he has fallen in love with the female lead of cos. But somehow, I kept getting attracted to such crappy guys. Oh I'm such a crap @_@. Starting early in the entertainment business has a way of speeding up maturity and Lai Lai is showing signs of 'ajuhsheeness'. I'm just hoping he doesn't beef up further to look like he's taking part in Mr Universe. Look out for his new works in Gourmet. Much anticipated apparently.

Top 10 Korean TV Leading Men: #3

Korean Cutie #3:

Hyun Bin

Went gaga over him in: My Name is Kim Sam Soon

Pi's Sizzling Meter:

His Wiki page here.

Great looking face with lean swimmer's bod, Hyun Bin is to-drool-for. And who can resist that gruff confident charm in Kim Sam Soon, his best drama to date? Then, I sought solace in being a real life Sam Soon who is a little more endowed, a tad untidy and not-too-feminine ~ you know it gave me hope that I could be liked by someone this cute. Apparently the dream went on for more than a year and there's still no sight of someone who's at least 50% near the standard of Bin. Maybe I need to get a life, a reel life.

My Top 10 Korean TV Leading Men: #2

Korean Cutie #2 -
Lee Seon Gyun



Melts me in Coffee Prince.
Pi's Sizzling Meter:


His Wiki Page here.

I proclaim him my (and prolly fellow kopi princess XY's) fave ajuhshee for now! He makes that pair of Paul Smith specs look so sexy and re-asserts how geekiness can be oh-so-cool. Add that whiff of musical talent and SNAGginess from his Han Seong's role in Coffee Prince, he is the man you'll want to hug when you see him lost in his confusion.

My Top 10 Korean TV Leading Men: Intro + Number 1!

After a series of bimbotic posts gushing over dramas and all those fluff (and bluffs yea?), I guess I've sealed my status as a lame tv junkie, most capable of in-depth discussion over shallow subjects such as how 'mud-looking' Mingdao is undeserving of mentions alongside the league of real heart-throbs like say Joe Cheng. My personal bias I know.

Anyway, I'm not about to set justice to my seemingly superficial engagements since serious discussions are best left to the aspiring lifelong-academic. I am continuing my mindless pursuits and shall present you my Top 10 lists of men. The pluralism in the italicised is intentional and not a case of bad grammar. I am the ignitor of the idea to come up with our list of Top 20 cuties. Whatever you see here, and maybe here, were started after conversations with me. However, the varying forms of lists that eventually surface(d) in their blogs were entirely to their own credits.

Now I present you my 1st of the 10, in no order of preference cos I really like them when I was at the height of madness at the point of watching their respective dramas. The degree of liking fluctuates from time-to-time. Such is the caprices of my heart but I take real-life relationships seriously ok!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Korean Cutie #1 - Gong Yoo


Makes my heart throb in Coffee Prince.
Pi's Sizzliing Meter:

His Wiki Page here.

I theorise that most of these Korean cuties have looks that grow on you despite the doubts you might have initially. There are exceptions, of cos, such as Bae Yong Joon. I shan't elaborate.

Gong Yoo has a 'kiam pa' face but it takes a heart made of the strongest alloy not to melt when you see him agonizing over his 'homosexuality' as the drama progressed in Coffee Prince. Such fine showing of emotional nuances and all his little moves that drive you nuts! Like how he bit his lips to savour a kiss, with all that puppish expressions. I guess I would be cheated of all my money if a cutie guy trickster stunted that on me...hahaha... But what really works for me about Gong Yoo, is his portrayal of a man with kidultish ways and conviction to pursue his love(s). OMG, I'm giddy again from reminiscing those scenes.

Oh, and guess what, we're one year apart - me and Gong Yoo! It's a match ok cos a lot of these cuties are irritatingly at least 3 years younger than me.

The First Shop of Coffee Prince

Life is a series of fortunate events, with one more major issue to settle before I can sprint on full force for the next peak. More on this later. Got much at hand to do.

A quick one to intro those who haven't heard about this latest K-drama hit from me. I like it very much and rank its watchability in the league of My Lovely Sam Soon and Full House. The narrative was done in a subtly different way from the usual K-dramas I've seen and I thought the pacing is brilliant.

The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince: Yoon Eun Hye was good as tomboyish Eun Chan and the two male leads just grow on me. The guy with the nerdy specs can be quite a turn-on too...hahaha!

The 8th episode has just been aired in Korea and the series should end in late August. So DVDs should arrive in-store some time in Sep / Oct I suppose. I'll get them for keep (despite having been following this on Tudou) or friends can get me TS' vouchers for my birthday ;-)

Btw, I've given up on the Jap show I mentioned earlier after the first ep. No time! The day passes real fast when you're in a routine. It's usually work, home, dinner, 1-hour of online teevee, then get down to my readings, then maybe a bit of blogging and chatting, then zzzzz by 2am...

Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows

* spoilers ahead

For me who boarded the Hogwarts Express in year 2001, 4 years after the first book was published, it has been a worthwhile journey of spellbinding fiction enriched by reel characters whom many of us have endeared ourselves to.

The finale of Harry Potter was no less a magnificent adventure that begins right from its book cover. The hype surrounding its launch was befitting and definitely deserving as JK Rowling went on to tell the story with such delicate mastery and pulsating punch.

I leapt in celebration of a friendship trinity that completes Harry's valiance with measured intelligence and selfless loyalty. With this, I pay tribute to Ron and Hermoine for sticking it out and showing us the purity of what true friends means.

I ached in piognance for the tenderness of Snape's love for a woman he could never had and how he had braved his fight in solitude, urged on only by the magnitude of this love that engulfs him.

I am heartened that the faith we have placed in the wisdom of great Dumbledore was not broken, albeit suffering a slight taint that proves him human.

And yes, all the characters who have made this wizardry world sheer magic:
Fred and George whose humour belied bravery so lifting,
The rest of the Weasleys whose simplicity and righteousness made them great,
Sirius whose charismatic brashness provided Harry with such godfatherly love we wish he never lost,
Hagrid whose rough appearance is softened by his gentle ways,
Neville whose past held him captive but emerged stronger to claim his own victory,
And many more whom my limited list can't seem to aptly eulogise - Lupin, Luna, Kreacher, Dobby, Tonks... and many more whose acts exemplify admirable courage, faith and love.

I'm sure it won't take long, that I revisit each and everyone of them and venture on this journey, all over again.

A Muggle's Conquest

I completed the journey, at 2pm today.

It was almost effortless, despite the hustle-bustle that delayed my embarkation till 7pm in the evening yesterday. I know. The book must have been charmed with an eyes-fixated spell to keep me going.

The events unfolded in my head like how the boy-who-lived could see he-who-must-not-be-named's wrath rupturing through his mind, as I devoured every word sprawled over the 607 pages.

When the conquest of the finite chapters drew close, my emotions surged to applaud a fantasy that will be immortalised.

i mean something to someone

"I'm so happy to see you even if it's only a glimpse!"

i am ... speechless in the goosepimple way.

ok, thanks. I'm honoured to know I made you happy, just by letting you catch a glimpse :p

love letter

dear pi

o genki desu ka?

so you read that sammi cheng wrote herself a letter and read it out loud at her concert, then you heard Tank singing Dear Tank to himself as a form of reminder and encouragement and decided to do likewise? you shameless thick-skinned copycat! ;p

heard that you've been roughing it out a little recently. things ain't too smooth but they're sure picking up, aren't they? if you could have it your way, the route is now paved to lead you to the ideal 1FTC + 1PTL career combi. so pray your 10000 watts cosmic superpower is making good connection with good heavens. and remember to show your thanks for those who've been patient with you, those who have bought you nice food with their hard-earned cash, those who tried to make things work for you just becos u gave them a call, those who accompanied you while you were bored at home, those who called you up just to see that you're ok and those who never questioned and doubted the decisions u made even when they were not the wisest. you've been lucky.

now as mystery still fills the air on what's next for you, remember to take LY's advice on not wasting your psychic power trying to make the green man on the traffic light appear (cos it will eventually appear!!!). bear in mind that PROVIDENCE CONNECTION takes priority. 心诚则灵; 相信和坚持必会有出奇不意的收获.

cheers
永远爱你的音

Proposal Daisakusen

I chanced upon Operation Love while surfing through one of my fave Tudou's lists. Didn't expect this to arrest my heart and activate my tear duct. It's supposed to be a light-hearted romance comedy. Then why the hell do i feel moved many times throughout just 1 ep?

The Japanese style of story-telling does have a way of saying much with little words.

Let me follow through the serial and share a little bit more another day. I need to hit the bed for another day of Operation CTRL C + V.

running out of time

It dawned upon me yesterday that I'm about to max my 3-month limit, as at end of this month. It's kinda scary but I've done all that I could. I mean some miracles gotta take place somewhere in the process, so that I can move on to embrace change and live the dreams.

If the talk and belief on universe conspiracy are all true, I now earnestly ask 老天爷,您忙完了吗? 忙完了可以在最近聆听我的心声吗? Then, 聆听后可以帮忙召集众神灵大显身手,使尽法宝让我如愿以偿吗? I'll map out the route thereafter, and of course with 老天爷's intervention every now and then.Must now increase my cosmic superpower to 10000 watts so that Laotian can connect with me soon.

By the way, the fengshui at my temp office is jinxing me. Fall sick on my first day at work but I saw it coming lar. I mean the building has a musty feel that no air freshener can hide. And the whole building looks so dim! It's one of those that sunlight doesn't penetrate through cos there's no window :(

The Universe Conspires

Ask, believe and you will receive. Thus I summon my cosmic superpower and what do I get? My (not-so) long-awaited 换换爱VCDs Part 1*!!! Hahaha, my greatest regrets to fellow Taiwanese fans who are at best now at episode 5 of the drama while I'm leading the way at episode 12. Ok, ep 12 on VCD is prolly ep 8 of the Taiwanese broadcast but still!!! Then again, there's not much more I can gloat over cos I'm now agonised for being stuck at a cliffhanger as I wait for Part 2 of the VCDs to complete the drama. You scheming, bloodsucking VCD peddlers!

* Now available at all leading DVD/VCD stores. My advice is wait for the complete set to be out unless you're an impatient monkey like me :p

The Frog Prince

Thanx to Sister Choy's strong recommendation, I embarked on watching that supposedly phenonmenal Prince Turns Into A Frog (王子变青蛙) that took Taiwan by storm and won my Malay friend's heart by hynopsis (so I suspect) recently. As my friends would know, I'm pretty much anti-QJL, mainly because they have an (old) boy band that can't quite decide if they are a 4, 5 or 6 member group. And that's not all, the stars under the QJL stable are just not quite 'there'. I shan't go into elaboration on what I mean by that since the philosophy of karma keeps ringing in my head. Anyway, the biggest problem with QJL lies with their boss and his iron-fisted management combined with cock-eyed misjudgement.

Now, back to the Frog Prince. I really think that it's Taiwan's top rated drama by sheer stroke of luck. Storyline is cliched and said to have been uncannily similar to K-drama Save the Last Dance. Its saving grace is the generally good production, scripting and impressive supporting cast. The leads are just....well....lacking in overall image direction and plain dowdy in style though Qiao-en impresses with her natural acting. My 3 fave characters from the show turns out to be...

From left: Qiao-en (Tianyu), Tianyu's mama and Tianyu's didi

Tianyu's didi speaks with a farnie accent cos I think he's ABC but he's really quite cute and shows potential to blossom into a hottie! What disturbs me a little is the near-cock-eyeness of 2 actors from the drama:

1) Ming Dao (aka 动力火车's brudder) ~ ok, his is not so bad. But once the camera caught him in one of those 'intense gazes' scenes, I can't help noticing how close his 2 eyeballs move towards each other.

2) Whatever Qiao her name is lar (they seem to have many Qiaos in QJL) ~ Oh gosh! Either her eyeballs are damn big and that's why they always look like they are about to 'langa' each other, or she's got a lazy eye problem lor.

(Ignore Shaowei on the right please. He can't really act, not exactly good looking but is lucky to be above 180cm to merit him a place in 2 different (old) boy bands named after some numbers.)

By the way, the wardrobe of the cast sucks and I dun blame the actors. If the character played by Mike He in Why Why Love thinks Rainie Yang dresses like Ah-Soh, the wardrobe crew should really take some cues from QJL Production on how to look really 俗. Even the styling on Meteor Garden filmed 7 years back looks trendier than this Frog Prince drama done in 2005 lor.

Overall verdict: 3 stars - worth watching on Tudou but forget about buying the VCDs lar.

* * * * *

p.s.: Intro to the Pipi Rating System

From now, I'll start rating shows according to this scale -

0 star: It's so bad, I feel ashamed for having watched a single second of it. (Example in this category: 炮制女朋友)

1 star: I only bother giving it 1 star to save myself the embarassment for having watched more than 5 seconds. (Example: 恋上你的床)

2 stars: Barely passed the grade. Watch it only if you have a soft spot for something or someone in the show.

3 stars: Watchable production but not worth your investment on the VCD / DVDs. I rather squint my eyes silly watching it on the small screen of YouTube.

4 stars: Eye-candies passed, production passed, entertainment value passed; what more can we ask from a near-perfect show?

5 stars: Oh-My-Freaking-Gawdly good show! So awesome you can watch and rewatch and rewatch...!