best Korean Drama 2012: Queen In Hyun's Man, their dating!!

Yoo In Na and Ji Hyun Woo are really dating!

spotted on a night date at the park

pic from http://news.nate.com/view/20120618n08451?mid=e0102


Aaargh, i'm so happy for them :-)

all smiles for them.


Narrative from allkpop:

Ji Hyun Woo has been in the headlines all month for his surprise confession to actress Yoo In Na. It seems she’s finally given him a response, as the two were caught by the cameras of Sports Seoul on a nighttime date!

Just 10 days after his public confession, the couple was spotted taking a stroll through a park in Kyungkido on the morning of June 17th. Their date was said to have been as romantic as their relationship on their tvN drama. The two were seen holding hands while circling the park around Yoo In Na’s home late into the night. The way they gazed into each other’s eyes and smiled gave away their feelings immediately.

On empty streets, they were even seen getting more comfortable with skinship by hugging each other’s waist or slinging an arm across a shoulder. As if she was genuinely happy to be spending time with him, she gave him aegyo looks which Ji Hyun Woo responded with ecstatic smiles and laughter.

A representative of their drama, ‘Queen Inhyun’s Man‘, explained, “Compared to other leading couples of dramas, the two were exceptionally caring and took care of each other well. Their kiss scenes were realistic, and many whispered about whether they were dating in real life or not.”

Another official said, “They’ve been public with their relationship to the point where staff members of the hair salon they both go to already know about their relationship status. It seems their feelings for each other grew from not only the drama set, but also from how often they saw each other at the hair salon.”

Although Ji Hyun Woo is two years her junior, his masculinity was what caught her attention. He’s never been shy about showing his feelings towards her in public places.

A representative of Ji Hyun Woo’s agency expressed, “We first have to check with them. We have nothing to say at the moment.”

Yoo In Na’s agency gave a similar response, stating, “We will have to check with them.”

UPdate: Yoo In Na has confirmed it!
They are admittedly in a real genuine relationship! Wee hee!
http://www.allkpop.com/2012/06/yoo-in-na-confirms-that-she-is-dating-ji-hyun-woo
Seems like they just started going out two days ago.
“Two days ago, I called Ji Hyun Woo who calmly waited for me through a very anxious situation, and while we were walking in the park, we decided that he will stop being ‘In Hyun’s Man’ and instead, start being ‘Yoo In Na’s Man’.”


Great news!

Korean skin care review: Sidmool and Innisfree

I've forgotten to post up my gmarket hauls when i got these items in January 2012. But anyhow, here are the reviews of 3 items from my haul.

Sidmool's enzyme cleansing gel.

I've been using this since January on a twice daily wash. This item foams up like a foam cleanser but is very gentle and does not strip your skin dry.
In addition, it can remove mild makeup, bb creams, sunblock too.
I've been using this as my sunblock remover in the evening and so far so good. No breakouts from clogged pores, so i  suppose this cleanser does remove and clean your pores from sunblock.
The trick is to wash your face twice with the cleanser. The first wash, there won't be much foam, but on the second wash, it'll be easier to swirl all the foam around your face and massage it gently.

As i have sensitive skin, i try to use natural stuff on my face as much as possible, and am trying to cut out most of the chemical nasties. This item is great and does not aggravate my sensitive, prone to redness skin.

Rating: 8/10, good for sensitive skin




Innisfree ecosafety no sebum sunblock
7-free, oil control 100% mineral filter,
SPF35PA+++
with organic sunflower oil and green tea

This sunblock, hmm, i was attracted to it because it says 100% mineral filter. Which suits my preference now for natural skin care. Chemical filters are supposedly very bad for the skin. Mineral filters are physical blockers like titanium dioxide and zinc oxide which are not supposed to absorb into your skin. They sit like a protective barrier on top of skin and gets washed off by sweat, wiping, foam cleansers etc.
There is slight nude tint to it but when you smear it on your face, it gives a slight whitish cast which most mineral filters will as they are physical blockers and they are white in solid form.
I'm fine with the slight white cast as it sorts of give me "better" looking skin.
However, this sunblock is quite drying for me. Perhaps its because of the "oil control" factor that gives this dried out feel. I use this when my face feels extra oily.
I don't have the ingredients in english though.

Rating: 6/10, suitable for very oily skin




Innisfree eco natural suncare bb sunbalm
with sunflower. SPF50PA+++
Enriched with organic, sunflower, and organic lavender, organic chamomile , eco natural BB matches your individual skin tone.

As you can see, i have reached the bottom of the pan already.
I really like the feel of this on my skin. It does smoothen skin out a little, but what i like about it is the feel. It does not dry and pull and tug at my skin, instead it leaves my skin feeling hydrated and comfortable. This it the number one thing that i look for in skin care -- comfort and hydration. It does leave me looking oilier than the no sebum sunblock, but i can deal with it by just blotting my skin with tissue.
I much prefer this over the no sebum sunblock.
The tint is for darker skin though. As i do not have fair  skin, it suits me quite well. On certain days it does make me look a little darker, but mostly , it suits my skin colour quite well.
I wish i could get the ingredients list in english, i want to see if they have any nasty chemicals in there. I'm trusting that chemicals are a minimum since the title of the item is "eco natural suncare".
So far, no breakouts from this item or sensitive redness or itchiness.

I'll be restocking this item for sure.

rating: 9/10, good for sensitive skin

Update on Weight-y issues

Earlier i had some issues outlined here, wherein i shed weight too fast:
http://beu-tilicious.blogspot.com/2011/08/weight-y-issues.html, back in august 2011.



Pork belly:

Fatty lamb cuts:

As of today:


UPDate: June 13th 2012, 
very much balanced now. I am 163-164cm in height and my weight is now pretty much balanced at 47+kg. Phew, the shoving food into my stomach phase is a thing of the past now. I believe i have to keep my blood sugar and weight steady and thus, once a week, i eat a fat rich heavy meal, like pork belly meat, lamb/beef cuts with full fats on them. And this keeps me going. On normal days, i eat chicken thigh with fats still left intact, fish on occasion, lean pork, chicken breast meat etc. The key is, i must have meat at least twice a day and the animal fats as well, if not, i'll be yo-yo-ing on my weight and get sleep issues.

Of course, veggies are important too, but to me, meat is now of utmost importance. Veggies do accompany each meal i eat so i won't be deprived of greens and veggie goodness.

best Korean Drama 2012: Queen In Hyun's Man

Spoilers ahead!


oh my god!!
2011-2012 had been a rather dull year for korean dramas.
Until...............queen in hyun's man!! this on deserves two thumbs up with two legs up as well!! I loooove this drama so much.
Chemistry between the leads is simply AMAZING!! Jjang!

This drama is highly prized for its non-cliched uniqueness and everything about it is perfect! Script was good, storyline was fantastic, climax is superb, directorship/cinematography is excellent, and Ji Hyun Woo is the best!~~
It gets you magnetised in your seat to watch episode after episode non-stop. You just cannot stop.




Extremely compatible, perfect chemistry leads:

Ji Hyun Woo as Kim Bung Do

This big guy, and i mean big (standing at 188cm tall!), is simply amazing to the max in this drama! it's no wonder he wins over so many fans with just a smile. Seriously, he does not have many facial expressions in the drama and that gives his smile even more mega watts when his eyes start twinkling and crinkling. This, this only happens when he is with Choi Hee Jin ( Yoo In Na).
You can literally taste the tenderness and warmth in the air when he looks and smiles so tenderly at Choi Hee Jin. Killer! killer!



Yoo In Na as Choi Hee Jin

Eeeeek! have you ever seen such a cutie? She's perfect for the role. Her facial expressions, gestures and overall physical presentation really hits the spot. Her aegyo is perfect and just too cute. Nothing over the top yet "heavy" enough to drive you nuts! haha. Who could resist such a cute pout? who could resist the mischievous twinkly smile? Even if it doesn't melt your heart, you would basically forget her wrong doings and just let it go~ that's how powerful her "Cuteness" is.


The drama portrays Kim Bung Do, a man living in an era 300 years ago, zipping back and forth between his time and the present 2012, where he meets our cute Choi Hee Jin. The story goes on with how they fall in love and their strong fate and love brings them to the end.
“Queen Inhyun’s Man’ is a romantic fantasy drama that tells the story of a Joseon era heartthrob scholar who travels in time for the reinstatement of Queen Inhyun, but falls in love with an unknown actress in the future.(credits to kpopfever.com)


The director loves to present different angles of a scene in one shooting which is rather cleverly done and adds a new dimension to us viewers. For example, see the pic below, Choi Hee Jin is getting her hair and makeup done in this scene, and the screen presents 4 different angle shots of the same scene. Pretty unique.

There are plenty of split scenes too that add a touch of "cinema" feel to it, showing different simultaneous happenings at the same time, like these:

The drama boasts plenty of rom-com moments in the present time and yet good solid kingdom treachery/rebellion and action in the past time.
Get ready to be balled over with sugarcoated honey-ed cute moments that will make your heart flutter. Man! the chemistry between the leads is no joke!~
I'll try to post some snapshots here but as of now, just trust me,....watch the drama!

And the kiss scenes????? haha, you wouldn't believe how many kiss scenes there are in the drama and each one takes intensity level up one notch until it reaches the end,,, whoaaa,,,,,.....
First a smack on the lips, then more smacks, then car kiss, then full on french kissing, stepping on toes kiss,  more lovey dovey spaghetti eating kisses (lady and trump?), tie pulling kisses.............heck, do i need to continue? Watch the drama.
The best loved tip-toed kiss:

The ‘tippy-toes’ kiss took place when Yoo In Na, who was 22cm smaller than Ji Hyun Woo, started to stand on tip toes while exchanging a kiss and continued to creep closer until she had climbed on top of Ji Hyun Woo’s feet. The scene especially drew out its romantic mood through a one-minute-long long-take. (credits to http://enewsworld.mnet.com)

I love them.

Cutesy spaghetti eating kiss~~ yum!!

Heart wrenching sobs anyone? you'll be having heart aches for a day from episode 14 onwards. It tore my heart apart at this scene, Choi Hee Jin was sobbing tearfully learning of Kim Bung do's death:

ALL and i mean ALL her sobbing scenes are so very well done you can't find any flaws in it. They all make my heart twist in pain and my eyes well up in uncontrollable tears. Without knowing, you'll be bawling with hand-stuffed tissues. Bravo to Yoo In Na! she must've put in a lot of effort to be bawling her guts out in front of the camera. Bravo!

Ji Hyun Woo, apparently fell for Yoo In Na in real life too. Google Ji Hyun's Woo's confession and get a load of stuff on it. He confessed his love for her in front of fans and camera during a fan meeting and caused a worrisome stir.

I think they do look good together and yeah, fully support if they do go out in real life!

Rating: 9/10 must watch!!

Well i'm not sure what happened after that, will Yoo In Na accept his love?

PS: i favour this drama over rooftop prince, which was ok by the way.


NG scenes on youtube:

Korean Drama : Feast of the Gods

This is a 2012 drama to be remembered!! I thought it was a light hearted drama. The name and the poster drew me to it as i like to watch cooking shows. The poster looked so upbeat and colourful giving the impression of a lighthearted, heart warming comedy with a light touch of romance.

I was so wrong. This drama is full on melo and quite dramatic. All about mixed up childhood and harboured ill feelings and guilt. Romance was also full on but nothing light. However, one thing is for sure, the cooking scenes are so beautifully featured and very very colourful. Lovely!

The storyline wasn't too bad and the star of the show?? hehe, none other then............... read on .................with spoilers!



Starring:
1. Sung Yu Ri as Go Joon Young

This pretty thing just got prettier!! Her last drama in "romance town" was a  bummer, it was disappointing. But this one is really good. I think she performed very well and she was able to embody the fullness of her character.
Joon Young harbours no ill feelings toward anyone despite her traumatic childhood experiences. Being separated from her parents and growing up the hard way, she trudges through life with a very positive easy going heart. This pretty thing charms her ways into others' hearts so easily without her being conscious of her charms.
And guess whose hearts she manages to capture along the way???

two amazingly good looking hunks!! Can you believe it? two hunks!


2. Joo Sang Wook as Choe Jae Ha

Owww, aren't they cute in the pic?
Joo Sang Wook belongs to a well-to-do family from the prestigious authentic traditional Korean restaurant, named Arirang. Jae Ha and Joon Young were supposed to be childhood friends, but through twisted events, Joon Young was lost as a child and she grew up in a remote island away from the city.By fate, they meet while Jae Ha was on an errand in the island. Without knowing Joon Young's real identity, he was charmed by her lively ways and soon when Joon Young moves into the city to work in Arirang, he begin to be wholly captivated by her despite him having a girlfriend.


3. Lee Sang Woo as Kim Do Yoon

Aaaahhh!!
This is it! This is it! He's the highlight of the entire drama!! seriously, his smiles are just too captivating!~~~

This hunk of hunks never looked to hunky! I watched plenty of his older work and was never captivated by him despite his good looks. But in this drama, somehow , it must be the character of Kim Do Yoon so well written and portrayed, it made Lee Sang Woo stand out a lot! Like a screaming bright morning star!

Do Yoon harbours anger and resentment toward his only family member, his mother. And grew up with only one goal, to avenge the death of his twin brother whom his mother indirectly killed. He is very reserved and is a man of few words. His trademark? a slight raising of eyebrows and a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders speaks all.  Haha, i've never seen shrugging of shoulders as cute, but my-oh-my, Do Yoon's trademark shrug is soooo cool. He does not need to smile, he just shrugs his shoulders and walks away from any conversation leaving the challenger dumbfounded and best of all, irritated to the max.

With such aloofness and skewed purpose in life, he has no friends, and never lets anyone break into his personal perimeter..................well, that was until he meets Go Joon Young. This charming girl, like a witchcraft spell, enters into this personal space and more, touching and piercing his heart. He falls for her hard, very hard. And his purpose in life now encompasses loving only Go Joon Young. He cares not whether she returns his love, his only purpose is to love her. And man! does he do it so sweetly. The things he does for her are totally to-die-for even risking his life over deathly mushrooms that can cause him serious effects, and he never expects anything in return.

And he only only only smiles at Go Joon Young. When he parts his lips and reveals two perfect rows of white pearly teeth, any girl would definitely swoon! And his physique, hah, need i say more? Of course, korean dramas are infamous for their male stars going topless in the shower, so...................


4. Seo Hyun Jin as Ha in Joo

Owwww, she did a really good job.
It's the first time i laid my eyes on her and i think she did a really really great  job. She takes on the villain role in the drama and man, you just can't restrain from wanting to slap her left and right.
She's gorgeous as well! She does not have the typical Korean actress-cum life doll look with humongous large luminous eyes, too sharp and tall a nose bridge, and sharply shaved jaw lines.
Seo Hyun Jin looks amazingly gorgeous and natural with the smallish eyes and her very pale skin. The only Korean actress that i know who looks so beautiful with small eyes. Her skin is amazing! not a blemish to be found, not a wrinkle, not a line!  She's born in 1985 whereas Sung Yu Ri is born in 1981. Well, no wonder her skin is so much tighter and refined. I think she has unique looks and characterise Korean/asian small slanted eyes beautifully.


My opinion:
Great drama! so far, 2012 has been a boring year and there's nothing much i can update with. But with this drama, Korean drama seems to have made its comeback again for me.
It's a joy to watch and i mostly like to watch Kim Do Yoon with Go Joon Young. I root for them all the way! they make the cutest couple!

There are some fast-forwarding moments where the drama seems to tarry on some teary scenes and older adult challenges. But all in all, worthy of my time.

Rating: 7/10 (lowered rating due to many fast-forwarding scenes)

korean drama: what i've been watching

Lately, none of the Korean dramas kept me on my toes nor kept me burning late night oil.

So far been watching plenty.....



Dream High 2 

pretty alright but nothing striking. I prefer Dream High 1 which was more energetic, more spell binding, more fun. I couldn't even finish the drama, still have 3 last episodes to watch which i shall if i have time.
Kang So Ra was less than adorable. Didn't like her at all. Jin Woon was eye candy enough and did a job well done for his first time acting.
JB was irritating and Park Ji Yeon was even more irritating.

I would give this one a 5/10.




High Kick 3

 at first it was great and i looked forward to it every week, not until the last 4-5 weeks or so, nothing to look forward to. Storyline kept going on and on and on with no particular climax or interest development. And the ending was lousy. It was soooooooo bland and tasteless.
The development of the characters was immature. Kim Ji Won is number 1 on the list. Her character development was flawful (opposite of flawless??). How could they make her her vision so blinded? Aargh, i'm glad she did not have any successful romantic lines at all, it would be terrible.

Best character goes to Lee Jong Seok. From a nobody who think he has no future with poor grades to an aspiring hard working student who enters top school successfully. Nice.

Other than that, everything else seems irritating. Baek Jin Hee for example, very poor character who thinks more for herself. I always fast forward those episodes with Baek Jin hee.

Sweet couple award goes to Park Ha Sun and Soh Ji Seok. These two are really cute to watch and the development from friends, to one sided love, to successful couple is fun to watch. Also, their sweet antics with each other melts even ice cream.

I give more credit to High Kick 1 and High Kick 2, the best being High Kick 2 although it had the worst sitcom ending. High Kick 3 is the most mellow of all the seasons.

I would give this a 7/10.



Operation Proposal

I had high high hopes for this since its genre is under Fantasy and Romance. I love Korean fantasy dramas such as 49 days and Secret Garden. So i had great expectations for this. Moreover, the star Yoo Seung Ho is pretty cute.

Blech! this was a real disappointment. I hated it. The first few episodes were quite entertaining and i thought, yes, this one should be a winner for this month.
The repetitive nature of going back and forth in time space dulled it out. And although the story line and plot is unique and good, i guess the directorship's to be blamed. It bored me to tears. They couldn't carry out the unique storyline.

Nope, this one's a failure for me, i'd give it only 4/10.

the Moon that embraces the Sun rambling

i've been watching some korean dramas lately, but so far nothing impresses me.


The Moon that Embraces the Sun

Starring (main cast):
Kim soo hyun as Lee Hwon- the King

Kim Soo Hyun did a good job here. He looks a lot better here than in Dream High. In fact, back in Dream High, i thought he looked a little too ordinary to be up as main cast. But in this drama, wow! He manages to punch an impressive marking as the King. His crying scenes are really good too. Good job soo hyun.

~~side note: i think his face and head is reaaaaaaaaallllllllly small. But surprisingly, it does not look out of proportion on his body! With that small head and face, Han Ga In looks surprisingly round like a little steamed bun next to him! haha.



Han Ga In as Heo Yeon Woo

Hmmmm, she's a pretty thing alright. But somehow i can't pinpoint on what is missing. Her acting seems a bit out as if she can't blend into the character. Nope, i think they should've cast someone else.



Jung Il Woo as Yang Myung

Jung Il Woo did a pretty good job. However, Soo Hyun was so much more impressive! Il Woo looked so much larger and even his face, looked a little like a steam bun next to Soo Hyun's small head!



I must say, the story and plot was captivating at first and had my eyes swollen from all that crying. The first 1-7 episodes were the stars of the show! Well, that's where the young cast came in and left. Once the adults played in, i am not sure why, but the appeal did not follow and i had a hesitant time trying to get through to the end.

 I love the younger cast where in they played the main cast's younger days. I could watch a whole drama with just the young cast as they played and portrayed the roles soooo well, so very well. Here are the absolute stars i'm talking about:

as young Lee Hwon, Yeo Jin Ku:

He played the young Lee Hwon so well , so well. His crying scenes were absolutely perfect!!! they'll get your bawling your soul out in no time. On the other hand, he makes you laugh and teases with much humour. And the romance he has with the young Yeon Woo is amazing, it gets your heart melting.


as young Yeon Woo, Kim Yoo Jung;

Kim Yoo Jung plays the smart, highly learned bookworm very well. And gosh, she has such good chemistry with Yeo Jin Ku, it's simply amazing!


as young Heo Yeom, ZeA's  Im Si Wan

This young actor is an absolute sight to behold! Really, another Go Mi Nam, a cute flower boy. He shines so much brighter than the adult Heo Yeom and overpowers him. Once the adult Heo Yeom appeared, the character Heo Yeom diminishes into the shadows. No more stand outs. Heo Yeom becomes a forgotten character.
Si Wan is really cute. Seems that its his first debut in acting, so his performance was somewhat stiff. Yet it delivers and amuses at the same time.


I'd give the moon that embraces the sun credit for directorship. Although the storyline and plot is not out of this world, but the directorship was pretty good. It can get a little boring at times, but still, i'm sure many out there has enjoyed given the high high ratings achieved. Seemed like this drama has been a great success drawing much attention.

I didn't enjoy it very much, only the beginning with the younger cast impressed upon me. This is one where i would not keep nor re-watch.

My personal opinion: 6/10