Yein Jee

Lee Hyori’s new drama banned in Korea

May 3, 2007 by Yein Jee

Korean Broadcasting Commission has banned TV drama series If In Love, Like Them, starring pop star Lee Hyori, for violating media guidelines.

The commission banned the mini-series because of too many product placements. They also penalised the overuse of Hyori’s songs as soundtracks.

Perhaps Love

The drama is also titled Perhaps Love. It’s about two cancer patients who met in a hospital and developed a special relationship.

The actress had a near-miss accident when filming the series in February. She survived the scare, but it’s the show that couldn’t escape its fate.

Despite the ban the production company can probably get back its investments, at least some of it, from overseas because of the popularity of its main cast.

Hyori is one of South Korea’s most famous singer, although acting is not her forte. The drama also stars actors Lee Dong-gun and Jung Joon-ho etc.

Update – Apparently the TV show has already ended before the ban. It cannot be aired again in Korea, but the effect on the drama is limited. The penalty is probably just to send a message.

Lee Hyori series

Next: Scolded music video (Perhaps Love OST)

KL International Motorshow 2006

May 3, 2007 by Yein Jee

Old photos from Kuala Lumpur International Motor Show (KLIMS) in Putra World Trade Centre last year. My main interest was Honda’s ASIMO robot, the rest were just bonuses.

I expected more exotic cars, but most of the exhibits were common models available in sales centre; it’s disappointing in that sense. Another attraction was the pretty show girls. Lots of people went to the exhibition for the ladies instead of the vehicles, and I guess those visitors went home happily.

China open world’s tallest pagoda

May 2, 2007 by Yein Jee

Leading Buddhist monks from around the world gathered in Changzhou, China, on April 30 to inaugurate the world’s tallest pagoda. Image and story via ChinaDaily.

China open world tallest pagoda at Tianning Temple

The Tianning Pagoda has 13 storeys and a height of 153.79 metres. It’s part of the Tianning Temple which dates back to the Tang Dynasty (618–907). The design of the pagoda also mimics architecture from that era. It took five years and US$38.5 million to build the pagoda.

There’s no official record for the world’s tallest pagoda, so it’s a self-proclaimed thing. There’s not many giant pagodas around the globe though, and no one seems to dispute about the feat. The previous tallest pagoda is (unofficially) the Shwedagon Zedi Daw [wiki] in Burma which is 99 metres tall.

Visit Malaysia Year 2007 promotion videos

May 2, 2007 by Yein Jee

Malaysia is celebrating 50 years of independence in 2007, and the government has designated this as a Visit Malaysia Year. Check out the promotion video for this special occasion.

I don’t always boost about things from my country but I think we have some pretty amazing tourism campaigns. The Malaysia Truly Asia slogan is also a classic, albeit a controversial one. A few of our neighbours are not that happy with the tagline, but I’ll leave the long story for another day.

London, here I come

May 1, 2007 by Yein Jee

First post, resharing my European travelogue from October 2005 to kickstart this new blog.

From KL to London

Took an early ride to the Kuala Lumpur International Airport, departing to London to visit my sister and to embark on a 19-days European trip together.

It had been five years since I last travelled overseas – with exception of the neighbouring Singapore – which is a pretty long break for a self-proclaimed travel enthusiast LoL.

Reached Heathrow after 11 hours of flight. Had a rough time passing through the customs because of the bombing a few months before my visit. The security was understandably tight.

Met my sister at the airport lobby soon after, she was working on secondment in London back then. It was great to see her again, as it had been almost a year since we last met. It was also her birthday, speaking of perfect timing for a reunion =)

Took the Underground to Chiswick, the train was not as crowded as expected. The weather was predictable though, drizzling… not that it’s a bad thing, I am not a sunshine lover.

Ordered Chinese food for dinner. Didn’t expect that, thought my first meal on this trip would be fish and chips or at least some British stuff. Rest early after that because of jet lag.

That’s my first day of the trip, nothing spectacular. More stories to follow…

Europe travelogue

Next: Buckingham Palace, London

PS: Welcome to my new home. I’m not a great writer or photographer but I’m always working on improving that. Besides my personal stories, I’ll be sharing interesting news from around the web too, especially stuff from Asia Pacific region. Hope you will like this blog, thanks for reading =)