KUHO PLUS Limited Edition

Recently in my chemistry class, I studied about some environmental heros who care about the environment more than other people do. Although those people are good at their careers, they also apply some environmental values to their work so that they don’t hurt the environment in their processes of doing their jobs. While surfing the web, I read an article about a designer named Jung, Ku Ho, who cares very much about the environment and animals. His design is known to be very creative and unique because it is different from others; while looking at some of his clothes, I noticed that all of his clothes contained geometric lines or shapes in them.

Every year, KUHO has a period of promotion during which it sells limited editions to people. This year, the concept is know to be ‘de stijl’, a combined sport in the 1920s. This year’s designs are very three-dimensional, and they are perceived not merely clothes, but pieces of artwork.

This year, the limited edition of KUHO, which is called KUHO PLUS, has many clothes made of light textiles that are convenient for people to wear while they are spending time outside on hot summer days. The colors included in the collection are beige, white, and black, the most basic colors. This year, KUHO is planning on helping out needy children and abandoned animals, so I think it is definitely not a bad choice for people to buy KUHO-PLUS clothes both for their styles and their intentions!

Source: http://www.ikissyou.com/IKY_LBrand/news_list.asp?page=2&num=2864&ser_gbn=&ser_text=&ser_cate=

Yangjae Flower Market

Finally, summer has come! After the long, cold winter, spring passed by quickly with rainy days, and now summer is here! These days, when I go outside, I can feel the almost unendurable heat of the hot summer of Korea. Today I went to the Yangjae flower market with my parents because we wanted to buy some flowers to decorate our veranda with. At the flower market, a variety of flowers were being sold at cheaper prices than they are usually sold in smaller flower markets. I think this is because at the Yangjae flower markets, people sell large amounts of flowers at a time while at smaller markets, people sell flowers in little numbers which give them less profits. Although I wasn’t really excited to go to the flower market at first, when I got to see all the different flowers at the market, it was nice to notice the signs of summer and freshness. Also, there were many kinds of flowers that I had never seen before because many of the market people made new species of flowers by mixing two or more different types of plants. Right now, my house is decorated with many flowers that I bought today so it feels like summer has reached our house too!

Bento Art

Unlike in the past when art was generally limited to certain styles, these days there are many different creative arts with varying materials and shapes. One of the most creative, new art styles in the contemporary society is bento art, which originated in Japan. Bento means "a wooden Japanese lunchbox", and recently, many styles of bento have grabbed many people’s attention for their creativeness.

Source: http://blogs.sfweekly.com/foodie/2010/10/bento_boxes_star_wars_geeky.php

Bento art is popular not just because they are pretty and creative, but because they are also edible. Although it would be hard to eat such detailed, elaborate form of art for a normal lunch, I believe it would still be a very special gift for someone you love!

Source: http://rpgaming.prophpbb.com/topic3026.html

Some people might think that bento art can’t provide the necessary amount of nutrient to people. However, if you look at bento art such as the one above, you can see that it includes not only a lot of rice, but also other foods that can give people many essential nutrients. Because of this, bento art had been popular mostly only in Japan in the past, but these days, it has become well-known even in other parts of the world. Also, it is not hard to create them yourself if they don’t require a lot of detailed work!

Spirited Away

Source: http://keitai.muryougazou.jp/gazou.php?id=2410&category=11

"Spirited Away" by Hayao Miyazaki is one my favorite movies that I watch whenever I want to just relax and be free from all the stress. I think it is one of the very few animation movies that can be watched by a wide range of audience, but still contain a lot of significant, deep meanings within the context and plot of the movies. Just to tell you a little bit about the story, a ten-year old girl, Chihiro, accidentally gets to a mysterious place where monsters and spirits live while exploring a new place with her parents. To return her parents into humans (while exploring the place, they turn into pigs because they eat the foods of the mysterious place), Chihiro gets a new name, Sen, to work in the bathhouse of Yubaba with a lot of help from Haku. Overall, I think the movie portrays Chihiro's transition from childhood from adulthood by showing her entering the new, mysterious world. When she starts working at Yubaba's bathhouse, she loses of name, which represents her childhood; then, she gets a new name for her adulthood to start almost a new life with full responsibilities for herself and also for people around her, such as her parents. The vivid images and detailed settings of the movie makes me fall deeper and deeper into the movie as I watch "Spirited Away". There is a Disney version of the movie, but I personally think that the original Japanese version of the film is better with the Japanese voices that make the story sound more realistic for some reason.

Go to this site for the second part!
http://video.baamboo.com/watch/5/video/332324/phim-video-clip-VietSub-Spirited-Away-Part-22.html

Smile, You

My second post about a Korean drama!
Actually, this drama ended a few months ago, but it's my favorite drama. There weren't many famous top stars involved in the drama, but there were many talented actors and actresses who made the drama more fun and interesting along with the well-written script. The main story line of the drama is a love story of Jung-In, a spoiled girl who got abandoned by her future husband at the wedding, and Hyun-Soo, a polite, skilled man who is timid when loving someone.
Although the two families don't like each other, the families of Jung-In and Hyun-Soo were related from a long time ago because Hyun-Soo's grandfather had worked as Jung-In's grandfather, a president of a big company's, private driver. Because Jung-In's spoiled father failed to run his father's company well, he lost all of his money, and moved into Hyun-Soo's family's house. Hyun-Soo's grandfather called him in because he wanted to turn Jung-In's father into a real person, who doesn't just go for his own interests and benefits, but knows how to take care of his family. As the story continues, Jung-In's family change from a spoiled one who only know how to spend money to a family who truly care for each other and earn money for themselves.
The love line of Jung-In and Hyun-Soo is at first distracted by Jung-In's older sister and former fianc, a spoiled successor of the company Hung-Soo works for. Jung-In's sister was Hyun-Soo's first love for eight years from the time when they were in college; Jung-In's former fianc came back to her and pleaded her to come back to him, saying that he didn't realize how much he had loved her before. Also, when Hyun-Soo and Jung-In first told their families that they love each other, there was a strong disagreement from the families.
Anyway, the story ends with a happy ending where the two families care for each other even more than what other real families do, and live happily ever after! The drama was more interesting than the others to watch because of the comical scenes and lines added on to the well-written story. Even after the drama ended, there were several commercials where the cute couple of this drama came out, and I really want them to just marry each other in real life!
I strongly recommend all of you to watch this drama!


Hyun-Soo feels sorry for Jung-In, who is sad because of Hyun-Soo's mother who doesn't want her as her daughter-in-law


Jung-In (Lee Min Jung) and her former fianc, Han-Se during their wedding


Jung-In and Hyun-Soo on a magazine!

Source 1
Source 2
Source 3

Korean Drama: Cinderella's Sister

Source

Cinderella's Sister! This is a new drama that is broadcasted on Wednesdays and Thursdays (10:00~11:00 P.M. in Korean time) that I started watching recently. Although the title of the drama includes the word, "Cinderella", the drama itself is nothing like the old, happy-ending story of Cinderella. The drama mainly focuses on Eun-Jo (acted out by Moon Gun Young), a girl who doesn't know how to start or continue good relationships with people because of the unstable environment she was raised in; her mother had married numerous men who weren't always nicely mannered or appropriate to be good fathers. I don't know what exactly the characters in the drama will experience as the story continues, but I think it will be about how Eun-Jo and her sister Hyo-Sun become more mature as they go through many conflicts.

Until now, the basic story line is that Eun-Jo and her mother moved into the wealthy house of Hyo-Sun and her father, who runs a business that produces Korean traditional drinks, after the marriage of Eun-Jo's mother and the man. At first, Hyo-Sun (the daughter of the man), who had wanted a caring mother (her mother had passed away when she was young), welcomed Eun-Jo to be her sister because she was a lonely only child. However, Eun-Jo was nothing like what she had expected from a kind, mature sister: she was cold, mean, and most importantly, started to take things away from Hy0-Sun. First, smart Eun-Jo got more attention than her from Hyo-Sun's father, and Eun-Jo's mother limited Hyo-Sun's interaction with her father. Also, a man who Hyo-Sun had liked from her early childhood, Ki-Hoon, started caring more about Eun-Jo because he felt bad for her; he thought Eun-Jo was similar to him as he also grew up in a stressful, unstable environment. Ki-Hoon was a hidden son of the president of a successful company, who was always treated unfairly and insulted by his half brothers.

In the beginning, Hyo-Sun liked her step sister even when Eun-Jo ignored her spoke meanly to her. However, I think she started to think differently of her sister and even hate her as she gets the know about the real personality of Eun-Jo.

Personally, this drama is very interesting for me because of the actors and actresses with roles that they've never tried before. For example, Moon Gun Young, an actress who is commonly recognized as an innocent younger sister of the country, is acting as a mean, cold-hearted girl in this drama. Also, this drama shows new faces as it is the first drama of Chun Jeong Myong after his return from the army, and Seo Woo (Hyo-Sun) rose as a new star. Furthermore, Taek Yun, a singer who belongs to 2PM, a famous singing group in Korea, started his new career as an actor is this drama.

I can't wait until next Wednesday to see what happens!

Chun Jeong Myong (Ki Hoon)
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Taek Yun (Jeong Woo)


Seo Woo (Hyo Sun)
Source



Moon Gun Young (Eun Jo) and Seo Woo (Hyo Sun)

Fake Miniature Foods in Japan

Source: http://hurricanevanessa.com/whats-big-in-japan-miniature-fake-food/

Do they look real? But be careful not to eat them because they're only about the size of your fingers! When just looking at photos of these artworks, it is hard to distinguish a fake miniature food from real food because of the astonishing details of the tiny artworks. According to my basic knowledge about these kinds of artworks, it takes about the same or even more amount of time as making the corresponding real foods to make these miniature figures. As a person with bad eyesight and no skills related to art, I can't imagine how people add on the little details with tweezers to complete the figures.

The process of making a fake miniature cake

Source: http://www.feedgeeks.net/category/online-store/

Fake miniature of salmon

Source: http://cubeme.com/blog/category/art/page/3/

Japan, as it has been recognized as one of the many countries with cultures that consist of many handicrafts and skilled art, has many of its people making these miniature foods and even other things such as entire settings/locations and furniture. These miniatures when completed are usually used as decorations and are sometimes used as earrings, rings, cellphone strings, and others. Because of the realistic appearance of these artworks and relative familiarity of them, miniature art has become one of the most popular, famous types of art around the world, especially in the eastern hemisphere.

Source: http://randommization.com/page/71/

Miniature ring of pizza

Pray for Japan

Source: http://www.newageparadise.com/2011/03/pray-for-japan.html

As all of you readers probably know, a devastating earthquake hit Japan on March 11, 2011. It was followed by a destructive tsunami, that swept over entire towns and villages of Japan, and destroyed lives of many, many people. Although Japan, an island country, has been aware that natural disasters can happen anytime on its land, this earthquake with the magnitude of 8.8 seems to be just unbearable and shocking to the Japanese and even people of other countries. Currently, the grief over the casualties and the issues concerning radiation are preventing Japan from functioning freely.

Now, is Japan's sorrow one of the "simple joys of my life"? Of course not. Japan and its culture have been the topics that I've talked about the most in the posts of my blog, and I wanted to remind people and myself of how we all should try to encourage and help Japan. There are many activities and events that are intended to inspire and promote helps for Japan, and one of them that I would like to turn people's attention to is "Pray for Japan".

Source: http://jackschull.wordpress.com/2011/03/14/pray-for-japan/

According to the site of this group, http://prayforjapan.org, there are different kinds of prayers for each day.

Monday - Pray for the 1,700 towns and villages without a single christian church.

Tuesday - Pray for Japanese christians who represent only 1/3 of one percent of the population.

Wednesday - Pray for the missionaries and pastors in Japan.

Thursday - Pray for the Tokyo area with a population close to 20 million.

Friday - Pray for Osaka with a population of 8.6 million.

Saturday - Pray for the thousands of Japanese University students who are studying in the USA.

Sunday - Pray for Nagano. There are 43 unreached towns and villages with no churches.

Although I'm not a Christian, I thought it is very interesting and inspirational of the Christian community to try to encourage people to think of the Japanese and pray for them. Other than this group, there are many other figures who are active in helping Japan in forms of donation, encouraging messages, and many others. For example, Takehiko Inoue, the writer of "Slam Dunk", drew sketches named "Smile" to cheer up Japan and to give hope to the Japanese in despair.

Source: http://orendsrange.blogspot.com/2011/03/haruhis-noizi-ito-and-slam-dunks.html

Because Japan's grief is not entirely irrelevant to us, let's help and encourage Japan to move on from the damages of the earthquake!

Magic Eggs

Source: http://www.infmetry.com/toys/magic-egg-mini-pet-plant

Are you always worried about growing a plant because you're afraid the plant would die soon? Don't worry! With Magic Egg, you can grow little plants easily! I didn’t know about this creative item until last January when I traveled to Japan with my mom. While looking around the shops for unique items (because Japan is famous for its interesting, special products), we found a section with little plant-growing objects. There were mini flowerpots, and the Magic Egg that attracted my attention!

Source: http://www.bombayharbor.com/Product/27315/Crackself_Magic_Egg.html

According to the descriptions on the instruction paper, which was inside the box with the egg, it is really easy to grow the plant. You just have to crack the top of the egg to make a small hole for the plant to grow out of. Then, you can water the plant two to three times a day, and place it in a place with a lot of sunlight. There were many different types of plants that could grow from the eggs; depending on the seeds that are inside the eggs, plants from strawberry flowers to tomatoes can grow from the Magic Eggs. Also, while searching for more information about the Magic Eggs, I found some interesting types of Magic Eggs, which are called “I Love You” Magic Eggs. They’re the same as other Magic Eggs, but their plants have messages such as “I Love You” and “Happy New Year” on the leaves. I think it would be a brilliant present for a person you want to send deliver a message to! These Magic Eggs are not really cheap, but I think it would be a good idea to have one!

Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dy7Y2syq-7A&feature=related

Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea

Ponyo on the Cliff is a movie made by a famous Japanese movie director Hayao Miyazaki. I've watched many of his other movies, but didn't get a chance to watch this one when it first came out in 2008. Personally, I like Hayao Miyazaki's movies because his movies not only enrich the audience's eyes but also their minds; every scene in his movies contains a deep meaningwhile being portrayed with beautiful illustrations at the same time. I watched a dubbed version of the original Japanese movie, Ponyo on the Cliff; although some people might think that animation movies are just for little kids, this movie was actually very interesting and fun for me because all the characters in the movie were positive-minded and very pure, I would say. Even the adults in the movie were pure like little children; for example, Soske's mom let Ponyo stay at her house right away instead of thinking that Ponyo's story, that she turned into a human from a fish to meet Soske, was just a story made up by a child.

This is a movie trailer of the Japanese version with English subtitles.


I would definitely recommend you all to watch this movie, especially if you haven't watched any of Hayao Miyazaki's movies, because you will be able to learn lessons and enjoy the story, in which Soske and Ponyo become great friends!

Click Here for a website that has the original Japanese version of the movie divided into eleven parts. Unfortunately, there are Korean subtitles in it, but no English subtitles.. : ( By the way, I LOVE Ponyo and Soske's voices in the movie! They're so cute!

Sources
http://www.nipponcinema.com/releases/dvd/ponyo-on-the-cliff-by-the-sea-walt-disney-home-ent/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gh4rqs62pL8

Animal Yokocho

Many Japanese animations that are dubbed into Korean are broadcasted in Korea. They are usually broadcasted at four o'clock, which is the time most little kids watch television at home after they return from their schools or kindergartens. Yesterday, I got to watch an animation called Animal Yokocho for the first time, and I decided to talk write a blog post about it because I thought it's really cute and fun!

Animal Yokocho is about a girl who meets three talking dolls who eventually become her friends. These are the characters:

Name: Mr. Lee

He didn't come out much until now, but I am expecting him to be a very random, funny character who introduces the Animal Land to Ama.

Name: Yi Ssa

Yi Ssa is a panda who makes other people feel comfortable when he is talking to them. Although he looks timid and weak, he is actually very strong and he knows how to do many things.

Name: Canta

Canta is a bear who is usually nice to others, but who can be offensive sometimes.Also, he feels lonely very easily, and is often teased by Yi-Yo for his mistakes.

Name: Yi-Yo

Yi-yo is a rabbit doll with a very random characteristic. She dies (or should I say her soul exits her body) when she feels lonely or feels like she is abandoned by her friends. For example, when Ama rejects Yi-Yo's help or offer, Yi-Yo faints and her soul comes out of her body.

Name: Ama

Ama is a girl whose room has the door to the Animal Land, where the talking animal dolls live. She is surprised by the dolls at first, but later takes care of them and becomes friends with them.

Unlike what you would expect from an animation made for children, there are many comical, humorous lines in this animation that I don't think children would understand; therefore, I think Animal Yokocho is a great animation for older people too!

These are some clips of the first episode.

Sources:

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=5793

http://www.crunchyroll.com/user/-SUZUNE-

http://www.animeclick.it/anime.php?titolo=Animal+Yokochoooooo

http://blog.naver.com/mwsolove1?Redirect=Log&logNo=120062047410