Korean singer Kim Jang-hoon collapsed on stage during a live performance on June 28; he managed to regain his conciousness in a short while and was sent to hospital for treatment. Reports suggested that he has overworked himself and requires plenty of rest to recover from exhaustion.
Kim Jang-hoon collapsed on stage (Image from Newsen)
Kim Jang-hoon is not the first Korean artist admitted to hospital for overworking recently; just a week ago rapper MC Mong was hospitalised for exhaustion too… and cases like these happen a bit too often in Korean entertainment world.
The hardworking South Koreans
In fact, lots of other Koreans are facing overworking problems too. Forbes released a report last month that South Koreans work the longest hours per year (among 32 researched countries)… they work on average 2,357 hours per year (six-and-a-half hours daily), almost doubled the Dutch at the bottom (1,391 hours per year).
Considering that Seoul is the most expensive city to live in Asia, I can understand the need for them to work hard… but nothing matters more than health (and ultimately life); they need to enjoy their lives a little bit more.
Bill Gates officially leaves his full-time executive role at Microsoft last Friday to focus on his philanthropic organization, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the world’s largest charity, funded in part by his vast fortune. [Reuters]
A funny video about Bill Gate’s ‘last day’, featuring cameos by some superstars, famous celebrities and Microsoft staff; the vid was first shown at CES 2008 in Las Vegas
I am not sure what you folks think of him, but for me… Bill Gates is a key figure who shapes the world for the past two decades.
Without him, the personal computer (and software) industry probably won’t boom at such a pace… and without the boom, our internet won’t have the chance to prosper as it is, and people around the world would not be able to communicate as easily now.
So, it’s a huge thank you to Bill… and hope he enjoy his philanthropic life and continue making the world a better place.
Japan’s NHK and other broadcasters have proposed a new tower in Sumida, Tokyo… which if completed, would be the world’s tallest free-standing tower (611m) and the tallest man-made structure in Japan.
The new tower is officially named Tokyo Sky Tree (東京スカイツリー, Tōkyō Sukai Tsurii) following a public voting by Tokyo residents. The tower is currently scheduled for completion in 2011.
Artist’s impression of Tokyo Sky Tree (Image from Tobu Railway Co & Tobu Sky Tree Co)
The current tallest man-made structure in Japan is the original Tokyo Tower, a popular tourist attraction, which stands at 333m tall.
“One and a Half”, a Korean song released in 1994 by the now disbanded band TwoTwo. The song was a hit across Asia before the K-pop craze started in late 90s… one of the very few Korean songs that managed to do so back then.
TwoTwo, One and a Half music video… kinda make me dizzy, but the song is good
I liked the song when I first listened to it (although not knowing who were the singers) when I was in high school; a cassette vendor near my house was obviously a fan of the song and played it quite often. Kinda forgotten about the song as time passes by until seeing a video on Youtube recently… still in love it.
TwoTwo was disbanded after releasing three albums; this song was from their debut album and was their biggest hit (and probably the only hit). The lead singer Kim Jong-min is still around, not doing too bad but not among the A-list stars… he is getting married this month or next and will become a father pretty soon.
The female singer Hwang Hye-young has recently re-emerging as an actress; her small role in sitcom “Unstoppable Wedding” managed to catch quite some attention, especially from the fans during the TwoTwo era.
The director and leading stars of upcoming Chinese movie “Red Cliff” are promoting the movie in Korea. Director John Woo and actors Tony Leung, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Chang Chen and actress Lin Zhi Ling met the press in Seoul on June 25.
(L-R) Chang Chen, Tony Leung, John Woo, Takeshi Kaneshiro. Lin Zhi Ling
Hong Kong pop star Kelly Chen announced last week during her concert that she will be getting married to her long term boyfriend after 16 years of relationship.
Kelly released her wedding details on Wednesday (June 25) via her spokesperson, that the wedding will be held at the InterContinental Hong Kong Hotel on October 2.
Kelly has also reaffirmed that she will not be retiring after her marriage, but might be taking a break as she and her fiancée would like to have a baby asap after the wedding. Congrats.
