Asian Pop with YeinJee

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YeinJee — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 16:52:44 +0000

You are reading the old archive of this blog. This section has been move to…

… with latest updates about Asian pop culture, lifestyle and entertainment.

Tokyo International Anime Fair 2008

YeinJee — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 03:17:40 +0000

The 7th annual Tokyo International Anime Fair (TAF) was held on March 28-30 at Tokyo Big Site. TAF is the one of the largest animation fairs in the world with the participation of around 290 animation related businesses and more than 100,000 visitors this year.

Official poster for the Tokyo International Anime Fair 2008

A video with some of footages of the event

Tokyo International Anime Fair 2008

Ryuki Omura, Japanese pen spinning champion 2008

YeinJee — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 05:51:52 +0000

Ryuki Omura, a 16-year-old Japanese high school student, has become the first nationwide pen spinning champion in Japan. [Reuters]

Omura was among the 16 finalists chosen from 276 video entries to showcase his moves in Tokyo on Sunday (Mar 30) in a contest organized by the Pen Spinning Association Japan.

You can watch Omura’s video entries here.

Video with some slick pen spinning moves by various Japanese pen spinners
(not related to the competition)

Ryuki Omura, Japanese pen spinning champion 2008

NT$10,000 beef noodle in Taipei

YeinJee — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 09:26:35 +0000

A small restaurant in Taipei is selling some beef noodles at NT$10,000 (~USD330) per bowl.

The NT$10,000 beef noodle (Image via Xinhuanet)

The restaurant is named “688 Beef Bowl”, and is located at Taipei’s busy Zhongxiao Road. The restaurant has been operating for 18 years and most of their beef noodles are priced around NT$150-300… the expensive noodles are only sold on limited basis and need to be pre-ordered.

I am not sure why the beef noodle cost so much; it seems like it’s not using special ingredients… the high cost was probably attributed by the quality of the beef. The restaurant owner has spent 5 years to search for the high quality beef to make this beef noodle… and a nice piece of beef could be really costly, obviously.

NT$10,000 beef noodle in Taipei

TV Champion: origami challenge

YeinJee — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 10:02:39 +0000

Japanese variety show “TV Champion 2″ held an origami competition last week with Chuya Miyamoto challenging Satoshi Kamiya. Below are three video clips which showed their amazing origami skills… [Hat tip to Japanprobe]

The origami artists’ creation with a restaurant receipt… Miyamoto created a restaurant employee with the restaurant logo featuring at the centre of the apron; Kamiya created a cow with its calf

The origami artists’ creation with a restaurant menu… Kamiya created 3 heads with the menu items in their minds; Miyamoto created a cow with different pictures of meat cuts shown on the menu coincide with parts of its body

Final battle, the masterpiece… Miyamoto created a scene of a fisherman battling a fish, inspired by Ernest Hemingway’s “The Old Man and the Sea”; Kamiya created a scene based on the Greek myth of Perseus and Andromeda

I guess the judges had to make some tough decisions determining the winner, which in the end ruled in favour of reigning TV champion Satoshi Kamiya.

TV Champion: origami challenge

Asian Film Awards 2008 (gallery)

YeinJee — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 04:40:56 +0000

The 2nd Asian Film Awards (AFA) were presented on March 17 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, in conjunction with the 32nd Hong Kong International Film Festival.

Korean movie “Secret Sunshine” (밀양; Milyang) is the biggest winner with 3 major awards (complete list). Below are some pics from the event…

Hong Kong actor Tony Leung (best actor) and Korean actress Jeon Do-yeon (best actress)

Hong Kong based pop duo 2R

Taiwanese actor Chang Chen and Korean actress Song Hye-kyo

Hong Kong artists Kate Tsui and Miriam Yeung

Taiwanese actress Shu Qi and Singaporean singer Stefanie Sun

Chinese actress Joan Chen (best supporting actress)

Japanese actress Mika Nakatani and Korean actor Song Kang-ho

(Image via Dayoo, K-popped, Qq and Sohu)

Asian Film Awards 2008 (gallery)

Asian Film Awards 2008 (winners)

YeinJee — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 03:53:17 +0000

The winners of the 2nd Asian Film Awards, presented on March 17 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (some pictures on next post)…

Best picture
Secret Sunshine (South Korea)

Best director
Lee Chang-dong (Secret Sunshine; South Korea)

Best actor
Tony Leung (Lust, Caution; Taiwan / China/ USA)

Best actress
Jeon Do-yeon (Secret Sunshine; South Korea)

Best supporting actor
Sun Honglei (Mongol; Mongolia / Kazakhstan / Germany / Russia)

Best supporting actress
Joan Chen (The Sun also Rises; China / Hong Kong)

Best screenwriter
Au Kin Yee & Wai Ka Fai (The Mad Detective; Hong Kong)

Best cinematographer
Liao Pen-jung (Help Me Eros; Taiwan)

Best production designer
Cao Jiuping & Zhang Jian Qun (The Sun also Rises; China / Hong Kong)

Best composer
Vishal Dadlani & Shekhar Ravjiani (Om Shanti Om; India)

Best editor
David Richardson (Eye in the Sky; Hong Kong)

Best visual effects
Ng Yuen Fai (The Warlords; China / Hong Kong)

Lifetime Achievement Award
Yoji Yamada (Japan)

The Edward Yang New Talent Award
Yuya Ishii (Japan)

[Reference]

Asian Film Awards 2008 (winners)

Park Ki-young - Start music video

YeinJee — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 02:30:34 +0000

One of my favourite Korean songs… “Start” (시작; Sijak), from singer Park Ki-young…

Park Ki-young - Start MV

It’s not a new song. If not mistaken it was released in early 2000s, in Park’s “Promise” album.

Park Ki-young made her debut in 1998; she has released 7 albums over the years… the latest was in Sept 2007. I am not sure how famous she is in Korea, but she is not really well known outside of her homeland.

I like her voice though, and she’s pretty good in singing live too…

Park Ki-young singing “Sijak” live

Park Ki-young and famous actress Park Eun-hye (of Daejanggeum fame) were classmates. They are still good buddies these days.

Park Ki-young - Start music video