Hi everyone!
A lot has happened since I last blogged. I've added another hat in addition to teaching, that of the President University International Collaborations Office staff member. Right now we're working on a student exchange program MOU with Webster University, USA. Hopefully this goes swimmingly.
It's so hard to squeeze in time to blog lately!
I'm sooo in love with Korean boyband Infinite at the moment. Yes, I'm a new Inspirit, converted about a month ago. My favourites are the leader, Kim Sunggyu, and the maknae Lee Sungjong, but basically I like all seven members. I'm also in love with Kim Sunggyu's mini solo album "Another Me", which is deemed by many as a failure because it's only sold roughly 100,000 copies since its release in late 2012.
The fact that Sunggyu is a fellow Taurean wins him a soft spot in my heart. He's nicknamed Grandpa Gyu because he nags his dongsaengs a lot, disciplines them military style, gets sick easily (his skin is allergic to metal and he travels with a bagful of vitamins and medicine) and wears cardigans a lot. People make fun of this, the size of his eyes and the low sale of his solo album. Sunggyu always defends "Another Me" as a classic, since he poured his heart into it and worked with his long-time inspiration, Korean rock band Nell, for the album. And indeed it's a classic since all the songs show a more mature side of Gyu, with a bit of a rock touch which sees the 24-year-old going back to his rock roots (Gyu fronted to a rock band called "Beat" back in high school, and yes there's actually a video of the band performing, shot in 2008!)
I don't think Gyu cares about people making fun of him and the things he does, which is very typically Taurean. He might not be the best looking in Infinite (Kim Myungsoo, nicknamed "L", is the group's visual), the best dancer (Lee Howon, nicknamed "Hoya", holds that title), but his voice is without a doubt the best (Gyu fanatics don't call him "honey-voiced leader" for nothing.) It's that honey voice and his awesome piano skills (showcased in the solo album's opening track) that are the main selling points. Taureans rely on their talent and don't need other people's approval to keep going.
By the way, this is just the first part of my Infinite-spazzing...I'm awkward about the term "spazzing" - is it the word kids use nowadays to describe raving about their idols? Whatever it is, there will be more Infinite entries coming soon - a treat to fellow Inspirits!
Monday, 15 July 2013
Sunday, 28 April 2013
A (slightly unwelcome) blast from the past...
Hey.
Thanks for stopping by.
It's sure been so long, I forgot you existed.
For your peace of mind, what happened in the past stays in the past.
I'm not holding grudges.
Oh, and tell your husband I got his Friendster message.
Thanks for stopping by.
It's sure been so long, I forgot you existed.
For your peace of mind, what happened in the past stays in the past.
I'm not holding grudges.
Oh, and tell your husband I got his Friendster message.
Friday, 5 April 2013
The anticipated 20th anniversary...
I'm aware that many - if not most - of my visitors got here through the keywords "Brandon Lee's 20th anniversary of death" (or its many varieties.) The keywords landed them on one of my posts on Brandon Lee which dates back to circa October 2011, which I published in the wake of "The Crow" remake that was scheduled to be released this year. In the post, I wrote that I suspected "The Crow" remake would be released to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Brandon Lee's death.
March 31 2013 marked said 20th anniversary.
On April 1 1993, I was nine years old and staying at The Hyatt Regency in Surabaya, East Java. I was having breakfast with my family when my dad gasped at a piece of news in a local newspaper that read, "Bruce Lee's Son Takes A Bullet." Thus began my 20-year long, on-and-off celebrity crush on the son of Bruce Lee.
If you're familiar with Brandon Lee tidbits such as his interviews and documentaries on YouTube, I'm sure you've noticed that most of the time it's his mother Linda Lee and former operatic soprano sister Shannon Lee who talk about Brandon. It's very rare that you get other people's account on Brandon. This 20th anniversary, someone who was very lucky to have dated (yes, DATED) Brandon opens up to the world and gives a side of Brandon that no one has ever known. Shannon Bradley-Colleary has summed up her one full year of a relationship with Brandon in this long post, which some of you might find cheesy but if you're a semi hardcore fan of Brandon like me, you'll find it's worth the scrolling.
Oh yeah, and next time you type "Brandon Lee's 20th death anniversary" or something like that on Google, you'll land on this post instead of the other, older one that's actually more about "The Crow" remake.
March 31 2013 marked said 20th anniversary.
On April 1 1993, I was nine years old and staying at The Hyatt Regency in Surabaya, East Java. I was having breakfast with my family when my dad gasped at a piece of news in a local newspaper that read, "Bruce Lee's Son Takes A Bullet." Thus began my 20-year long, on-and-off celebrity crush on the son of Bruce Lee.
If you're familiar with Brandon Lee tidbits such as his interviews and documentaries on YouTube, I'm sure you've noticed that most of the time it's his mother Linda Lee and former operatic soprano sister Shannon Lee who talk about Brandon. It's very rare that you get other people's account on Brandon. This 20th anniversary, someone who was very lucky to have dated (yes, DATED) Brandon opens up to the world and gives a side of Brandon that no one has ever known. Shannon Bradley-Colleary has summed up her one full year of a relationship with Brandon in this long post, which some of you might find cheesy but if you're a semi hardcore fan of Brandon like me, you'll find it's worth the scrolling.
Oh yeah, and next time you type "Brandon Lee's 20th death anniversary" or something like that on Google, you'll land on this post instead of the other, older one that's actually more about "The Crow" remake.
Monday, 4 March 2013
Another English announcer for Nine Muses?
Just a quick stop-by before I get back to the daily routine which includes work (preparing teaching material, teaching and marking), freelance work (mostly translating) and studying for journals and Ph.D research proposal.
Still on Nine Muses.
Just heard rumors that the latest Muse Son Sung Ah grew up in Fiji. If it's true, most likely she can speak English well and therefore be Nine Muses' second "English announcer" after Canadian born and educated leader Ryu Sae Ra. It's good for a Korean band to have more than one "English announcer." If you haven't noticed already, a typical Korean band has a leader, "the face of the group" (or "visual member", one who's considered the best looking), main dancer, main vocalist, Japanese announcer and English announcer. English announcers are usually those who were born and raised overseas, but in several cases it's members who were home-grown who teach themselves English either because their managers appointed them to be English announcers or they plan to expand their (usually solo) careers overseas - or both (Big Bang's Taeyang comes to mind.)
Still on Nine Muses.
Just heard rumors that the latest Muse Son Sung Ah grew up in Fiji. If it's true, most likely she can speak English well and therefore be Nine Muses' second "English announcer" after Canadian born and educated leader Ryu Sae Ra. It's good for a Korean band to have more than one "English announcer." If you haven't noticed already, a typical Korean band has a leader, "the face of the group" (or "visual member", one who's considered the best looking), main dancer, main vocalist, Japanese announcer and English announcer. English announcers are usually those who were born and raised overseas, but in several cases it's members who were home-grown who teach themselves English either because their managers appointed them to be English announcers or they plan to expand their (usually solo) careers overseas - or both (Big Bang's Taeyang comes to mind.)
Thursday, 10 January 2013
A different kind of marketing ploy...
Happy new year everyone! And congrats on surviving 21/12!
I didn't get to fulfill my 2012 resolution of posting 45 entries. Eleven years down the road, I've lost most of the drive to blog. I have some entries that I meant to finish and are still in the draft right now, but I'll probably end up deleting them.
Anyway, I opened 2013 with a bang that is a new job. Starting January 3 I teach Cultural Diversity to first year International Relations undergraduate students at President University. This is my first experience teaching university students and, not gonna lie, I took the job because lecturers have more opportunities to win overseas doctorate scholarships.
Anyway, just found out that there's a documentary about Nine Muses, a not so well known Korean girlband I wrote about a few entries ago. The doco, titled "Nine Muses of Star Empire" (Star Empire is their record company), was released in November 2012 and premiered at 2012 Melkweg Music Documentary Competition in The Netherlands. The documentary shows a far less glamorous side of K-pop that many are unaware of, where wannabe stars are treated more like possessions than human beings.
What ticks me about it is that the documentary was released in November, a month before the scheduled comeback of Nine Muses. Many wonder why Star Empire has allowed Suk Kee Lee and Min Chul Kim, directors of "Nine Muses of Star Empire" to release a film that sheds light on the dark side of today's biggest sub-culture that is K-pop. One wonders if the doco is just a publicity stunt leading to the girlband's comeback, which is postponed to January 24 with the single "Dolls"? Hmm...
Here's a trailer of "Nine Muses of Star Empire" for your vieweing pleasure.
I didn't get to fulfill my 2012 resolution of posting 45 entries. Eleven years down the road, I've lost most of the drive to blog. I have some entries that I meant to finish and are still in the draft right now, but I'll probably end up deleting them.
Anyway, I opened 2013 with a bang that is a new job. Starting January 3 I teach Cultural Diversity to first year International Relations undergraduate students at President University. This is my first experience teaching university students and, not gonna lie, I took the job because lecturers have more opportunities to win overseas doctorate scholarships.
Anyway, just found out that there's a documentary about Nine Muses, a not so well known Korean girlband I wrote about a few entries ago. The doco, titled "Nine Muses of Star Empire" (Star Empire is their record company), was released in November 2012 and premiered at 2012 Melkweg Music Documentary Competition in The Netherlands. The documentary shows a far less glamorous side of K-pop that many are unaware of, where wannabe stars are treated more like possessions than human beings.
What ticks me about it is that the documentary was released in November, a month before the scheduled comeback of Nine Muses. Many wonder why Star Empire has allowed Suk Kee Lee and Min Chul Kim, directors of "Nine Muses of Star Empire" to release a film that sheds light on the dark side of today's biggest sub-culture that is K-pop. One wonders if the doco is just a publicity stunt leading to the girlband's comeback, which is postponed to January 24 with the single "Dolls"? Hmm...
Here's a trailer of "Nine Muses of Star Empire" for your vieweing pleasure.
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