It's You

This is a cute song by the Korean boy band Super Junior. Previously, I posted about dance music and the post featured Super Junior's "Sorry, Sorry." While I am not a big fan of "Sorry, Sorry," I think I am a fan of the song "It's You." I also think that I am slowly becoming a fan of Super Junior (does liking one song by the group make me a fan?) after seeing a few Super Junior variety shows. No show can quite match the hilariousness of Korean comedian shows with subtitles.

Back to the point. "It's You" is a cute song (I never read the English translation just to keep things more fun) with a nice dance by Super Junior. But don't just believe what I say, see (and hear) for yourself.

Drama Version

Dance Version

Both videos are courtesy of sment on YouTube, the official channel of S. M. Entertainment

Case #2a: Mad as a Hat

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Lightly sipping at the faintly fragranced drink, Detective looked over the delicate envelope in the attic, where he stored old case files and research materials. With a slightly troubled look, he picked at the envelope, revealing a hidden compartment inside the pocket. He carefully took out a folded note from the secret compartment and read over the request. In the same neat writing as on the letter contained a second request from Miss Line.

To unlock the mystery...

Case #2: Character Sketch

A cheerful elderly man who walked into the Detective Agency seeking a conversation about a hat. Suffers from bouts of memory lost and random ideas. But could there be more to the chat than it sounds?

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Ah, Spring

Spring is here in the northern hemisphere. A time of growth and play, no wonder many people look forward to spring. One spring activity that has popped into my head is to plan a trip for this spring without actually going on that trip. Fun? Well, as fun as it can be without actually having to travel long distance since my imaginary, planned trip is to see spring in Japan. Know for its beautiful sakura (cherry blossoms), what better time is there to see Japan than in spring, when the flowers are in full bloom. Regretfully, March and April are not the best months for me to travel due to other responsibilities. Luckily, there exists the Internet, where I can see pictures of those lovely petals in the comfort of my home. Here are some of my favorite pictures of sakura.

Who Enjoys Long Distance Traveling?

Photographs courtesy of Wikipedia

I do enjoy long distance traveling, but only when the destination is somewhere that I want to go. For example, this summer I may want to travel to China, Japan, or Korea (actually that sounds like a pretty good idea). After choosing my destination, I have to book a flight, which is always a fun process to compare prices in the thousands range. So I conduct some research on different flight to these three countries. Personally I think the following are some of the best flights to take.

What I look for when purchasing tickets:

1. Nonstop flight. This is my preferred type of flight even if I have to sit in the same plane for an extended period of time. It just makes thing simpler, and the fact that I can sleep reasonably well on planes helps a lot.
2. Low price. I think everybody looks for the lowest price possible.
3. Previous experience. I like to airlines that I have traveled with before. I think that gives me the illusion of safety because I lived through their flight before so I assumed I would still be alive after I travel with them again.

Flights that I am considering for my "trip":

1. Destination: Beijing, China. Airline: Air China. Price: $1477 (nonstop, round trip). Duration: 13hrs 30min (pretty standard).
2. Destination: Tokyo, Japan. Airline: Japan Airlines (since the flight is to Japan I thought I go with a Japanese airline). Price: $1629 (a little pricier that other airlines but not by much for already spending over a thousand dollars). Duration: 14hrs.
3. Destination: Seoul, South Korea. Airline: Korean Air. Price: $1869 (other airlines charge about the same price). Duration: 14hrs (apparently it takes the same amount of to fly to Tokyo as to Seoul, interesting).

Good Dance Music

For some reason, I feel inspired to seek out a good dance song that does not necessarily has to be good. Thus, I have been stumbling around YouTube looking for Asian music videos with choreographed dance routines. There are many of them. One group that I encountered is called Super Junior, and this group should be familiar to fans of Asian culture. Apparently this South Korean boy band is immensely popular throughout Asia. I don't know how I feel about Super Junior. So far I only come across one song that I like, but it is not the song that I am putting on this post because it is not that "dancy." The song that I am going to share today is called "Sorry, Sorry" and I am very curious to see what people think about it.

Video courtesy of sment, the official YouTube channel for the music company S. M. Entertainment.

Case #1: Character Sketch

The mysterious young lady who dropped-off a request for Detective Agency seems to be hiding something behind that smile of hers. Could a simple request asking for information on a teddy bear contain secret plotting? Only time will tell.

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Case #1a: Aww...Cute Bear

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Pictures courtesy of http://www.paddingtonbear.com/

Looking at the neatly written request, Detective frowned slightly in annoyance. He finished the last of his tea and walked up the staircase slowly to the study. Judging from the amount of noise emitting from beyond the door, Yun apparently had not finished his rambling. Sitting down in his chair, the boy detective arrived just in time for Yun’s dramatic pose that always wraps up his speech.

“…and so, that is how I, the great warrior of Hua, arrived at Sentoral!” exclaimed Yun, looking at Detective expectantly. “Well?”

To unlock the case...

Light?

What is light? In physics class, light is electromagnetic radiation of various wavelengths and travels at a speed of about 300,000,000 m/sec. Light exhibits both wave and particle properties, which is unique. I t is defined in the dictionary as "something that makes thing visible or affords illumination."

Just recently, I have discovered a new side of light, but not in the scientific sense. I have discovered "Hikari," which means light in Japanese. This "light" is in the form of a song that is both lovely and sad. "Hikari" by Elisa serves as the ending theme to the anime Nabari no Ou, which seems like a normal ninja story on the surface. However, hidden (nabari means "hidden" in Japanese) beneath that story of fighting ninjas and secret techniques is an emotional story (my personal opinion) about people and their inner struggles; "Hikari" just brings out that hidden aspect of Nabari no Ou perfectly.

As a side note, I really like the hat that Yoite (the kid pictured in the video) always wears.

For the lyrics and its translation click here.

Case #0b: Introduction

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An introduction to life at Detective Agency, run by the boy detective named Detective.

On the ides of March, clouds covered the sky above Detective Agency (DA). In the comfy armchair that sat on the second floor of the DA building reclined Detective, a boy of more than thirteen years old. He had a thoughtful expression on his face, one that seemed too old and mature for a boy his age. However, this would be normal for anyone who knew him since sitting in that oversized armchair with just his thoughts keeping him company had long been a tradition of Detective, until now. Suddenly, the second floor where the armchair sat flooded with light and bursting in after the light was a young man of about seventeen years old.

"Good afternoon!" the young man greeted cheerfully and loudly in his native language. Upon seeing the boy’s annoyed expression, the young man broke into a wide smile. “Aww, have I woke Mr. Detective from his nap?”

“As a matter of fact, you did, Assistant Yun,” the boy detective addressed coolly. “Do you have my next case?” Detective inquired as a part of his new routine ever since his rookie “assistant” dropped by the agency out of the blue.

Yun let out a weary sigh, “It’s Bodyguard Yun.” He cleared his throat and begun his well-practiced speech. “The famous security expert all the way from across the desert, over the mountains, and pass thousands of wild beasts and raiders to come to protect the famous boy detective of Sentoral. For I am the greatest of all bodyguards in the land of Hua, Yun!” He continued his rant as Detective strolled over to the cabinet and left with a cup of tea.

As Yun’s voice slowly faded into the background, the young boy walked down the stairs to check the case drop-off box with his cup of refreshment, only somewhat wondering when the performer upstairs will notice that the audience had already left.

Case #0a: Basic Needs

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Every detective needs three things:

1. Mystery tool-kit
2. Trusty/strange sidekick/assistant/bodyguard
3. Official logo of the agency

For the beloved, but always mysterious, Detective, the three necessary items are invented and sketched out. The character profile of Detective is also completed in order to offer some insight into the mystery-solver's mind.

For picture profiles of Detective, Yun, and the tool-kit...

Cases of an Investigator

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Have you ever wondered...well, about anything? I find myself thinking about so many things throughout the day that I sometimes have trouble keeping track of them all. Then I feel sad when I cannot recall something that I, at one point in time, want the answer to or wish to know more about. However, that will no longer be the case because I have found the perfect solution to my failing memory. I am going to keep track of my random wondering in the form of posts on this blog! And I shall dub these investigative posts as “Cases.” These top-secret files (not actually top-secret since I’m publishing them on a public blog, but “top-secret” sounds cool and I rarely get a chance to use the phrase) will be assigned a case number, for easy referencing, and a descriptive (possibly coded) title, for easy understanding purposes. I think I have finally discovered the useful nature of blogs – they can aid me with my dream of being a detective (I don’t even have to be a great one, I just secretly wish to be one from time to time)! To add mysteriousness to these cases, I will not be the one to solve them; rather, Detective, who is a great detective, will investigate my wonderings (of course I will actually do the research because Detective is not a real person).

Now, according to me, every good investigator needs three things: a mystery tool-kit, a sidekick, and a logo. Thus, I shall initiate my grand plans by drawing Detective, some cool gadgets for his/her (I have not decided yet, I shall go flip a coin) tool-kit, a sidekick, and a logo. Let the wondering begin!

Live-action or Animated?

Photograph and picture courtesy of www.cwtv.com (right Supernatural) and http://blog.funimation.com/ (left Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood)

I like parallels, whether they are in the math or in reality. Two lines in a plane that do not intersect or meet...that just fascinates me. They just travel on their own paths, so close and similar to each other but never meeting. It is almost sad.

On a lighter note (depends on how one looks at it), the infinite amount of parallels between two of my favorite TV shows is like a gift from the heavens. The similarities between these two shows are almost uncanny. One is an American supernatural drama appropriately called Supernatural, and the other is a Japanese adventure anime titled Fullmetal Alchemist. The first uncanny similarity is that they are both brilliant shows (personal opinion at work here). For more concrete similarties, click here.

Colors of the Rainbow (more or less)

Ah, language class...I don't know what else to say about it. Some people love it
(sometimes I sort of love it) , some bear with it (what I do most of the time), and some despise it (I have not yet experienced this). As with all things, learning a foreign has its ups and downs. An "up" that I always enjoy is when we learn the colors. Colors! The colors have such fun names in different languages. Once you have learned a few of the colors, you can form more interesting, descriptive, and colorful (bad pun) sentences.To help you on your journey of many rainbow colors, I have devised a color coded (bad pun at work once again) chart of a few important colors to know.

To further the learning adventure, I have also included a Chinese song titled 彩虹 ("Rainbow") by Jay Chou. While the title of the song relates to this post, the actual song does not reflect anything close to a rainbow; it is a semi-sad song that generates feelings of grey. Irony is afoot here. But do try to enjoy "Rainbow" by Jay Chou.

Mysterious "Secret" of Films

After the Academy Awards last night, which I did not watch, I thought to myself "there are some great (questionably) films that deserves a mention at the Oscars...some Asian films(refer to my interests in My Profile)." It seemed to me that most of the well known films on an international level are American films, say Titanic. While these acclaimed films deserved their success, there exists a great deal of excellent films in the Eastern half of the global that deserved the same praise (no Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is not one of them, in my opinion). Currently, I don't know many of them because I don't watch a lot of movies...sad. Thus, I shall embark on a journey of Asian films, soon.

My Asian Film List

1. Secret (不能说的秘密): a 2007 film from Taiwan; directed by Jay Chou (famous singer and songwriter, and apparently director); starring Jay Chou (apparently actor too); reasons for wanting to watch this film - one piece of piano music and one epic piano battle (only in Asian films can one find a serious scene of two men having a battle of the piano, it is a very interesting clip)
2. ?
3. ?

I have not yet figured out the rest of this list, but hopefully I will. Now, to find Secret on YouTube.

Here is the piano piece that has inspired me to watch the film. It is also by Jay Chou (I think). He does eveything (just to varying degrees of success, that's all).

Learn from Heroes

Photograph courtesy of Xinhua News at:

http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2008-02/03/xin_242020503085712586813.jpg

Everyone and every country have its own heroes, and today is the day to honor a national hero of the Chinese people. Born on December 18, 1940, and died at the young age of 21 is the beloved hero Lei Feng (雷锋). After his sudden death, he is honored to this day by the people as a selfless, modest person who has dedicated his life to his community. In schools, students are taught to follow Comrade Lei Feng’s example of serving the people and the community without seeking rewards, especially on March 5th, the official “Learn from Lei Feng Day.” On this date back in 1963, Chairman Mao wrote a tribute honoring Comrade Lei Feng for his selflessness, modesty, and dedication, and encouraged everyone to learn from their fallen comrade. Now this day has become a day for everyone, young and old, to clean up parks, schools, and other community places, or just to help someone out in the neighborhood. In honor of Lei Feng, let more people show the same care for their community by helping out someone in need. Even if one does not care to honor Lei Feng, this day is still a good day to do something for the community since everyday is a good day to perform good deeds.

Four Seasons of Vivaldi

Picture courtesy of http://baroquemusic.wikispaces.com/Vivaldi

Antonio Lucio Vivaldi, happy 332nd birthday! Born on March 4th over three centuries ago in Venice, the capital of the Republic of Venice (697-1797), Vivaldi later became a noted baroque composer and famous virtuoso violinist (“virtuoso” means he possessed great skills in playing the violin). Despite being raised to become a priest by his family, he did not want to join the priesthood and there are stories that he would leave the altar to write down a musical idea. He composed various styles of music, ranging from sonatas and concertos to operas. Being an outstanding violinist, Vivaldi, unsurprisingly, favored the violin in his instrumental works.

One of Vivaldi’s most noted works is The Four Seasons, composed in 1723. It is a collection of four violin concertos (favoritism showing through) and is first published in 1725 as part of a set of twelve concerti titled Il cimento dell’armonia e dell’inventione (The Contest between Harmony and Invention). Each of the four concertos corresponds to a season in the year and each concerto consists of three movements. The four concertos accompany four sonnets, and each concerto beautifully translates the sonnet and the season into music. Even after three centuries, Vivaldi’s sounds still reverberate with the world (and its seasons).

Thus, let us celebrate Vivaldi’ birthday with The Four Seasons.

Up first is...Spring

...Summer

...Autumn

...and finally, Winter

Doll Houses? Actually it is a Festival

Photograph courtesy of About.com

Japan has many festival and celebrations throughout the year. Since it is difficult for some of us to participate in this festival (where do we obtain all the dolls), I have provided several photographs of those lovely dolls and some background on Hinamatsuri. Hopefully these make a decent substitute. March 3rd in Japan is Hinamatsuri (雛祭り), which means Doll’s Festival or Girl’s Festival. On this day, people pray for happiness and health for the girls. Families with young daughters display Japanese traditional dolls inside the house. Rice crackers and special food are also offered. Practice of display dolls started in 1600s. Dolls are used as charms to contain evil spirits. Cute dolls as supernatural protection devices against dark forces? I must acquire one (or more)! For more pictures...


Visit Kids Web Japan to learn more about Hinamatsuri: http://web-japan.org/Kidsweb/explore/calendar/march/hinamatsuri.html

Sukiyaki for the Soul

Sukiyaki (すき焼き) is a Japanese dish in the Japanese hot pot style. Eastern hot pots are similar to stews and consist of a hot metal pot (hence hot pot) of water and seasonings at the center of a table. While the liquid inside the pot is simmering, ingredients are place into the hot water and are cooked right on the table. Sukiyaki sauce to be put into the pot is prepared specifically using soy sauce, sugar, and mirin (sake or sake-like condiment). Some common ingredients are:

• Beef (required for a good beef sukiyaki)
• Tofu
• Chinese cabbage or other leafy vegetables
• Mushrooms
• Shirataki noodles or cellophane noodles
• Negi (a kind of scallion)

After the delicious ingredients are cooked to perfection with sukiyaki sauce in the pot, they are dipped in raw, beaten eggs for the finishing touch. Enjoy!

For more detailed instruction on making sukiyaki, visit this great website, which has many recipes for sukiyaki and other Japanese dishes:
http://japanesefood.about.com/od/beef/r/beefsukiyaki.htm

As that delicious sukiyaki is cooking, why not listen to a song also called sukiyaki. The song known as “Sukiyaki” in the English-speaking world is actually called “Ue o muite arukou” (上を向いて歩こう) in its original language, which means “Let’s walk with our chins up.” This popular Japanese song is renamed “Sukiyaki” by some U.S. musician after they have translated the lyrics to English. However, the song does not mention food in any form. The actually meaning of the Japanese lyrics is quite sad as the man (narrator of the song) “looks up as he walks so that the tears won’t fall.” For a full translation of the lyrics, visit The Hesitant Prize Fighter at http://tben.wordpress.com/2007/10/07/lyrics-of-ue-o-muite-aruko-or-i-look-up-when-i-walk-aka-sukiyaki/.

“Ue o muite arukou” (上を向いて歩こう) by Sakamoto Kyu (坂本 九)

Where are you, Sochi?

After a month of the wintry Olympic experience, I am ready for some regular television hours. But as the exciting winter event draws to a close, I am left wondering about something. Where is Sochi? First of all, how does one start wondering about Sochi anyway? During the live televised closing ceremony (with many commercial breaks) of the 2010 Vancouver games, the Olympic flag is passed on to its next host city, Sochi. Since Russia accepted the flag from Canada, I know that Sochi has to be in Russia and is probably cold (it is in Russia after all and is going to host the 2014 Winter Olympic Games). With these information in hand, I travel the Internet for the location of this place. It turns out that Sochi is a resort city in Krasnodar Krai ("Krai" refers to nine of Russia's 83 federal subjects and is similar to a territory or province), Russia, on the the shores of the Black Sea with the Caucasus Mountains close by. What a nice place for the next Winter Olympic!

The red region is Krasnodar Krai, where Sochi is located.

(Picture from http://www.squidoo.com/2014-Sochi)