windmills of my mind

my current eye candy is in japan for the twilight premiere !! robert is all cleaned up again but his adorable scruffiness is evident in his lovely hair and around his to die for gorgeous jawline ^^

ok, i'm still a big fan of bae yong joon but........i'm just keeping quiet right now until he finally, finally ( pretty please yong joon !!!) cuts his hair, wear less often his glasses and drumroll....get rid of his fedora hat !! haha, hopefully my wish will come true very soon coz my fingers are really itching to blog something about his new look ^^

thanks to entertainmentwise, robsessedpattinson.com and lionandlamblove.org for the pics !!

happy 2009 to all !!

oh yes,  i'm so still in cloud 9 i just came back from my blissful wedding getaway and still smiling silly and feeling totally giddy. ahhh, i feel like dancing and singing just like cinderella ....so this is love, so this is what makes life divine, i'm all aglow and now i know the key to all heaven is mine......

but after that sweetest and dreamiest week long date with my new hubby, he has to rush back to states for his work and will do some urgent stuff needed to continue the ball rolling for our eventual settling down in the states.  can't wait for that !! perhaps it may take a little longer than planned but we'll definitely get there pretty soon

and what do newly weds still basking in wedding bliss and feeling so sad that her hubby has to go somewhere and do some stuff for their future do to pass the time ??

read and watch twilight !!! yeah, what else !!

i have been postponing reading the twilight series when it was sent to me by my hubby (then boyfriend) last september and i think that reading these books are just the perfect way to pass the time and capture the romantic feel all over again !! i must say i got bitten by the twilight fever too !! and who would not be smitten by the perfection of edward cullen ? and the cutesy pair of edward and bella ? btw, i like robert pattinson's performance of edward. there's just something otherwordly in the way he played the role ^^

haha, i just can't wait to get bitten all over again by my very own edward  hopefully, i'll be in the states comfortably and happily settled with my hubby by the time the next series, new moon, will be shown !!

oh yes,  my feelings last week can be described in two words...total joy !! first of all, barack obama won !!! it was a historic and a very significant win. i'm not an american but i can feel the excitement for this amazing event of having the first african-american president of usa.  i'm really really hoping that obama's victory will bring some positive solutions to the ongoing crisis in the american economy. well, like it or not, a major trouble in the economy of the land of the free and home of the brave can create a domino effect in the economies of the other countries. so, i'm hoping that president-elect obama and his team will be able to at least, slow down a bit (i'm not hoping for instant miracles) the wheels of misfortune that is currently besetting the world economy.  okie,  enough with the economic histrionics and on with a happy note... congratulations and best wishes to president obama ^^

and oh, it would be fun to watch his two adorable daughters, malia (10 yo) and sasha (7 yo) grow up during the tenure of their dad (after a second term ? why not !!) .


and of course, yong joon too brought a big smile on my face last week :-)

i saw his cf for the face shop. he was singing and playing the guitar !! it was another fun watch and yong joon as always, is looking yummy good though my petition for a shorter hair without the glasses is still very much on top of my wish list ^^ anyway, its nice to see him looking laid back and having fun !!

and my favorite picture of him from this product endorsement ~~

for me, yong joon stands out when he's looking all serious or even with just a faint handsome smile on his face !!

i just came from yong joon's thread in soompi this afternoon and there's one post that again struck a chord in my fervent wish for a change in yong joon's look/image.  this is quite difficult for me to write something ( yes, i did this already before !!) about yong joon's choice of look for public consumption, but i just can't turn the other way around as if i did not notice something amiss in him.   the poster in soompi correctly noticed the unflattering make up in yong joon during the just recent culture medal ceremony.  yup, yong joon still managed to look good even with the uneven foundation ( i also noticed it during the picture galore of the said event in the various bae sites) but i also find it discomforting to see yong joon's picture plastered all over the net with that kind of make up.  i'm thinking, is it really not possible at all for yong joon to attend public events with just the barest of make up?? the guy is great looking and i think he can get away with it and still will manage to look gorgeous even without the stuff his handlers or stylists try to experiment with his face and hair !!!

to be very honest, everytime there's an official announcement that yong joon will attend an event, i do feel a bit uneasy coz i'm not too sure how he will be presented to the public this time around. i always hope that yong joon will come out looking dashing and au natural and his masculinity will come out in the forefront.  alas,my fervent hope is oftentimes dashed away by something that is unexpected.  this recent culture medal ceremony for instance, its not only the foundation that distracted me, its also the way his hair was styled !! aarrrrgggg !!! its actually my least like style for his long hair. i have been wishing that he cut his hair but if he wants to maintain the long style then that's fine with me but pleazzz yong joon, tell your stylists to make you look the handsome dashing man that you are and not a bit on the feminine side.  oh dear, i'm really hating this but i've been bottling this inside of me since i saw him again in his latest pictures.  i actually tried to ignore this feeling when i made my latest post in his well deserved culture medal but the soompi post triggered it once again and here i am ranting my way again about his looks

and to add to my discomfort, i just saw his picture for his The Face Shop ad. oh yes, i'm not liking it too. i'll say it again, yong joon is one of the gorgeous looking actors in korea. he has this clear intelligent eyes, sexy full lips, thick black hair, straight patrician nose, great jawline and thick masculine shape of a neck but why hide these all in a pair of glasses and long hair ?? yong joon's team agreed to do this face shop ad and his handlers should have insisted that yong joon's manly looks should be emphasized to at least give a semblance of balance on the image of a man endorsing a cosmetic line.  but hey, this is just me, a fan who always hopes that yong joon reinvents himself not only to appeal more to the other demographics of  his fan base ( those who wants the manly yong joon with short hair sans the eyewear ^^) but also to those ppl who has this notion that a handsome guy should look..., well, the handsome guy.

perhaps this is the good thing about my current status as a byj fan. unlike before, i can now look beyond my total fascination for yong joon.  i can write down my thoughts on how i feel about him and how he projects himself to the public.  yes, there are some who would say that what's important here is not how he looks but his character and the principles he stands for. oh yes, i have 100% admiration for yong joon as a person. its actually the main reason why i'm still a solid bae yong joon fan since 2004. i have great respect and admiration for his intellect both as an actor and as an entrepreneur and i'm his greatest fan when it comes to his consistency in upholding his beliefs and values.  hehe, i'm sounding as if i'm rooting for a politician or something ^^ with his brain power, yong joon is a man's man and no wonder there are lots of korean celebrities emulating yong joon's style of self-management.  and that's also one reason why i easily get frustrated whenever yong joon goes public and he's got the look that i find so unflattering. 

yes, yong joon is a man's man and from that premise, i'm so hoping that his handlers will get a grip of themselves and not have yong joon projected the way most korean actors are styled.  here is a man who can stand on his own, whose mere presence can cause commotion both in and out of korea and its only befitting that yong joon be styled in such a way that he will be looked upon as the image of how a thinking actor should look like. whether his fans like it or not, an actor is still being judged not only by his acting ability but also his looks and unfortunately, missteps in the looks department often gets a lot of side comments.  i'm still hopeful that yong joon's team will somehow realize (or they do know but for whatever  reason they still stick to their old ways of styling ...) that their main man deserve so much more than what they're making of him and that a change in his looks can have a great impact not only for his loyal fans but also for those many on the side waiting for the un-made, no frills, the real man's man yong joon come out in full force.

my heartfelt congratulations to yong joon for receiving the Hwa Gwan (Flower Medal) Order of Culture Merit (or The Culture Medal) from korea's ministry of culture, sports and tourism.  thanks to the korean govenrnment  for recognizing yong joon's invaluable efforts in promoting korean pop culture to the world.  even to this day, after more than 4 years since the massive splash of the korean wave, yong joon is still at it doing his very best to re-introduce korean products outside of korea. thank you so much yong joon for all your tireless efforts and you truly deserve this kind of award and i'm sure your fellow koreans are also mighty proud of you !! i'm not korean and i'm sooooo very proud of you ^^
 
you can sense in the pictures below a feeling of  glowing pride and honor from yong joon !! and he's looking handsome, standing tall and distinguished among the rest ...

it was quite a busy day for yong joon coz before he attended the culture medal award ceremony, he also went to the wedding ceremony of two of his co-stars in The Legend.

though he wore the same suit in the two events, he still looks dashing !! yup, no time to change attire and even had a helicopter to ferry him to these events !! that's what you call power travel !!


what strikes me the most in this picture galore of yong joon going from one event to another is the image that he projected. yong joon gave us a glimpse of his stature in korea. yeah, perhaps there are no screaming teenagers or perhaps there are some but they're simply overshadowed by the more matured and wiser fans ( those knows how to position themselves in his walking path !! ) but one can't ignore the fact that yong joon commands attention. here is a celebrity who rarely makes public appearances, an actor who makes one project at a time that you can count with your ten fingers the films and dramas he made for the past 14 years in his acting career, a very famous man who is so protective of his private life and oh so careful and respectful whenever he makes public statements. and yet, he is recognized everywhere and even written about so often and that includes those who don't like him yet finds the time to write something about him. haha, that's the magic of yong joon. love him or hate him, it is just difficult to ignore this guy ^^  keep up the great work mr. bae yong joon !!

it was just reported a few days back that yong joon will be the new face of The Face Shop, a korean cosmetic company. i've read somewhere that he'll be endorsing the product domestically, while the overseas promo will still be handled by the company's resident endorser, the newly wed actor, kwon sang woo.

hmm, i'm still trying to get used to the report that yong joon will be endorsing a cosmetic product. remember yong joon endorsing an avon lipstick a couple of years ago? i had quite a hard time reconciling myself  with the picture of him holding a lipstick that was posted all over. good thing its for a very good charitable cause and i eventually calmed down about it ^^

and we're back once more to this cosmetic thing. perhaps ( and hopefully) this is for a very good cause or i'll be pulling my hair all over again to find a justifiable reason why yong joon said yes to this endorsement deal.  i must admit i'm not really sold to the idea of male actors promoting a cosmetic line. yup, call me whatever, but i would rather see yong joon promote something else, like a wristwatch maybe, a designer suit, a sporty car, or even a health drink with an ad similar to this one he did for coca cola in 2005 .......

and how about a commercial film for health buffs that would require him to do this.....

and this.......

gorgeous isn't he ?!

oh yes, something like these will definitely get a perfect 10 in my score card 

yong joon should be endorsing products that will require him with shorter hair ( what's taking him so long to cut his hair ??? ) , with his dreamy eyes closed and a bit more of less clothes to show off his great body !! .....and that's the selfish in me talking ^^^

in my view, these are the kind of stuff yong joon is supposed to be promoting !!!

and i do think he will win ^^

i have been following the us presidential campaign for the last 2 months and i'm rooting for Barack Obama   haha, the charismatic and intellectual obama is even invading the fashion world with a creation like this from the Jean-Charles de Castelbajac's spring 2009 presentation during the paris fashion week !!

the cool knit dress below with Obama's name plastered in the chest is designed by Rodarte and was presented in the Sonia Rykiel runway presentation. i actually like this one !!

and could this Sonia Rykiel creation be another Obama inspired design ? looks pretty nice isn't it ?!


i wonder who would design the suit that barack obama will wear when he'll be sworn in as the 44th president of the united states this january? for sure, he'll have this look of a very dignified youthful president ^^


got these from huffingtonpost.com and threadtrend.com

here's wishing yong joon the best in his upcoming project of publishing a travel / photo book of rediscovering the beauty of his beloved korea.  i'm pretty sure he'll have a lot of fun in doing this coz this will involve his one major passion which is photography !! wow, that would be something to own one whole book of photos taken by yong joon ^^  hehe, i better start saving now ( or perhaps include this in my list of wedding presents ?!! ;p ) coz i'm very sure this book will be on the expensive side knowing yong joon's penchant for choosing high quality materials for his official products :)

and yes, i do miss him lately coz of his MIA status again.  good thing there are some fans who are so imaginative by sharing with us some of their fun artworks and these somehow put a smile in my otherwise sleepy lazy sunday

guilty !! yup, that's me. as a byj fan, i solemnly pledged that i'm supposed to be updated, in the know, in the loop on what's the latest on yong joon especially about his upcoming projects. but as always, the latecomer in me is, well, late as usual ^^ i've just recently been updating myself on yong joon's next work which is a tv drama based on the very popular japanese manga about wine, kami no shizuku or drops of god.  yay ! this looks amazing!! i only know bits and pieces of the story and that it is like a mystery, a quest for a legacy and is about a competition between two men.

a competition? so, lots of scenes will probably involve fierce struggles for control between the two men ? wow, i would love to see those kind of scenes with yong joon !! what i really find exciting about this drama is the character that yong joon is reportedly playing. oh yes, he'll be some kind of an antagonist here, and will probably porttray a role that is kind of edgy, intense,  passionate, manipulative perhaps even cold hearted...and i love it !!!

i will really look forward to yong joon's portrayal of the antagonist. i have always loved his acting whenever he plays a role with the semblance of an anti hero. i love watching him in scenes where he goes through plots and ploys to achieve self interest and eventually redeeming himself in the end and hopelessly  winning the hearts of the audience.

for instance, yong joon's role as jaeho in his 1999 drama, 'have we really loved'.  forced by circumstances to stand on his own and protect his only sister, jaeho becomes this ambitious, strong willed and willingness to use people as long as he gets his way to be able to sustain his and his sister's future. yong joon  was so good in portraying jaeho that by watching the drama, i almost forgot that this is just yong joon playing a role and instead, i felt as if i was actually watching someone for real who is this coldly ambitious guy trying to manipulate his way in order to achieve his plans.

but of course, the antogonist in yong joon as jaeho in this drama was short lived and jaeho eventually became our source of bucketful of tears and heartbreak and sleepless nights...sighs... but nevertheless, yong joon was able to effectively project a cold and manipulative character in the early parts of the story. and he really looks good even when he is not smiling ^^ yup, love him more when he's all seriously serious !!

next is yong joon as jowon in his 2003 first full length film, 'untold scandal'.  jowon is a forceful, ruthless, calculating playboy who seduces ladies as a form of a game. yong joon was hands down effective as jowon. he was so daring and courageous in taking up this part to portray a not so nice character which incidentally also involves some nudity !!

what's great about yong joon as jowon was that he was able to deliver the role and its quite hard to fathom that this actor who is so famous with his tender and gentle image could become this cold and daring and with tons of naughtiness in between !! ha, he made a total turnaround with his jowon character and i think that's one outstanding artistic decision he made. and that's another reason why i'm looking forward to 'drops of god' coz he'll be deviating from his trademark image which i have been waiting for a long time ^^^

then there's frank shin from the 2001 drama 'hotelier'. i must admit i'm not a big fan of this drama. i like the story development, i like the drama and chaos behind the hotel business but what i don't like about it is the limited scenes yong joon has.  haha, the selfish in me got the upper hand again. but really, yong joon as frank shin is perhaps the major reason why this drama is a success. lots of the viewing public out there loved his cold character who is actually just a cover up for a lonely guy craving for love and acceptance and yong joon nailed his role as frank shin.

the coldness of frank shin at the onset of the drama is the reason why i stuck it out with hotelier. frank captivated me and was rooting for him all throughout to make his move so that he could finally win the heart of the love of his life.  and the scene i love the most in the drama? its when he turned his back from his father and you can really feel his anger, frustration and determination to appear as if there's no love lost between them but actually he's really hurting and feeling lost and all alone. oh, the dashing frank shin is one hard to forget character.

i do hope there won't be any change of plans in the choice of role for yong joon in his upcoming drama. its not that i don't like to see him in his usual dream boat gentleman role reminiscent of 'winter sonata', its just that in my mind, his manliness comes out in full force when he is in this kind of element and again, in my personal opinion, yong joon as an actor is most effective and unforgettable when he is on the edgier colder side.

i found these two wonderful artworks from truelovebyj.com but unfortunately the names of the artists are not indicated. looks like these were taken from club brokore/withbyj gallery but i can't get in the site. yup, must log in first and its all in japanese...sighs...

but anyway, i'm always in awe with the sheer talent of lots of byj fans and these artworks are proof of their artistry and of course, love for the man of the moment !!

the lovely piece below is displayed in the home page of withbyj gallery and i think its from koma. simply lovely !


to the very talented bae sisters who did these artworks, thank you so much for sharing these with us ^^

yong joon's GQ Japan pictures are out and he looks great as usual but i can't help but notice one thing ....he's wearing the same leather jacket and pants from bottega veneta which he wore from his just recently released Vogue Japan pictorial !! and there's one more......he's got similar poses !!

this one from Vogue ~~
and this one from GQ ~~

one more time from Vogue ~~
and here's GQ's version ~~
Vogue to the right.....
and GQ.....to the right too ^^

when it was posted before in various byj sites that he's going to have a photoshoot with GQ Japan, i got excited coz i was really hoping to see an edgier and scruffier yong joon, something like these gorgeous photos yong joon did on june 2006 for GQ Korea ~

well, better dream again frances ^^ maybe next time...


thanks to byjgallery for the pics

in the tradition of doing my best to figure, literally, the impact yong joon has been making as well as the other important numbers that are attached to him, i'm here once again doing my best to figure it all out !! yeah, this the second part of my go figure entry last feb 7, 2007. haha, i won't be surprised if this would end up beyond a trilogy !! yong joon simply never ceases to amaze the people in the entertainment industry that somewhere along the way, he will do something even with his very minimal public appearances and that would create such a stir and becomes newsworthy.


1.  yong joon is named the most influential entertainer according to 1,000 experts from various fields like politicians, professors, businessmen, artists, journalists from an annual poll conducted by Sisa Journal, a korean weekly magazine on current affairs. the poll was conducted from aug 5 to 9, 2008 and he got 16.6% votes.

2.  from a survey conducted by Hankook Daily and released on aug 15, 2008 in time for the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the foundation of the republic of korea.  in the category of greatest achievement in the field of cultural arts, yong joon ranked 2nd at 3.8% behind korea's internationally known soprano, cho soo-mi

3.  premiere, a korean specialty magazine on film chose yong joon as the most infuential figure in the korean entertainment business as the honorable 1st place in its  Powermen 100 list from 2007 to early part of 2008.

4.  a korean cable show, Magazine 1, featured last june 25, 2008 the diversity of the fan base of yong joon coming from 30 countries which includes the likes of turkey, nepal, costa rica, equador, cambodia, ghana, dominican republic, etc

5.  yong joon delivered a pre-recorded video message before 60,000 japanese audience last june 7 2008 in yokohama when he attended a charity soccer game called " +1 Football Match"

6.  around 6,000 fans gathered in kansai airport ( including those waiting outside the airport)  to greet yong joon's arrival in japan last may 30. his popularity in japan is as strong as ever even after 4 years since the phenomenal success of winter sonata.

7.  35,000 tickets for the twssg event on june 1 in kyocera dome in osaka was sold out in just 18 minutes.  tickets are priced at 8,400 yen and even reached 800,000 in an auction. is this for real ??

8.  his tokyo entourage of about  50 staff rented 38 suite rooms of conrad hotel and the price of the room reaches 100,000 yen per night. hmmm....

9.  media conference on june 4 for twssg promotion in nhk hall tokyo was held with the record attendance of over 300 reporters, a new record in nhk for attendance of reporters for any nhk event !!

10. accdg to money today last may 8, 2008, yong joon's key east invested about 1.5 billion won in the production cost of twssg and as of april 2008, it has already earned dividend amounting to 20% of its invested money. not bad at all for an expensive investment.

11. yong joon invested around 30 billion won in its plan to expand his korean cuisine specialty restaurant "gosireh" to 5 more asian countries. hey yong joon, any thoughts about a manila branch ?? well, ok, if you can't make manila, i might as well do some traveling to nearby hongkong for the soon to be opened gosireh..i hope real soon !!

12.  sohu.com in china through its netizens selected yong joon as 2007's most influential korean actor in china with a vote of 41.73% or about 9.7 million votes. i'm not sure if this is related but yong joon was also chosen thru internet voting in sohu.com as the first place in the poll " top star of 10 years of korean dramas". same or not, i'm glad that he is still at the top in china.

13.  twssg exported in taiwan as the highest price ever paid to a foreign drama series at
us$ 30,000 dollars per episode. i wonder how much was paid to twssg when it aired here in manila a couple of months back ?

14.  yong joon was mentioned in korea times last feb 2008 as the 2nd richest entertainer in terms of stocks. he has a 34.4% stake in key east which is listed in kosdaq and the worth of his stocks is estimated at 20.4 billion won. oh dear, this billions is making me dizzy again !!

15.  on feb 21, 2008, it was announced that yong joon acquired yet again 40,000 shares or about 33.07% of BOF International of BOFi at 174.9 billion won. the savvy businessman in yong joon is on the roll again !!

16.  the size of his room in imperial hotel osaka during his japan visit last may is 400 square meters of floor space which is equal to the size of a basketball court. a room fit for a king.

17.  total production cost of his latest tv drama, twssg is about 49,000,000,000 won...that's in billions or did i miss any zero ?!!

18.  official books related to twssg has reached a cumulative circulation of 760,000 copies or a profit of about 1,000,000,000 yen...then again, that's in billions too !!

19.  7-eleven japan released gosireh bento boxes from yong joon's gosireh resto and is priced at 2,500 yen each. a bit pricey but it has already sold 110,000 boxes and is way beyond their initial production estimate. way to go gosireh.

20.  when yong joon visited a japanese resto in new york last june 24, 2008 he ordered ramen that cost about us$10 . so, how does it taste yong joon?

21.  twssg recorded a high viewer ratings of over 30% during its broadcast in korea.  i still feel that a couple of episodes could have made a big big difference in the flow of the drama but still its one exquisite masterpiece.

22.  yong joon mentioned in the MBC drama awards night last dec 2007 where he won the best actor award that he would like to settle down.. in about 3 years time. and he later jokingly said that he was somewhat "coerced" to say something about settling down coz his parents and even his dear grandma has been nagging him to start looking for his lifetime partner ^^ but i guess he better start looking or else, the relentless nagging won't stop !!

23.  when yong joon visited the site of his soon to open gosireh no. 2 in sunshine sakae building in nagoya , he rode the ferris wheel's car number 4 . obviously, this now famous car number 4 has become a crowd favorite !

24.  yong joon likes to drink Opus One, an expensive california wine which reportedly cost to as much as 100,000 yen or about 1,000 us$ depending on its 'oldness'

25.  yong joon upholds 2 important teachings from his parents -
     1.  to be honest, be sincere and do not tell lies
     2.  not to inconvenience others around you
to his parents, thank you for bringing up such a fine gentleman ^^ not to mention good looking too

26.  a classical concert was held on march 13, 2007 at the saitama super arena in japan and about 10,000 people attended and that's without the attendance of yong joon. the concert was planned by yong joon with the music from the BYJ Classics/Hero CD.

27.  moonhwa daily reported on feb 28, 2007 about the 33 leaders leading a global strong korea and yong joon was named in the list and he is the only actor in that prestigious list.  he was cited for his efforts and outstanding sense in production and circulating new cultural contents on the basis of his image. he was mentioned as a "  one person walking business"

28.  the "twssg official guide", a preview dvd to the drama and one of the many merchandises attached to the drama, broke another record. in the oricon dvd chart on feb 19, 2007, its reservation volume reached 150,000

29.  believe in fortune telling ? well, according to taiwan liberty times, a fortune teller predicted thru yong joon's palm that he will remain popular up until he is even over 50 years old but his marriage line is not clear and his marriage has to wait till he is 40 years old. ???!!! such a long wait !!

30.  on oct 2007, korea times in its celebration of 57 years as the first english daily in korea, made a poll on the top 10 hallyu stars and who else made the no. 1 spot ? of course, bae yong joon. 

31.  yong joon and twssg director kim jong hak had an emotional  5 -minute hug amid tears after wrapping up the filming of the drama twssg. after all the pains and immense hard work and production problems and mounting production costs, these two lead men of the drama just can't help become very emotional on their final day of shooting.

32.  it was reported in yahoo korea on april 2008 that yong joon is the highest paid korean star to date.  it mentioned that yong joon got paid 200 million or about us$200,000 per episode in twssg.  for 2007, yong joon made around 43.2 billion won or about us$43.2 million

33.  a report in seoul newspaper mentioned that every 4th day of the month is commemorated as yong joon's day. why the number 4? well, 4 is pronounced as yon in japanese and you know, yonsama...

34.  it was reported thru yahoo korea that yong joon likes to go to a certain korean meat resto, mr. park's ( am not sure if he still goes there now) and the price of two servings of savory meat dishe is 106,000 won or about us$100

35.  star money today reported on march 2008 about a netizen poll thru DC Inside about the most handsome body among korean actors. well, yong joon made the 2nd place with a vote of 25.5%, a mere .3% difference of the first place, hyun bin.

36.  on feb 2008, a naver news article mentioned that yong joon is classified as an A+ category actor or the cream of the crop in terms of guarantee payments. according to the report, A+ actors have high guarantee because of of their high naming values and strong appeal to the audience plus they are the no. 1 choice of directors because of their appeal in overseas audience. A+ actors command around us$500,000 to us$550,000 guarantee.

37.  yong joon's handwritten letter made during his days as a newcomer around 1994 was professionally appraised at a minimum value of  2.5 million won.

38.  this number is actually a painful reminder of the hardships yong joon endured during the long filming of twssg. he sustained 3 and i mean 3 injuries he suffered like a cut in his right index finger ligament he sustained in oct 2007; a stuntman fell on his neck on nov. thus resulting a shoulder injury and halfway of the same month, yong joon suffered a knee injury when he landed from a horse.  sighs, this is no fun at all enumerating all over again his injuries 

39.  in an interview with korean reporters during the june osaka event, yong joon recalled that he got his major knee injury with 10 days of filming remaining. but with the very tight schedule and no time to visit the doctor nor wear a cast, the ever gracious yong joon opted to endure the pain for 10 days. poor baby !

40.  korea times reported on dec 17, 2007 that yong joon donated 320 million won or us$300,000 worth of equipment for the cleanup efforts in one of the worst oil spill disaster in taean, south chungcheong province. the ever generous yong joon have decided against cash donation and instead opted for a more specific assistance to the disaster. kudos to you yong joon !!

ahh, this is a perfect example of a self inflicted dizziness !! as always, the zeroes attached to the millions and billions came rolling down again in my blog ^^  i'm pretty there are lots more of info out there that were not included in this entry but i guess i summed up most of the juicier parts. except for the number that tackled the injuries he got from the filming of twssg, it was considerably fun doing this once in awhile by gathering all these data and be awed once again by the power and determination of bae yong joon.

my sincerest thanks to suehan for translating the message of yong joon ^^ ~~~

Hello, Family. This is Bae Yong Joon.

Today’s weather isn’t so good, but there was a refreshing breeze for us all. On the other hand, I am thinking that there will be a change in the weather with the rain showers and wind that have come. The rate that time is flying by makes me feel like I’m in a rush to get everything done. Because there is so much I have planned in my head while I have been taking breaks. That is why I am taking the time to first write to you all and send this letter to the Family.

First of all, I am sorry to have made you all worry. The surgery went well without any problems. After getting good results from staying in the hospital for a couple of days, I am already recovering quickly enough to be in front of the computer to write this letter to you all. I would like to give thanks to all of you for your support, and promise to not make you all worry like this again in the future. You must all stay healthy and well, too.

Out of all the things that I hope to do in the future, there is one idea that I would like to discuss with all of you.

A while ago, I mentioned that I wanted to write a book to introduce Korea. Do you all remember that? Although I love photographs, I have also had this desire to present the beauty(s) of Korea for a long time.

Therefore, from the love and support from the Asian family, I have seen the interest many families have shown about Korea. And everyone has made visits to the country, too. At some point I started to regret that you have to come and visit the shooting site, which due to little information were limited to see only that part of Korea. 
And even from those it was not enough for you to see all of Korea during your trip, making you have to come back again later. I wanted to catch the attention of you all and tourists, by revealing the charm of the country that is Korea. And this is what I want to say.

“Even to those of us who have lived in Korea, the culture, history and beauty of the country have embraced and surprised us. Please use your camera to capture the beauty of every little place. This is the Korea that I was born and grew up in. It is the Korea that I have been trying to reveal through my drama and movie shootings.” Is what I am trying to say.

And that made me think how it would be if I were the first to pick up my camera and travel around the country, introducing a book filled with pictures that at least communicate some of the beauty that Korea has to offer.

But this isn’t where my thoughts and worries stop. While thinking about the route(s) of my travels would lead me, I only know of the few, famous places that I have been before. There must be places that are just as beautiful that I simply have not heard of yet… And I haven’t been able to look for help in any other useful places.
But then, the Family is what came to my thoughts! I realized that we could make this book together, not with my own efforts.

What do you think? Are there any places you can tell me about?

Please let me know of all the places that you all have traveled throughout Korea. Writing, pictures, any information you can give me is fine. Even a small table in a shabby, country restaurant will be accepted too. Mountains you do not know the names of that you have seen in the background while parking your car in the sunset are also good. Exciting stories at a famous getaway is great, too. Those who have lived their entire lives in Korea, an encounter you’ve had that made you realize your appreciation for the country is good, too.
You have anything that you want to know about Korea? That is great, too. Tell me where in Korea you’re curious about, where you want to go and visit, what you want to try and eat… whatever your heart desires to ask.

I will try my best to create a good book using all the things that you all have to contribute to me.
I hope that everyone who reads this book and is interested in Korea including our families abroad would like to stay for a longer time in Korea.

My pen and pad and camera are ready. I will start my travels as soon as I receive all of your stories. For now, email your letters to webmaster@byj.co.kr. Soon, I will create a place where I can store, and listen to, all the stories you send me.

I feel much lighter now that I have expressed the thoughts that I have had for the past few weeks to you all. Now, I will just wait excitedly for all your stories. I will definitely be studying hard.

Please always stay well and healthy.

I love you all.

At the dawn of August 19th, 2008

Sincerely,

Bae Yong Joon

P.S.
I got a small scare when the post didn’t show up all at once.
I forgot there was a limit on the length of the posting.
I hope it doesn’t make your reading difficult.

wow ! what a super nice surprise !! a lengthy message from yong joon ^^ its such a lovely feeling reading a letter from yong joon especially during these very quiet days and months of no byj sightings.  but first of all, i'm really very happy that he is recovering well from his shoulder surgery. he is steadily getting back to his gorgeous healthy shape again and he found some precious time to write a heartfelt and warm message to his ever loyal and loving fans !!

and his message is very interesting too ! hmm, something wonderful is swirling inside that handsome head of yong joon. the thinking actor is on the go again. i love his idea of a photobook depicting the many beautiful sights of his beloved korea and with the help of his fans !! haha, what a creative thought and it gives this project a totally different meaning.  its like one happy family lovingly creating a photo album of the different places they've been to or to places they would like to visit one day ^^ 

sighs, i still have not gone to korea but from the pictures i've been seeing in the net as well as those shared by fellow byj fans from their korean trips, i'm pretty sure that the book he's planning is going to be one heck of a visual treasure. and to top it all, the pictures will be shot by none other than yong joon !!! oh yes, this is one chance people will get to see the sensitive artistry in yong joon. seeing those beautiful places though his eyes...ahh, this is one book i will definitely hang on to coz this will surely be a keeper.


geez, i'm really very envious with my fellow byj fans who had the chance to visit korea not only once but several times.  for sure, these gals are now browsing excitedly through their files on what photos to share with yong joon. it would be a total blast to be mentioned by yong joon in his book with words like these, " isn't this place beautiful ? this scenery was actually shared to me by ****,   my fan from ***** ....." ahhh, that would defintely complete my journey as a byj fan. just imagine, to be acknowledged by him and to be part of a project that i'm very sure will be very close to his heart.

poor me don't have any personal photos taken from korea to share but i did find some wonderful photos in the net that somehow captured the vivid colors and mystique of korea ! it would be great to see yong joon take this kind of photos and perhaps even pose in some of his pics !! yeah, why not ?!!

this one's taken by phil pogg from a temple in odaesan national park in gangwon province......
 next is a photo of dr_borders taken from Mount Maisan, near Jeonju in the province of Jeollabuk-do.....


even a wall covering from a building in samcheong-dong in seoul would make a great subject, thanks to reckless cognition .

how about a celebration of squares in some of the buildings of seoul ? thanks to buson

or a wistful road in chaeunsa in songnisan national park in chungcheongbuk-do and gyeongsangbuk-do provinces, thanks to jean-claude riboulet

and this reminds me to repost some of the photos yong joon took from his recent visit in japan. oh, those wonderful wonderful days.....







  

that was one fantastic opening ceremony !! the 2008 beijing olympics showed us a spectacular presentation and i was totally awed by the creativity and preparedness of the chinese people in delivering what is expected from them.  it was an awesome display of tradition in rich colors and beautiful music as well as a dynamic display of new found confidence of a modern china. and i love the fireworks too !!

the perfomance i like the most in the ceremony ? its the 3,000 disciples of confucius ^^  it was a visually captivating scene with the muted elegance of their costume and kind of ethereal looking too !! but what captures most my attention are the learned and serene  expression in the faces of the participants while holding on to their bamboo scrolls and chanting a line from the analects of confucius " all those within the four seas can be considered brothers". simply lovely !!
 
of course all the other performances are simply outstanding....

and the genius behind these wonderful display of immense creativity and artistry ? none other than director zhang yimou , the famous filmmaker that yong joon met in beijing on november 2005 during his promotion of the film april snow. here they are ....

now, that would be terrifically something if a dream project will come true with these two artists collaborating. and i do hope it won't be an epic historical drama but perhaps a period drama still but around the era of 1930's in shanghai ?  got to start dreaming ^^

and here's hoping that yong joon will have a quick recovery from his shoulder surgery. hey yong joon, do take care of yourself, k?

 

i never imagined that i would become this attached to a local series. i'm not really a big fan of watching a local drama or comedy series coz i dont have that much patience in waiting for the next scene in between watching tons of advertisements. guess what ? and what a surprise !! ever since the local version of kim samsoon aired in GMA 7 ( same station where the legend, winter sonata and hotelier were shown) last june 30, i've made it a point not to miss an episode !!

the series stars our country's most popular singer/actress, ms. regine velasquez. our talented songbird has a knack in comedy and she's doing well as kim samsoon though there are some over the top acting scenes from regine but i don't mind them at all coz i guess i got used to watching overacting actors from some korean dramas ^^  and btw, i do love how regine sang 'maybe it's you' , the theme song of the series. nice touch !

ok, i've not seen in full the korean version so i'm not in a position to compare the two.  the local version has a number of weak points but for whatever reason, i find it a fun watch and there's this one actor in the series that's making me want to watch it from beginning to end. haha, he's actually the main reason why i watch the series ^^ ( and a whole lot of gals too !!)

he's mark anthony fernandez aka cyrus ruiz ( that's hyun bin aka jin hun in the original version) mark is already 30 years old, married with 2 lovely kids but he still has this air of child like innocence and arrogance in him when he acts out the role of cyrus. and he's so adorably cute !!! mark is a very good actor and he's only getting now the right breaks and fans adulation. well, he's had a very rough early years. he's been in and out of rehab since he was in his teens and he was almost erased from the face of our local showbiz industry. but thank god he got through that turbulent part of his life, he got sobered, made amends for his mistakes, got married to a lovely lady and from thereon, he's a changed man. there's a bright acting future ahead of mark, and i do hope he'll be given more projects so he'll have more chance of showing off his acting prowess. he's been through a lot in his young life and he definitely has a lot of inner strength and emotions that can help him tackle a challenging and complex role. but in the meantime, i will continue to savor his adorable cuteness in our very own kim samsoon

some promotional photos of mark and regine for the series ~ 

it has been reported before that GMA 7 will also do a remake of another popular korean drama, full house. hmmm, not a bad idea if mark will be chosen to do the male lead role. aja aja fighting mark !!!