Love Me Tender

***SPOILER ALERT - DON’T READ AHEAD IF YOU LIKE SURPRISES***

Sorry that I’ve been away for so long. I have been starting to catch up on the piles of dramas that have been thrown my way by different people. So far I’ve finished watching Hana Yori Dango 1 & 2, and Last Friends. Hana Yori Dango was a pretty big hit in Japan and with its cute characters and fairytale storyline, I’m not surprised as to why. It was a nice brainless drama to watch to get away from the stresses of life. There is a Korean version coming out in 2009 that will star Kin Hyun Joong (leader of Korean boyband, SS501) as the lead male role of Hanazawa Rui. My sister wasn’t sure if he could pull off the rich, arrogant, jerk character but I think it’s pretty close to his previous image (minus the rich part) that he shouldn’t have too much trouble. He is pretty hot so even if he can’t act or the drama sucks I will probably watch it for the eyecandy. I still need to watch the Taiwanese version.

Last Friends was an amazing drama. It’s like no other I have every seen (Japanese, Korean or Taiwanese). It dealt with many serious topics in a more realistic way than any other drama I’ve watched. For once domestic violence wasn’t portrayed as a result of the evils of alcohol, but rather it showed the underlying psychological issues of domestic abuse such as why women keep going back. It is not because they are stupid and don’t know any better! It shows the psychological manipulation and the difficulty in walking away from someone you love. I was impressed. I mean, sure it was a drama so it can’t be TOO realistic (otherwise the dramatic effect is lost), but for its limitations, it was pretty good. The other topics that were also dealt with were great as well - questioning gender identity, child molestation, extramarital affairs. The ending was another fairytale, but I’m still happy that the drama wasn’t cotton candy bullshit like so many others. The opening to the drama was great too as it showed the complexity of the characters’ lives and relationships. Oh! And I can’t forget how perfect the song Prisoner of Love by Utada was. I was so impressed.

First of all, let me tell you Korea is the Land of Couples!

If there is one thing celebrated more than Kimchi, I would say it’s couples. Sadly, this is not a rant from a single girl living here,
it’s a fact of life when you have lived in the Land of the Morning Calm.

So, April 14 is Black Day. The one day for single folk - who are called ’solo’.
It is the day that singles (read: solos) are supposed to get together with other solos and eat jjajangmyeon. Jjajangmyeon is the Korean form of Chinese black bean noodles. It’s dark both in color and flavor, but really good. I am told that it’s either an acquired taste or something that you either like or hate. And it is THE food for us singles on this special ‘Black Day’.

Sadly, I was not able to partake of the jjajangmyeon and the company of my fellow solo friends - the day almost passed unnoticed until another solo friend mentioned that it was, in fact, April 14th and thus, Black Day.

It makes me wonder…White Day and Valentine’s Day and Christmas Day and all the other couple days (most of which usually happen on the 14th of each month) are so hyped…literally…but, what happened to Black Day? If you’re a single in Korea,
something is wrong and that needs to be remedied. I was super shocked and a little bit annoyed that Christmas day is a couples’ day here. No joke…when you ask people about Christmas - they say…’Oh it’s a couples’ day. It is so sad if you are solo. We say you should stay home and watch Home Alone‘. Umm…no thanks.

It makes me feel a teensie bit better that wikipedia has something about it…even if it is a super short blurb : Black Day

I will leave you with a picture of jjajangmyeon…because really, what else does a solo gal like me have?

Okay…I was going to post a picture of jjajangmyeon…but I can’t find a good one. AND..while this post may seem bitter, it’s not. I’m just plain amused.

I have been hearing rumours for a good two years now about the an American remake of the mega hit South Korean movie, My Sassy Girl. Well it’s true and it’s finally here. It will star Jesse Bradford as Gyeon-woo and Elisa Cuthburt as the girl (Jun Ji-hyun). Do I really care? Not really. I didn’t think the original was all it was hyped up to be. I think I was the only person who thought the girl was a complete bitch, the guy was a pathetic pushover, the plot was extremely predictable, and the scene which is supposed to be the most gut wrenching and heart-warming scene (where he lists off all the things that is good about her to a guy she is on a date with) was just…ok. I did not cry for it, unlike the men sitting around me *cough*. It’s not that I didn’t like the movie, but I really did not see why it was so great.

Maybe it was significant compared to all the Korean movies that portray women as docile women waiting for a strong, rich man to take charge and sweep them off their feet. I guess My Sassy Girl can get brownie points for that, but I’d still only give it a 3/5. Anyway, I don’t have high expectations for the American version just because I didn’t think the Korean one was that great to begin with.

Trailor time!

For those of you who want to know more about the movies, here are some resources for you.

1. PopSeoul!: Hollywood remakes My Sassy Girl
2. Wikipedia: My Sassy Girl (Korean)

There was a fire at Namdaemun/Sungnyemun, which is a historic gate located in the heart of Seoul, South Korea. According to a witness taxicab driver, while he was waiting for a customer he saw a man in his fifties walk up the stairs to the gate and later saw sparks coming from the area. Soon after the man walked down the stairs and left the area. The taxi driver drove around the area trying to find the man, but was unsuccessful. Here is the editorial posted in the Korea Times.

Arson Suspected in Namdaemun Fire
By Lee Hyo-sik
Staff Reporter

A fire broke out at Sungnyemun _ more commonly known as Namdaemun, meaning South Gate in Korean _ a historic structure from the Joseon Kingdom located in the center of Seoul, Sunday night, causing a major problem for firefighters.

The fire occurred around 8:50 p.m., police said. About 30 fire trucks along with 90 firefighters rushed to the scene to bring the blaze under control. There were no reports of any casualties and the cause of the fire has yet to be determined, they said.

According to firefighters, Namdaemun did not seem to sustain major damage other than minor burning to the area underneath the roof.

Police suspect someone deliberately started the fire as a taxi driver, identified only by his surname Lee, said he saw a man in his 50s go up the stairs of the gate with a shopping bag, while he was waiting to pick up a customer in the nearby area.

(Read on …)