collectible

i always wanted to have a collection. my friend R collects toys, L collects M&M items, C loves anything hello kitty. others collect starbuck mugs, shoe figurines, kimmy dolls and magnets, but i couldn't find anything i like enough to collect.

i do have some bookmarks that i bought from different countries, but im not obsessed with it and it sounds nerdy to be collecting bookmark (borrinng!!). last year, i wanted to start collecting pullip dolls, especially the audrey hepburn dolls, but they're all so expensive and the nearest store is in sg. i still want them though.

aside from the audrey hepburn dolls, i also wanted to collect anything audrey hepburn related (i especially want to buy an audrey hepburn poster or popart to hang on the walls of my condo -- i'll save up by next year) like pins, necklaces, earrings but i think practically every fashionista lady in manila loves audrey hepburn so it sounds too cliche.

so yesterday, i was walking around gh when i stopped by a small accessories store and saw these adorable snowflake earrings! 3 earrings in a set.. all 3 in different designs. i guess it's because "no snowflake is the same". and then i realised something.... i can collect SNOWFLAKES!! i currently have a giant pair of snowflake earrings that i bought in sg and a double snowflake necklace that i bought in manila. Okay. so having 3 snowflake accessories does not make a collection but it's a start right?? so now i just have to look for and think of other snowflake items to collect!! hopefully i'll find more and my collection will grow!

ps, i would also like to collect vintage posters but i dont know where to put them!! might be a waste of space if i can't post them up my walls.

the mentalist season 3 finale

WARNING: SPOILER ALERT!!!

another explosive 2-hour finale!! first, the list of the 4 suspects. for the whole series, i already suspected of them: the hot fbi agent craig o'loughlin (because he came out of nowhere and kept putting his nose in even when's he's freaking fbi, and how fast his r'ship with grace went, i felt there was something wrong) and director gale bertram, when he quoted a poem from william blake. the other 2 suspects were just blah -- the publicist has been there the whole season and there was no reason for her to be the mole. the DA only came out the previous season when agent cho helped the kid who stole his car. and then we find out later that it is really craig o'loughlin who is red john's mole.

as for red john himself, im glad that they chose a stranger to portray him instead of someone we've already met. a big letdown for me, though was the conversation between him and jane. i was hoping for a big confrontation but all we got was some weird monologue from red john wanting to retire, etc. that was a bit anti-climactic for me. one of the best scenes in the finale was when red john started describing jane's wife and daughter's scents and you can see jane's cool facade  totally crumble with anguish and pain.. and the best part was him killing red john just as he always promised he would.. and jane and only jane would ever sit down to finish his coffee and get his check like nothing happened. REALLY AWESOME!

it will be really interesting what the writers are planning to do for season 4. definitely jane cannot go unscathed here since he killed a guy so i'm very curious how this would affect the entire show. plus even though red john is dead, there are still so many unanswered questions.. like who is red john? how can he be so powerful that he has so many people working for him? so i hope that they will be able to slowly tackle these issues while continuing to churn out more and better crime cases to solve.

maroon 5 concert at the smx

at last! i've been waiting for this day to arrive ever since i bought tickets last feb! i even filed 2 days leave just for this day and it was soo worth it!!

my best mate N and i got gold b tickets with free seats and we sat on the right side of the place. a strategic place since adam spent most of his time running around on the right side than the left.

it was a great concert as the band just kept on playing hit after hit after hit. the energy was so amazing and everyone was singing and going crazy for the next 1 1/2 hours!

                                    perfect timing to take a great pic of adam on the giant screen

N and i spent the first hour standing on our seats -- we did see adam quite a lot but he kept on moving around the stage that i was getting dizzy (in a good way) trying to follow him around the stage. there was this tall girl a few seats ahead of us that blocked our view -- she just so happened to stand right in front of our view whenever adam stays in the middle!! so that was a bit of a bummer so we had to strain our necks or watch the tv whenever he's in that area. unfortunately my hands were shaking were clapping too much so pics are a bit blurry.

when he started singing sweetest goodbye, N and i sat down for a bit to rest and wondered if the middle area (no seats, it was where the giant post with the giant tv was placed) had a better view since a lot of people who went there didn't go back to their seats and i also noticed that adam stayed in that area near the post so N and i went to the center to see if the view is clearer... and YES!! it was!! adam was right in the middle -- unrestricted view!! there were a few people in front of us but we could still see him well! we even moved closer to the front! i took a few pics of the stage -- of course i hit zoom on my camera but this is more or less what we saw in our new place so still a bit far but near enough to go spazzing at adam's hotness! i also recorded their last song "Sunday Morning" - il try to upload it here when i can.

overall it was a great concert! everyone had a good time and i hope maroon 5 also enjoyed and appreciated the crowd's wild screams and applause. i mean adam seemed really happy and smiling a lot during the entire performance. he even tweeted about it and i hope the band comes back after a few years!

castle season 3 finale

WARNING: SPOILER ALERT!!!

OMG!!! great finale! the tone of the final episode was different from the usual fun and light murder mystery theme of the whole series since it's about the continuing storyline of who killed beckett's mom. i've read the spoiler ahead that there's someone who will die in the finale. i have already guessed that it's montgomery, though i didnt know that it's because he was the third cop all along. i think while him being the 3rd cop seems to make sense after a few reasoning, it was also totally where-did-that-come-from because he has always been showing up in and out of the series like a mentor or guide but actually realising he plays a very important character was a surprise. i like that even though he was supposed to be bad, beckett was able to forgive him since she respected him and she knew that in the end he saved her life. still, beckett's murder storyline is not yet finished and i feel like they're back to ground zero, looking for new leads in the case.

the bigger shock in the finale though was kate being assassinated during montgomery's funeral. well obviously with castle being renewed for the fourth season, im sure that kate will make it. im just curious how they will do it and how her attempted assassination changes the tone of the show next season. i did find all the not-so-subtle clues of castle being kate's savior and him finally saying i love you to kate a bit cheesy, though i think it was also needed to propel their relationship forward next season. as castle said, they never talk about it. an alternate fantasy for me is that castle was able to push kate away and he ends up being shot, with kate finally saying i love you to castle -- castle has always put his heart out on his sleeve and is always following kate so i thought it would have been a good change if it was kate who finally opened up and spoke about her feelings for castle -- though i think they did it since castle is supposed to be the man and he has to be able to help kate get over her emotional baggage.

on the side note, i also loved the emotional scene between ryan and esposito when they found out who the third cop was. and castle and his mom's scene was also beautiful.

that said, i have to wait for 4 more months before we find out what's inside the envelope that montgomery mailed before he died.. a long slow wait but in the meantime, im all set to watch an even thrilling finale from the mentalist (!!!!)

so many k-dramas, so little time

i haven't even finished downloading winter / sping korean dramas:

Title: Secret Garden / 시크릿 가든

Genre: Romance, comedy, fantasy, melodrama

Episodes: 20

Synopsis: The drama tells the story of Kim Joo Won (Hyun Bin), an arrogant and eccentric CEO who maintains the image of seeming perfection, and Gil Ra Im (Ha Ji Won), a poor and humble stuntwoman whose beauty and body are the object of envy amongst top actresses. Their accidental meeting, when Joo Won mistakes Ra Im for actress Park Chae Rin, marks the beginning of a tense, bickering relationship, through which Joo Won tries to hide a growing attraction to Ra Im that both confuses and disturbs him. To complicate matters further, a strange sequence of events results in them swapping bodies.

Stars: Ha Ji Won, Hyun Bin

Broadcast period: Nov 13, 2010 to Jan 16, 2011

Airtime: Sat and Sun 21:45

I only started liking Ha Ji Won when I watched her in Family Outing while I loved Hyun Bin in My Name is Kim Sam Soon. Looking forward to them together for the first time!

 

Title: My Princess / 마이 프린세스

Genre: Romance, comedy

Episodes: 16

Synopsis: An ordinary college student, Lee Seol, finds out she's a princess. The grandson of Daehan Group, Park Hae Young, is put in charge of educating Seol on proper etiquette. However, Hae Young is put in a precarious situation when he finds himself drawn to Seol, the girl who will take away his inheritance if the monarchy is restored.

Stars: Kim Tae Hee, Song Seung Hun

Broadcast period: Jan 5 to Feb 24, 2011

Airtime: Wed and Thurs 21:55

I dont like both stars (they are both eyecandy but bad actors) but both were praised for this romcom. I guess they're better with cute and funny dramas!


now summer is here and may has been bombarding me with great drama after drama after drama!
Title: Romance Town / 로맨스 타운
Genre: Romance, comedy
Episodes: 20
Synopsis: The story of domestic help who work for rich households. No Soon Geum is one of these housekeepers; despite the master-maid heirarchy, she’s bold, fearless, and unafraid of doing hard work in order to support herself. As a child, Soon Geum had dreamt of living a grand life in a Cinderella story, complete with her own white knight, but that dream had faded as reality took over. However, she reaches a turning point in her life when she is hired as a maid for the rich and handsome Kang Gun Woo.
Stars: Sung Yuri, Jung Gyu Woon
Broadcast period: May 11, 2011 to TBA
Airtime: Wed and Thurs 21:55
Yuri's last dramas were a bore while I dont know Jung Gyu Woon, but i always love trendy dramas and the ako'y-langit-ika'y-lupa love stories so i hope this is a good one!

Title: The Greatest Love / 최고의 사랑 / Choegoui Sarang / Best Love

Genre: Romance, comedy

Episodes: 16

Synopsis: Ae Jung is a female band member who is already over the hill. When she enters a variety show to pretend marriage with the top star Jin, she gets entangled in a love triangle along with her ex-bandmate Kang Se Ri. Yoon Pil Joo is a doctor of oriental medicine who has no interest in the entertainment industry but meets Ae Jung by chance and falls for her.

Stars: Gong Hyo Jin, Cha Seung Won

Broadcast period: May 4, 2011 to TBA

Airtime: Wed and Thurs 21:55

I always watch anything by the Hong Sisters. While I don't like Gong Hyo Jin, she's not that pretty but she's a great actor. Cha Seung Won made a big place in my heart after watching City Hall so i will watch this!

Title: Lie To Me / 내게 거짓말을 해봐 / Naege Geojitmaleul Haebwa

Genre: Romance, comedy

Episodes: 16

Synopsis: Gong Ah Jung, a level 5 Ministry of Culture official, gets entangled in a web of lies when she mistakenly lies that she's married to Hyun Ki Joon, a hotel manager from an affluent family. Their relationship is further complicated when Ki Joon's ex-fiancée and a close friend of his brother's, Oh Yoon Joo, reappears in his life.

Stars: Yun Eun Hye, Kang Ji Hwan

Broadcast period: May 9, 2011 to TBA

Airtime: Mon and Tue 21:55

The only drama i watched of Eun Hye is Coffee Prince which i loved and I only liked Kang Ji Hwan in Coffee House. I'm back they're both back and i hope they're pairing is a good one! and i just love pretend couplings and misunderstandings!

i need to step up and download at a faster speed!!!

im not a follower, i have my own mind

Everywhere i go...

I see people taking pictures using their DsLRs while i use my pink sony cybershot.

I see people busily texting and calling using their iphones or blackberry while i love my handy nokia e71.

I see people playing games or reading ebooks in their iPad while i play my itouch and read using Kindle.

I see people typing in their laptops and macs while i rely on my big desktop.

No im not a technophobe, quite the opposite as i love gadgets. I just dont need to follow trends and be ''in''.

I know what i want and i buy what i want.

jay park "Tonight" mv released

so different from abandoned but me like it so much!!! the dance intro is soo cool! so much color, such a happy vibe! its nice seeing jay be cool and adorkable at the same time! i wish he can join and guest in variety shows like before.

perfect day

gentle rain pouring down outside my window.
the weather is cool and windy.
i can smell the earthy scent of raindrops on wet green leaves.

inside my room i dont need aircon or fan.
i happily snuggle my favorite pochim.
sipping warm hot choco.
while watching a classic feel good movie...
or reading a romance novel...
or listening to acoustic music or korean indie...

today i dont care if im alone.
i dont need to talk to anyone.
im happy just being with myself.
im in a world of my own.

ps. i absolutely love this song by John Mayer, a perfect melody to my silly little poem above.

april booklist

15. Julie James - A Lot Like Love
As the daughter of a billionaire and the owner of the city’s top wine store, Jordan Rhodes is invited to the most exclusive parties in Chicago. But there’s only one party the FBI wants to crash: the charity fundraiser of a famous restaurateur, who also happens to launder money for the mob. In exchange for her brother’s release from prison, Jordan is going to be there—with a date supplied by the Bureau. 4 stars. James doesn't disappoint in her new novel!

16. Rachel Hawkins - Demonglass (Hex Hall #2)

Sophie Mercer thought she was a witch. Turns out, Sophie’s a demon, one of only two in the world—the other being her father. What’s worse, she has powers that threaten the lives of everyone she loves. Which is precisely why Sophie decides she must go to London for the Removal, a dangerous procedure that will destroy her powers. But once Sophie arrives she makes a shocking discovery. Her new friends? They’re demons too. Meaning someone is raising them in secret with creepy plans to use their powers, and probably not for good. Meanwhile, The Eye is set on hunting Sophie down, and they’re using Archer Cross to do it. But it’s not like she has feelings for him anymore. Does she? 4 stars. I'm loving this series even though it reminds me a bit of Blue Bloods.

17. Jen Calonita - Family Affairs (Secrets of My Hollywood Life #3)
The filming for sure-to-be-blockbuster movie Pretty Young Assassins has wrapped, and teen movie star Kaitlin Burke returns to life on the set of primetime drama Family Affair. After ten seasons filming, she would have thought that she could see it all coming, but with a plotting new actress on set, all bets are off. The new diva, Alexis, makes even Sky seem like a puppy in comparison. Can Kaitlin keep her sane boyfriend, her insane job, and her composure in the face of this new star power? 4 stars. Though the story is predictable, it's still fun to read this book. If Kaitlin were real and I'm younger, I'll probably be a fan of hers.

18. Robyn Carr - Virgin River
When the recently widowed Melinda Monroe sees a midwife ad she quickly decides that the remote mountain town of Virgin River might be the perfect place to escape her heartache, and to reenergize the nursing career she loves. But her high hopes are dashed within an hour of arriving: the cabin is a dump, the roads are treacherous and the local doctor wants nothing to do with her. Realizing she's made a huge mistake, Mel decides to leave town the following morning. But a tiny baby, abandoned on a front porch, changes her plans-and a former marine cements them into place. Melinda Monroe may have come to Virgin River looking for escape, but instead she finds her home. 4 stars. This is the first book in the long series. It's nicely written, a bit like Kristan Higgins and Toni Blake. If you like small towns and a heartwarming story, this is a good one to try.

19. Christie Ridgway - Not Another New Year's

After all, this year brought Hannah Davis nothing but the memory of her wandering fiancé marrying someone else behind her back. Now, sitting alone at a bar in Coronado, California, on December 31, she decides to do something radical . . . and lets a brooding good-looker take her to bed. Ex-Secret Service Agent Tanner Hart screwed up, big-time! Hoping to temporarily boot some of the ghosts from his life, he hooked up with this sexy stranger for a hot one-night stand—only to discover she's the woman he's agreed to protect . . . from men just like him! 4 stars. Nice read though I didn't get too caught up with the characters. Their romance went too fast so it felt unreal to me and predictable. But still a nice story.

20. Marie Force - Fatal Affair

Washington, D.C., Metro Police Detective Sergeant Sam Holland needs a big win to salvage her career--and her confidence--after a disastrous investigation. The perfect opportunity arises when Senator John O'Connor is found brutally murdered in his bed, and Sam is assigned to the case. Matters get complicated when Sam has to team up with Nick Cappuano, O'Connor's friend and chief of staff...and the man Sam had a memorable one-night stand with years earlier. Their sexual chemistry still sizzles, and Sam has to fight to stay focused on the case. Sleeping with a material witness is another mistake she can't afford--especially when the bodies keep piling up. 4 stars. Really good book, Force kept me guessing until the last minute for the killer (which was only revealed on the last chapter).

Jay Park's back

After 2 years of waiting..guess who's back? Jay Park's back! and he does it so magnificently!

Release Date: 2011.04.27
Album Title: Take A Deeper Look
Tracklist:
01 Touch The Sky (Feat. The Quiett)
02 Abandoned (Feat. Dok2)
03 오늘밤 (Feat. 강민경 Of 다비치)
04 너 없이 안돼
05 Don’t Let Go
06 Level 1000 (With Dok2)
07 Bestie


Here's the MV for Abandoned

Special raw English version of Abandoned

Here's Jay performing for the very first time in Music Bank

And surprise surprise.. wining #1 on the same night, beating F(x)'s Danger! WooHoo!!!

Welcome back Jay! This is a great treat for all Jaywalkers!!!

fairly legal

now i remember why i prefer to dl tv series instead of watching them on tv... it's all those damn annoying and repetitive commercials!!!!

tonight i watched a 2-hour premiere of Fairly Legal on Diva Universal - i was quite excited.. i thought they will show 2 episodes... boy was i wrong!! with all those freaking commercials, a 44 min show turned into 2 hours!!! seriously!! the show's not bad, though i find kate reed to be quite naive and such a do-gooder (hence she became a mediator). the cases are simple and does not focus on the legalities but more on judgement and heart. i will try to catch the rest of season 1 in the next couple of weeks. (i will endure the lengthy commercials - which makes the show nakakabitin - so that i wont need to dl this show anymore).

body of proof

currently watching body of proof and i like it!! dr megan hunt (and dana delany) kicks ass!!!

she's a brilliant ex-neurosurgeon and amazing medical examiner -- she's like the female version of simon baker's the mentalist coz she seems to know everything but she's more credible than simon baker since she's a real surgeon.

im just wondering.. as a medical examiner - can you really go and talk to witnesses and suspects like that? it's the first show i've seen where a medical examiner is directly involved in an investigation (even semi leading them). in most shows ive watched, they're the support team who gathers evidence on the body. another thing, her work place is huge! like right inside a good area of the hospital when in the other shows, medical examiners are in a small room with metal containers where you freeze the dead bodies.

oh, and her partner's quite hot! i wonder if they'll ever put a love connection between the two? (though peter seems to be younger - but hey, she's one sexy cougar!)

welcome back jo in sung!

Jo In Sung has been discharged from the military

On May 4, 2011 at 10 AM [all Korean time and date] actor Jo In Sung was discharged from the military. As of today he has finished his two year mandatory military service. He was greeted by 400 fans as he made his way out of the base.

He started to become emotional, as his eyes began to water he stated, “It hasn’t been long since I’ve been out so I don’t know how I feel. I don’t know honestly. I think I’ll feel reality when I see my parents at home. I couldn’t sleep last night. I had a party with my friends in the army so we talked a lot. I had a long break during the duty so there is no one I miss. I’m just sad to say goodbye to everyone at the army. I will miss them a lot.”

He then went on to say, ““At this moment, I think it was a really good idea doing my military duty. This is the reason my fans came out today.”

Not only was Jo In Sung greeted by his joyful fans, MBC’s “Infinity Challenge” also sent him a big sign. It seemed as though they were trying to recruit him on to the show as a guest.

He commented on the sign by saying, “If I have a chance, I want to go on the show. I am a big fan of the show. I think I watched ‘Infinity Challenge’ more than I watched girl groups.”

source: star news
nice to hear that jo in sung is back!! can't wait for his comeback drama or movie! he may have moved on to more meatier and grittier roles, but to me, he's still that cute and charming guy in new nonstop :)

hyori: off the record and twitter

just found out that hyori joined twitter recently... but everything's in korean :( :( :(
i love her personality and if i had a chance to be friends with a celebrity, i choose her coz she always sounds cool and funny during interviews and in variety shows. i'm interested to hear her shoutouts and statuses.. i really should start to learn korean again..

im currently watching Off the Record in tvN Korea every Saturday (11pm) with repeat on Sundays (10pm). i'm only in episode 2 but i really like watching her go through her daily life. it's supposed to be for 3 months and i think this was filmed before her 3rd album came out in 2008 since in episode 2, she was writing the lyrics for the Super Unrivaled Lee Hyori song.

some people thinks that she's arrogant and thinks that she's pretty and stuck up and rude but i dont think so. she's pretty but she doesn't flaunt her prettiness - you dont see her wearing too much makeup or over the top slutty clothes to seek attention - she just wears normal baggy clothes (the rabbit pajamas were hilarious) and when she does wear sexy, it's just simple sexy. i'd say she knows she's worked her butt off to create that sexy body and so she's confident in showing it in an appropriate way. i think she's quite funny, likes to tease people rather than be serious and show her true feelings. like when yu ran left, even though she called her piggy, you know that that's just her term of endearment and you can see that she felt sad when she left. i dont think her comments are rude - im sure normal people like us speak about other people and things in a careless manner too (since we're not being filmed anyway). she knows she's not perfect, like when she went to Thailand, she was scared of ordering room service in English (which she did perfectly naman) and she said she'd rather not eat than call up and order in English (hehe). or another time in an elevator when an older american guy asked if she was famous (hence the camera crew) and she would smile and answer politely in english (without arrogance) and when the guy stepped off, she was relieved and scared that the guy wont stop talking in english (so cute). i'm loving the show i hope i can remember to watch the rest of the episodes (there are 10).

peevish thought

why do parents create social networking accounts for their children who are less than 4 years of age??

i mean seriously..
that kid can not use the computer,
does not understand what social networking means,
can not log on to their own account
or write statuses or comments
or upload anything without supervision.
and the kid probably does not have friends to socially network with!

so what's the point?

children of these ages should be outside playing ball
or running around inside the house with their yayas
and siblings and their toys,
not joining facebook or twitter.

come on!!

arthur

"I'm sorry I asked you to take care of me when what I wanted the most was to take care of you." - Arthur to Naomi. awwww..

you might think that this movie is just a slapstick comedy but surprisingly, there were very few slapstick but had several heartfelt moments.

russell brand may look like a creepy dumbass but i think he's funny and adorable and i love his british accent! i imagine that he is just like his character here (i think that's why katy perry loves him).  i like naomi, she is just like arthur, except normal (did that make sense?). i loved their humorous banter and their creative imagination. i love hobson and i felt sad when she died (she was more of a mother to him that his real mother was). ive never seen jennifer garner play a bitch - i think she secretly liked it and she looked like she was having fun playing susan. nick nolte -- ugh the nail thing was a bit gross. the mother was a bit sad but at least she redeemed herself when she finally forgave arthur and un-disowned him. luis guzman is always funny. however, there were some parts that didnt work quite well -like arthur's incessant chatter, how naomi and arthur fell in love in an instant, and the movie never explained why arthur took to drinking and i thought the movie was about arthur growing up and getting a job like he said but in the end, he became sober, got the girl and still got the money (by working in the bach charity).

lastly, i liked the soundtrack of this movie, especially the updated version of Arthur's Theme by Fitz and the Tantrums (though Christopher Cross version is still awesome). I've never fully understood the lyrics of the song but after seeing this movie, i finally understand what "if you get caught between the moon and New York City.. the best that you can do is fall in love.." meant. i couldn't find the Fitz version so i'm sharing the original version instead.

Once in your life you find her
Someone that turns your heart around
And next thing you know you're closing down the town
Wake up and it's still with you
Even though you left her way across town
Wondering to yourself, "Hey, what've I found?"

When you get caught between the Moon and New York City
I know it's crazy, but it's true
If you get caught between the Moon and New York City
The best that you can do ......
The best that you can do is fall in love

Arthur he does as he pleases
All of his life, he's mastered choice
Deep in his heart, he's just, he's just a boy
Living his life one day at a time
And showing himself a really good time
Laughing about the way they want him to be

When you get caught between the Moon and New York City
I know it's crazy, but it's true
If you get caught between the Moon and New York City
The best that you can do .....
The best that you can do is fall in love

When you get caught between the Moon and New York City
I know it's crazy, but it's true
If you get caught between the Moon and New York City
The best that you can do .....
The best that you can do is fall in love