stringless_kite

(11) BWS: Lee Jonghyun

2013-04-01T08:29:41Z

Perhaps the reason why I've taken so long to make the 11th BWS is because this boy has been my bias for a while now because of how much I admire his personality and character. ~~Not in a I WANT HIM TO BE MY BOYFRIEND kind of way~~

I had a lot of saved quotes, pictures, tumblr likes of this boy. It was more the process of elimination of what to post in this entry because I had bits and pieces of compiled info of him everywhere.

This is not a pimp post - just me purely flailing how much I adore this Busan boy…aka the first Korean boy to add to my BWS archive. ;)

Let me introduce to you the burning Lee Jonghyun!

"I really am burning, in my life and when doing what I want to do."

- Lee Jonghyun, Vogue Girl Interview (2012)

Lee Jonghyun is a 22yo guitarist, musician, singer, songwriter, actor and FOOD-LOVING glutton. He's most well known for being the lead guitarist and second vocals to a Korean band called CNBLUE. He has also recently gained more popularity from acting in A Gentleman's Dignity, a Korean drama which was broadcasted in 2012.

He was born in Busan, moved to Japan for some period moved and then returned to Busan to complete his middle school and high school. In the past, Jonghyun did taekwondo and was exceptional at judo (lol) and has a black belt for that sport.

"Seeing that he learned Judo skills in a very short time and then won the prizes, and also got trained music in a short time and accomplished his dream to be a singer, we can guess his strong tenacity in everything. Many trainees must prepare for long years, but he enjoyed that time as a trainee and finished the preparing time fast." (Jonghyun's old vice-principal, cnbjonghyun.tumblr.com)

He's apparently has been known to his judo skills/strength in real life. When he witnessed a man hitting a woman and an old man hitting a younger boy, he'd intervene and prevent the victim from getting hurt further. He's not the type to sit around and do nothing if it's within his capability. (link)

Although he was great at judo, he felt discouraged. In an interview, Jonghyun mentioned that he thought that he wouldn't get far in the sport because he had reached his limit and there were many others who were more talented than he was. He then focused more on school, becoming rather studious and achieving good grades. He was an honour student and apparently had a good attendance record.

Jonghyun was even elected to be the student body president, but declined the position. The Vice Principal stated, "However, he rejected my suggestion in a humble manner. His soul was only filled with music, so it seemed that he thought ‘such position is just tiresome'…" (link). Somehow, I'm not really surprised that Jonghyun had rejected the offer because it seemed 'tiresome'.

Yonghwa's the leader of CNBLUE, but I think that Jonghyun is capable of being a good leader as well. When Yonghwa went to promote more in Korea, Jonghyun was CNBLUE's replacement leader. I think that if Jonghyun is pushed responsibility, he'll naturally step up. Considering Yonghwa's the leader, Jonghyun gladly lets somebody else be in charge. I personally think he doesn't like receiving too much attention because he likes enjoying himself, laughing from the side...yet working really hard behind the scenes.

If you wish for more thorough and lengthy history of Jonghyun's past, I really recommend you to read this. It's quite detailed and an interesting read.

So far you can see how 'burningly' determined Jonghyun's personality is. He works really hard at every goal he pursues. When it's the extent that he find himself unable to excel, he tries different pathways and reevaluates his goals. That's why he's amazing.

And, ironically, if he hadn't had this type of personality...I don't think he would have joined CNBLUE.

CNBLUE

~~my favourite guitar playing Jonghyun pic~~

When FNC Entertainment's scouter visited Busan to recruit Yonghwa, the scouter had accidentally stumbled across Jonghyun. At that time, Jonghyun was taking a picture with a baby on the street* (link). The scouter approached Jonghyun and asked if he could play an instrument and was interested to audition for FNC, and Jonghyun immediately agreed to it. Later on, Jonghyun stated that he had just started playing the guitar -- but when the scouter approached him, he immediately said that he wanted to a musician xD Therefore, he determinedly practiced the guitar and was made the main guitarist to CNBLUE!

In other words, it was pure luck and fate that Jonghyun was scouted all thanks to Yonghwa!

In CNBLUE, Jonghyun's the second oldest - therefore the hyung to Minhyuk & Jungshin. He's the lead guitarist, but he also is second in charge of vocals. Jonghyun also sings and composes songs too. While Yonghwa's songs have a more rock/pop/catchy edge, Jonghyun's songs are usually slow, acoustic and soothing. They compliment each other. I think that's what makes CNBLUE's music enjoyable to listen to. There's a nice range of acoustic, rock and pop.

CNBLUE's brother-like relationship is cute. Without doubt, it's evident that Yonghwa x Jonghyun are in control of the younger boys. Yonghwa will tell Minhyuk and Jungshin off, but Jonghyun uses a threatening tactic. One time when Jungshin wanted to change his bass arrangement right before a concert in Japan, Jonghyun wasn't happy. Jungshin challenged Jonghyun and ...let's just say Jonghyun punched him?

It's odd because Jonghyun is usually the laughing type, but I guess it would be scary to mess with him. Also, Minhyuk apparently had a girlfriend and Jonghyun ended up telling the company because Minhyuk hadn't told them yet. However, Minhyuk apologised and therefore wasn't hurt like Jungshin was.

Although Jonghyun sounds harsh, it doesn't mean they don't get along. I mean, Jonghyun and Jungshin are Tom & Jerry after all xD

Guitar Freak

"Music and judo are completely different things, but the key to his success are his will and patience."
(link)

Jonghyun self-proclaims him as a 'Guitar Freak'. And, you know what? The nickname suits him very well because Jonghyun is a god damn guitar freak! He's always playing his guitar and he's always willing to learn and improve. And, mind you...he's pretty talented at it. Watch the video below (from 00:40-01:00) and you'll understand what I mean.

And more pics with his love below!

& playing the guitar despite being tired...

Composing Songs

Jonghyun gets inspired my many musicians such as: BUMP OF CHICKEN, Hoobastank, Eric Clapton, Brian Mcknight...etc. He also is a ONE OK ROCK fanboy~~When I had found that out, I was grinning like a maniac~~.

Anywho, he also gets inspired by dramas - quite a few of them being Japanese ones. I've watched most of the dramas listed in that entry and I can see where he gets his inspiration from. <3 It's also good to know that he likes Kimura Takuya. Haha. xD

One of my favourite things about Jonghyun is that he expresses his feelings when he sings, even when his eyes are closed

Out of all the songs Jonghyun's composed, Love in the Rain would have to be my favourite. It's hauntingly beautiful.

As An Actor

Jonghyun's only stepped into acting recently. He starred with Minhyuk in a short film called 'Acoustic' which was somewhat amusing, but the most credited/first official drama that he stared in was in A Gentleman's Dignity.

He had a big/small role in the drama. Again, it was all thanks to Yonghwa. Jonghyun only wanted to play music and didn't even speak the standard language - sticking to his Busan roots. It was only when Yonghwa challenged him that he'd take the acting role if Jonghyun didn't audition, I guess Jonghyun stuck to his game.

Apparently he auditioned SEVEN times to get the role. Another reason why Jonghyun is amazing - he's always determined and willing to give his all. Jonghyun had to get rid of his Busan accent and practiced a lot. It's a good thing he did because I liked him in A Gentleman's Dignity.

It was average acting for his first drama, but I do see room for improvement. He even won an award for it! :) He acts as an arrogant son to one of the four male protagonists (I'm not giving the story line away because it's a great drama!) Definitely watch the drama. I really recommend it!

Guesting on Running Man

A whole lot of you know how much I love Running Man. My dream is/has always been for Commander to spar against Jonghyun. Therefore, seeing Jonghyun on my favourite variety show 3x (in 2013) is amazing. He's the guest that has appeared on Running Man the most in such a short period.

(Episode 127, Episode 129 & Episode 138)

**SPOILERS AHOY!**
The first thing Jonghyun does in the first episode he is on Running Man?

He laughs.

The funny thing is that...he laughs ALL THE TIME. Haha. Even when he's protecting one of the boys in his teams from getting caught, even if he's cornered in a difficult situation - he just laughs xD It's cute and amusing. I think this is why/how the Running Man members don't mind him/warm up to him easily - even when he was being cheeky and trying to eavesdrop on the Running Man team's plan.

I observed how ever since the Running Man team found found out that Jonghyun used to do Judo -- I observed how Commander's interest immediately sparked. These days Commander isn't as competitive as he once was - due to injuries and because he now joins in a fools around with the other members.

In the Busan episode, while protecting Jihyo, Jonghyun got eliminated by the Commander (I think he wanted to get rid of Jonghyun straight away because he sees him as an immediate threat). In the winter olympic episode he immediately gets eliminated because of his hiding spot and didn't even get to challenge anybody. And in the episode that was just aired last week, you FINALLY see some form of combat between Jonghyun x Commander. Commander still kicked but, but you could see Jonghyun's athletic ability too. Jonghyun tends to always be Commander's target xD

And it was cute how he looked after Sulli in the winter olympics special. xD It was like how he protected Jihyo in the Busan episode

Jaesuk labelled Jonghyun as the TV watcher mode because he doesn't say much..he just laughs. Even when Jonghyun's team would lose - he'd laugh.

As for the other members? Sukjin has a soft spot for Jonghyun too. I've never seen him warm up to one of his dongseangs this much xD I loved how he kept saying that Jonghyun was his equivalent in the Olympic episode xD Jonghyun likes to tease Kwangsoo. Gary seems to be amused by Jonghyun too. I haven't really seen much Haha interaction with Jonghyun though. Who knows? There's still time.

If Jonghyun's been on Running Man 3x since the start of the year, there's a high a chance he'll be on it again! I mean...look at Yonghwa? He's practically part of the cast! Haha.

Anyway, Jungshin states that Jonghyun is a Running Man fan anyway. "Recently Yonghwa and Jonghyun hyung appeared in Running Man. Jonghyun hyung turned out the lights and was watching it like a movie. He turned up the volume and concentrated on it. He looked so happy." (link)

Random Factoids & Misc

*>> It's normal for Jonghyun to be taking pictures with children/babies. I found it amusing because that was how he FNC had scouted him. Why? Because Jonghyun has an unhealthy obsession with children - aka, will randomly approach kids because he finds them cute (kinda stalkerish too if seen from another point of view). I always laugh so much in the LA DVD making how he naturally plays with them

>> The only thing he can't seem to perfect is dancing. LOL. Well, he is cute doing it though xD

>> He loves taking pics of himself and with other people

>> He brashly says what's on his mind, not caring about scandals -- even if they're about his love life

>> He had a bad fashion sense? I've read it around through many interviews and articles with even the other CNBLUE members talking how bad it is. Jonghyun likes to wear clothes that are comfortable. I don't see anything wrong about it since it's MUSIC that he's making, but then again...what do you expect from the entertainment industry? -_-"

>> His screaming stress technique

>> Jonghyun's pleasant attitude. How he always laugh. It was fun watching him guest on Running Man because you could see how easily the members warmed up to him. I think it's his friendly atmosphere & aura. I especially found it funny how SuJu's Kyuhyun made him become an additional member to the 'kyu-line'.

>> Episodes he has guested on Yonghwa's WGM: 1,6,7, 21, 22, 29, 37, 39, 46, 47, 50.

>> And, lastly, Jonghyun's video on TGIF. It's hilarious. He's such a dork. He'll eat the food before serving it, drop everything on Jungshin's feet and the epic attempt to charm the camera (at the end)..but fails immensely.

Oh, Jonghyun. Please stay the way you are!

I think that this has to be my longest BWS entry. I just really find Jonghyun admirable because he went through so many pathways to find out what he really wanted to do career wise. That...and he always gives his 100%!

Related links: pregnantcigar's pimp post & cnbjonghyun.tumblr

I guess...this turned out to be a full pimp post xD I spent quite a few hours on this entry and now I've got to rush to my night shift! So much for sleeping -_-" ~~will edit this entry another day!~~

(Click here to see the BWS index for other editions)

(10) BWS: Narimiya Hiroki

2012-12-12T12:24:43Z

Been a busy day for a day off, and I need to leave in about half an hour or so...so I thought I might as well start a new entry to this boy flailing since I have all the pics screencapped already xD

Say hello to Narimiya Hiroki AKA the tenth Boy With Spunk! Who knew that I'd actually get this far? Haha.

Narimiya Hiroki is a 30 year old Japanese actor & model. He started off as an actor, but eventually - due to being quite the fashionista - acquired a range of modelling jobs as well. I wouldn't be surprised since the guy is pretty photogenic & not sore to the eyes, if you know what I mean ;)

He probably is one of the first Japanese actors that I've seen act, and who actually managed to stay in my mind. Was it because of his pretty boy presence? Perhaps. But there's much more than Hiroki's appearance. Like multiple Japanese actors, Hiroki has versatility under his belt. He can do a range or roles & be amazing at them.

I've said earlier in the MatsuShota post how Matsu works his eyebrows, I think Hiroki expresses his acting well through his mouth. Through pouts, smirks, scowls, frowns...he knows how to get his message across to the audience how each character he acts is feeling. In addition, I think he has very emotional eyes as well. The range of emotions on his facial expressions are bizarre and when he cracks a smile, you can't help but smile? I think that's just naturally Hiroki's specialty. I mean, he's not a human emoticon like Maruyama Ryuhei ~~I don't think anyone can master Maru's emoticon like face~~, but Hiroki is very animated. With that being said, it's no real surprise why Hiroki's been acting various roles in his rich, flourishing acting career.

Now let's go way back to the beginning. The soft spot for Hiroki began when I watched Orange Days (2004), the first drama I've seen him in. Actually, it might have been Gokusen...but I technically finished Orange Days first - so I'll just stick to Orange Days for the moment before I confuse myself.

In Orange Days, Hiroki acts as Aido Shohei. His character is confused, like many of the characters in this drama, with what he wants to do with his life...what road he wants to travel. He's good friends with Kai & Keita, but is still figuring what to do with himself. He knows he loves photography. He's the player in the group. He's bouncy & over friendly, and he eventually falls for uptight & strict Akane. It's a pretty cute drama. A nice slice of life!

And here are some Gokusen (2003) screencaps just because. While many people found MatsuJun pretty, my eyes were definitely on Hiroki. Dude, he wore scarves! Haha.

I saw him in NANA next. I remember when they first announced that they'd make a live-action adaption to the manga. I was really happy because at that time NANA was my favourite manga AND I thought Hiroki would do well as Nobu. As Nobu, Hiroki starred in both NANA (2005) & NANA 2 (2006). Innocent, hyperactive, cute Nobu. Did he do Nobu's character well? I think that he did. ^^

On a random note, I absolutely loved his mohawk in NANA 2. xD

I'm not sure what comes next. I think it might have been Last Quarter (2004). I only remembered that I've seen this movie when I flicked through my hard drive to screencap Hiroki movies/jdramas. To be honest, I don't really remember this movie completely. I remember liking it a lot, so I'll probably rewatch it again at some point.

I think Hiroki acts as Mizuki's boyfriend. You can tell there's some deep chemistry going on, if you know what I mean? ;) I think he cheated on her? Ok, I'll leave it there because my terrible memory is not doing me any good. Nevertheless, his character interaction with Kuriyama Chiaki. That's one thing I definitely remember.

He's made a few guest appearances in dramas such as Tokyo DOGS (2009) & The Quiz Show 2 (2009). The gangster boy in Yankee-kun to Megane-chan (2010) was amusing to watch as well, even though I didn't finish that drama...

I thought it was cute when he acted out as spastic Morita from Honey & Clover (2008) too. That was somewhat memorable. At first I didn't really see him as Morita, since I had watched the anime, but I guess Hiroki managed to make it work somehow.

And let's not forget how he can do crazy characters too. Yes, I'm talking about him playing J in Bloody Monday (2008) & its sequel (2010) as well. *inserts creepy pic just for kicks*

I thought he portrayed J well. Twisted, sick, mentally unwell. It was a nice change from his pretty boy stereotypical roles. I think from Bloody Monday, he impressed me more as an actor.
I've seen him in many other dramas/movies, but if I list them all I think I'd go on & on. I didn't even realise I've seen him in this many dramas/movies til today

The thing about Hiroki is that he manages to merge and mingle well with the atmosphere he's put in, the other actors/actresses and, of course, his own character that's he given to portray. Perhaps that's why it inevitably makes him one, in my opinion, invaluable actor in Japan. Hiroki's naturally fantastic at adapting with whatever's thrown at him.

He's just good, alright?! ;)

(Click here to see the BWS index for other editions)

(9) BWS: Nathan Scott

2012-12-06T15:24:24Z

**Contains spoilers!**

Is this an insomnia thing? I think it is. That..and I'm procrastinating instead of writing a new chapter. No. It's definitely an insomnia thing. I need to get up in four and a half hours, yet here I am. Insane in the membrane...but what's new? Those night shifts killed all my brain cells. I am truly & deeply sorry. My humblest apologies. But to be honest, I've never had brain cells to begin with.

Therefore, I bring the next Boy with Spunk on the testosterone menu. One Tree Hill's finest basketball player - Nathan Scott!

And yes, I know that hardly anybody on my f-list knows this guy...but whatever!~ He's still spunky to me :P

"I wanna be somebody who is good enough to be seen with you."

- Nathan Scott; One Tree Hill

Nathan Scott is a fictional character, excellently portrayed by James Lafferty, in an American soap called 'One Tree Hill'.

One Tree Hill is a great watch. Over-dramatic here and there, but it's actually the life lessons learnt that you take with you. The questioning to yourself of what is important, and what really matters. I like the values it explores in this drama & the fact how the writer studies each character in a quite intricate fashion. As a viewer you realise there is much more to each character than meets the eye. I remember following this show all the way since I was in high school &, somewhat, growing up with it. How the show goes through the life span of school life and into the real world makes me love it even more ~~most likely a reason why I love Boy Meets World too!~~.

One of my favourite character developments in the tv show would have to be Nathan's, aka 'Nate'.

Nate is an interesting character. In the first season he's the stereotypical asshole (don't mind the French). While the lead character is Lucas, you see everything in a somewhat biased view & Nate is portrayed in a very negative light. In a sense, it is true...but as the story continues you begin to see more layers to Nate than meets the eye.

He's the top basketball player in Tree Hill, competitive, popular & gets around with the ladies. All he wants to do is make his father proud.

So when Lucas joins the basketball team, Nate instantly sees Lucas as a rival - and he lets the worst of his personality out. Not only because Lucas is a threat to his number one position in the team, but because he wants to prove to his father that he is the better son. AKA, Lucas is in actuality is his half brother!

What drives Nate this way is the way he continuously wants to impress his father, Dan. Nate's father pressures Nate a lot - to the extent that it's beyond obsessive. Because of Dan's obsessiveness for his son to do well in basketball, he neglects a lot of the essential things in life - aka his wife and, well, being a "good" father. He'd do anything to get what he wants, making him the crook of all crooks in One Tree Hill.

Because of Dan's pressure and high expectations of Nate, it's no surprise why Nate's personality turned out the way he did. Being brought up in a stressful environment influenced how Nate acted during his school years. Since Nate was confused between right and wrong, all thanks to his father, he'd amble on the wrong path. Therefore, he acted like a jerk during the first season of OTH. I'm saying the first season BECAUSE after the first season, the viewers see Nate gradually change. ;)

Why?

He ends up getting tutored by Lucas' best friend, Haley. At first I'm pretty sure Nate did it to annoy Lucas & get under his skin, but instead the plan backfired. Nate ended up falling for Haley. :) (Yes, I'm totally a Naley shipper, can't you tell?)

Haley plays an essential role to Nate's character. Without Haley, I don't think Nate would be in this list of spunky boys. His character changes dramatically. In a sense, I always think that Lucas and Nate swapped personalities because while Lucas grew popularity wise, Nate ended up settling down.

Nate changed after meeting Haley. "I wanna be somebody who is good enough to be seen with you."- that quote pretty much sums up my thoughts about Nate's change. Haley is just a special character to Nate's development. Her aura is contagious and I guess that's why Nate turned out being one of the decent guys in Tree Hill.

Sure, Nate and Haley had many fights, set backs, separation periods..but what kept them always together was their perseverance and their love for each other. That, and the fact that every relationship realistically has problems. No relationship is perfect.

From the gradual changes in Nate's personality, Nate finally rebels against his good for nothing father. He even elopes and marries Haley on whim (during their early school years - mind you!), and he becomes a very supportive person as a husband, friend and father. Still devoted to basketball, he soon realised that there were more other important things in his life than trying to be the perfect son.
Nate's character is well-rounded. It's a real pressure to watch his character growth throughout the show with each consecutive season. It's kind of rare to see so much character development on TV shows these days, which is why this makes Nate special.

(Click here to see the BWS index for other editions)

Scratch that. I officially now have 3 hours of sleep left. Uh-oh. xD

(8) BWS: Matsuda Shota

2012-12-04T16:47:28Z

Since insomnia continues to knock on my door, I thought I'd bring another boy to the yard...if you know what I'm sayin' ;) I know it's been a while, but it's finally here! The eighth boy with spunk! Dedicated to dongindetonic & lastingdreams8 because I think they'd appreciate this entry :P

Let's give it up for Matsuda Shota! *insert round of applause here*

For those of you who don't know, Matsuda Shota is a 27yo Japanese actor. He is the son to actor Matsuda Yusaku and actress Matsuda Miyuki and younger brother to actor Matsuda Ryuhei. So, in other words, Shota also inherited the acting genes. I've seen a few things that Ryuhei's been in (including NANA), yet I find Matsuda Shota's acting more appealing to me.

I've always wondered what it was about Matsuda Shota I liked about him. I think it's how he gets really into the characters he acts. And, with that being said, it's definitely his facial expressions that emphasise all his characters. That...and his eyebrows. I don't know if it's just me, but Matsuda Shota masters the eyebrow acting like a pro. I'm serious here. Haha. If you ever watch him in something, keep an eye out for his eyebrow acting ;) LOL.

The first thing I've probably seen MatsuShota act in probably 2006 would be Hana Yori Dango (2005), acting one of Domyouji's F4 sidekicks - Soujiro. I instantly loved his character. Thought he was adorable and good comic relief. The tea-crazed boy who was the ultimate flirt. I loved it. I didn't have a favourite F4 character because Oguri Shun's Rui and MatsuShota's Soujiro tied in number one for me. ~~Actually, I think I might have liked Rui more~~. Anyway, I appreciated Matsuda's acting, but I just found it average because his character didn't really have enough growth in the drama as he wasn't the lead character.

LIAR GAME (2007) might be the second drama I've seen him in. I'm not certain. His character is quite shady in this one. Then again, everything about Liar Game is shady and mysterious. It twists with your head psychologically. Honesty vs. Lies. He's the protagonist's ally because Toda Erika's character naively believes everything. The drama selects a handful of people and shows what extent people go through because of money. I think it's pretty interesting. I've seen Liar Game 2 and the SP (I think?).

I just couldn't really get around to watching the other parts because I'm used to Toda Erika being Matsuda Shota's partner in this drama. I really enjoyed both of them acting together!

Ikigami (2008), Don Quixote (2011) & Tsuki no Koibito (2010) are other things I've seen him in.

Ikigami was bone chilling. Not in a scary way, but more like in a suspenseful drama/psychological-thriller way. The plot is quite interesting. Basically, MatsuShota is a death note deliver. His job is to make sure he gives a letter to a person and breaks the bad news that that person will die in the next 24 hours. The purpose of this was to make people "value" their life as a reminder. Matsuda does a great job at showing his anguish having to do such a horrible job. What makes this movie good is that the whole cast is sensational too. Definitely check this movie out.

Don Quixote = bloody crack. It's hilarious. Matsuda Shota trades bodies with a yakuza boss. I don't know..it's just epic watching him get all angry and acting all boss like. It was so amusing and entertaining to watch!

Tsuki no Koibito was a 'ma ma' drama. It was average. Nothing really sparked for me. Okay, I'm lying..the only person who got me through this drama was Matsuda Shota. I originally wanted to watch the drama for KimuTaku, but I grew bored of his character and ended up liking the scheming Matsuda Shota instead ;)

AS FOR MY FAVOURITE MATSUSHOTA DRAMA OF ALL TIME?

Definitely Love Shuffle (2009). No doubt about it!

Love Shuffle, though corny at times, was entertaining and fun to watch. It starts off with four apartment neighbours getting stuck on an elevator and, somehow, they end up being talked into trying musical chairs. By musical chairs, I mean swapping their partner around to see if they click with someone else.

Matsuda Shota's character was sorta the sleaze out of the bunch. An over confident photographer who liked to pick at girls' weaknesses to get a good photo while they're, somewhat, 'fragile'. In other words, he's an asshole but does a 180 when he is partnered with Yuriko. You realise he's not much of an asshole as one would originally think ;)

My favourite pair involved Matsuda Shota and Yoshitaka Yuriko :) They were ADORABLE together. Here are a few pics below, but I'm not saying what happens because I don't want to spoil anything.

Out of all the actresses Matsu Shota's acted with, I think he has the best chemistry with Yuriko ;) And it doesn't help that this is my favourite hairstyle on Matsuda Shota. You wouldn't believe how much I flailed when I watched this drama xD

(Click here to see the BWS index for other editions)

I think I'll try and sleep now xD

Life Lessons

2012-10-16T13:27:14Z

Before I go to bed, I found this on FB. I thought it was special and decided to repost it on my LJ because I think all of you will find this interesting/sweet/insightful to read. Basically, a reminder about what's important in life when you're feeling lost & when you're searching for clarity. <3

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 Beers.

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full.. The students responded with a unanimous 'yes.'

The professor then produced two Beers from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand.The students laughed..

'Now,' said the professor as the laughter subsided, 'I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things---your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favorite passions---and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car.. The sand is everything else---the small stuff.

'If you put the sand into the jar first,' he continued, 'there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life.

If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you.

Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.

Spend time with your children. Spend time with your parents. Visit with grandparents. Take your spouse out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and mow the lawn.

Take care of the golf balls first---the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the Beer represented. The professor smiled and said, 'I'm glad you asked.' The Beer just shows you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of Beers with a friend.

I love you, my lovely f-list.

k i s s . m e

2012-09-26T11:40:11Z

"If you kiss her mind, her body will follow."

- Pharrell Williams

stringless_kite @ 2012-09-13T21:00:00

2012-09-13T11:00:19Z

Hi! It's preludity aka. Rhea's domestic partner, hacking into her LJ. Because she's washing off germs from her body. We're losers Melbourne-ing it up.

HEHEHE

...

2012-08-18T13:43:08Z

Expected Flailing.

2012-07-25T12:42:54Z

In contrast to last December, there wasn't a lot of promotion going on ~~asides from the concert~~. So seeing Kanjani8 being advertised practically everywhere was amazing.

...MECHA amazing! ;)

Honto!

I'm just posting these pics up for now. I'll write a Japan account another day because there's just so much to say and I really want to do a proper catch up with everyone before I post a massive Japan holiday post of doom.

ILYALL! :D

(7) BWS: Pharrell Williams

2012-05-21T08:01:56Z

Because it's my 700th entry, I thought I'd celebrate it with another special BWS post instead of something sad about my life (lol). This boy happens to be Mr. Pharrell Williams.

There's just something about Pharrell Williams that catches the eye. Whether it be his music, smooth personality or downright swag - he's captivating. Not in a deluded Edward Cullen manner, mind you. ~~Edward Cullen will never make it on my BWS list. Ever.~~

To be all and completely honest, I'm not a rabid fangirl who knows every one of his songs and every detail about Pharrell's life. I could be, but by now you probably have a fair idea how my fandoms are practically everywhere so I only know bits & pieces ~~just getting this straight & out there before I get thrown with an avalanche of rotten tomatoes~~. So if there's a detail that's wrong, give me a shout out. I won't bite...maybe

Pharrell is in his late 30s. To think that someone as fine as him is nearly 40. He doesn't even look like he's that age. Sorry, distracted here. Haha. Anywho, Pharrell known as a rapper, singer, record producer, composer, and fashion designer. Pharrell and Chad Hugo are the founders of the music producing company The Neptunes, that have lent a helping hand to big artists such as Jay-Z, Clipse, Nelly, Gwen Stefani, Justin Timberlake's solo career, Snoop Dogg, Britney Spears & Mystikal ~~just to name a few~~. The Neptunes have been quite successful, even earning themselves three grammy awards. And Pharrel is the co-founder of clothing brands Billionaire Boys Club & Ice Cream Clothing.

He was his own type of swag during high school. He played the saxophone and drums. During summer-band camp, he met Chad where they befriended each other. Both boys were part of a marching band with Pharrell playing the drum, while Chad was the student conductor (link). They spent their free time making beats and performing in groups with fellow childhood friend Timbaland. Williams and Hugo met Shae Haley in high school and began performing together. The trio often met in Hugo's garage, where he beatboxed through a speaker system while Haley danced.

From, what I can remember (however, I can't remember the source), they were desperate to be recognised and ~~correct me if I'm wrong~~ they'd basically stalk a music producer and hide behind cars to get his attention. Nevertheless, they eventually were signed by Teddy Riley in 1992 (link). And eventually their music group, N*E*R*D*, (No one Ever Really Days) was formed.

"No matter how good it looks to people, for me the taste of cupcakes is worth far more than diamonds could ever be."

- Pharrell Williams; Vernissage TV

I probably got into N*E*R*D* maybe when "Maybe" (ha!) was released back in 2004. I loved the song, loved the beat, loved the everything. I think I listened to it during my transition from rnb/hip hop to rock - so because N.E.R.D. was the 'in between' their music was quite pleasant to listen to. There's just a particular style, a catchy rhythm & a different edge in their music that makes it interesting to the ears.

This led me to listen to a few more of their songs. In total I probably only know a handful of their main singles and a few random songs, but those random songs/singles are the songs that I know off by heart. Sometimes, with me, I either know a band for one of their songs - but I memorise everything about it - from the drums to the orgasmic bass to the roaring guitar. Unfortunately, I'm not really in the western music scene anymore, so I don't know his new releases/singles. Shamefully, I think the most I'm up to date with his 'Hypnotize You' because if he's not beside you; he's inside you. ;)

~~Again, sorry...couldn't help myself~~

Thrasher, She Wants to Move, Lapdance, The Way She Dances, Brain, Provider, Tape You, Truth or Dare & Rockstar are probably my favourites. I love his collabs too.

I've been to a N*E*R*D* concert back in 2009 @ Rod Laver Arena (click here for my fan account). Pharell's voice is more sexy live, lemme tell you that ;P On top of that, he's a good entertainer. He got people dancing on the stage & just knew what to do with the audience. It was my first time going to gig that didn't involve pushing in the moshpit, but just people standing & fawning & swooning & appreciating some Pharrell goodness made it memorable. Haha.

~~just because~~ Haha

He's just stereotypically different. He has his own flare, yet is simple. He gives stereotype the middle finger. From being a fashionista to absurdly owning a skateboard halfpipe in his own home. I don't blame him. If I had the money he has, why not? Haha. Afer all, as well for his love for music, Pharrell is known to love skateboarding too. ;) On top of that, he has a childish adorable character. For example, check out this video when he begins to literally sing & dance @ McDonalds. Epic, I tell you. Epic.

On top of all this, what guaranteed me to like him even more is his love for Japan & individuality. I watched Tokyo Rising on youtube (part i, part ii, part iii, part iv & part v) last year and it's an interesting documentary about fashion/art/music/the culture post the earthquake last year. He's one of the main speakers and, I don't know, but I gained much more respect for him after watching the documentary.

So yes, Pharrell William undeniably has spunk. ;)

(Click here to see the BWS index for other editions)

(6) BWS: Takaishi Takeru

2012-05-06T12:30:47Z

In a lame attempt to make myself feel better, I bring the 6th Boys With Spunk guy - Takeru Takaishi! Now, before you think it's the Digimon character (which he is in some sense), I'm actually going to be chattering about the fanfic Takeru Takaishi from the magnificent Seihad Trilogy. In other words, practically everyone on my f-list won't know what I'm rambling on about…but whatever. xD

Written by fanfiction writer TK Takaishi (wow, this is going to get even more confusing)…Takeru is one of the fictional characters I admire the most. He reminds me of goodness, hope, faith and who to turn to when everything in life goes down the drain.

Takeru Takaishi is an inspiration to me & I really do recommend people to check out the Seihad Trilogy for it truly is beautiful and a great pleasure to read. You don't have to know about about Digimon ~~asides from their names~~ to enjoy this story. I know a lot of of friends have told me to shut up about this, but NO...I SHALL NOT! :P

"Keep your eyes on the goal," Takeru said softly. "Remember, God's inheritance. What we'll gain at the end of this pilgrimage, will be far more than all the riches of this world put together…"

- Pilgrimage; Seihad Trilogy

Takeru is strong, sincere, kind, hopeful, faithful, courageous, innocent and whenever his path wavers he manages to claw back onto the road of righteousness. He struggles through many things, but always chooses what is right despite many people questioning or disagreeing with his decisions. He makes a wonderful leader, powerful yet caring, humble and not corrupt.

"I feel like a small man," he said in an uncertain voice, "suddenly asked to move an impossibly huge mountain. All by himself.""

Pilgrimage; Seihad Trilogy

When Takeru found out he was the heir to the Ishidan throne, after not knowing for fourteen years of his life, he reacted like any other teenager going through angst would. He didn't want to hurt anybody, he questioned why it had to be him...yet he managed to pull himself up despite being exposed to the messy situation. And, thanks to his awesome childhood friend, Kari, he managed to be strong.

"But if even you, Takeru, if you collapse on me…how can I be strong? When I am so much weaker than you are?"

It was not about him. People around him drew strength from him, whether he liked it or not. For their sakes, he had to remain strong. They must not be allowed to see his tears, most not be allowed to see his fear. If he was uncertain, they must not know it. If he was scared, he must appear confident. The strong were the most lonely, for there would be no-one to comfort them. They could not afford it.

"I won't collapse on you." The words sounded almost childishly simple. "If you are willing to come with me, I will try to be strong as well."

The Age of Gods; Seihad Trilogy

If I wasn't rambling about boys, I'd also add Kari to the list. Kari was Takeru's rock. His childhood friend, the person that reminded her what/why/who he was. She'd lead him back to the right direction when he'd be feeling down. She was like his other supportive ego, always there to comfort Takeru whenever times would get difficult.

"The dreams can't hurt you Takeru," she said in a surprisingly firm voice. "They're not real. They can't hurt you unless you let them."

{Yagami Hikari} Pilgrimage; Seihad Trilogy

Takeru didn't abuse his power. He preached about goodness and how humanity was not about the battle between the weak and the strong to survive...

"What you've just described is not survival of the fittest, it's survival of the cruelest. The ones who can afford to throw aside their humanity, and live only by their survival instincts, are the winners in the end. According to you, the 'strong' regards everyone and everything with suspicion, and nobody is allowed to approach, lest they harm you. Every seemingly good intent somehow contains some ulterior motive. And thus, you live out your life in silent misery, lonely and forsaken. Tell me Cody. Who is weak then?"

{Takaishi Takeru} Pilgrimage; Seihad Trilogy

Of course, Takeru was not perfect. He is usually calm and composed, but whenever anybody he cares about ~~especially Kari~~ is in danger, he can get quite angry. Everybody has their weak points, right? ;)
"Take another step, and I'll kill you. The only ones I'll allow near Kari are the healers. And definitely not you."

Pilgrimage; Seihad Trilogy

What makes Takeru even more admirable is his never-ending faith for his brother. Although his brother had done so many terrible things, he doesn't neglect or punish him...instead he holds a hand out. Ironically his older brother was like the prodigal son and he was like the welcoming father much to the other stand masters disapproval.

"I have had it with your way, Takeru," he said bitingly. "You found your way after only a year of searching. Six years, I have searched your way. And it has only made me weary. Weary and more and more frustrated."

"You've been looking in all the wrong places," Takeru said as he extended a hand. "Let me help."

Pilgrimage; Seihad Trilogy

"Forgiveness, Takeru, is immediate. But trust…that takes time."

Pilgrimage; Seihad Trilogy

Takeru vouched for his brother despite his brother's infamous history. Being foolish, yet unwaveringly hopeful. Because of the way he thinks, he believed that all the stand masters would agree with him so when they don't, he became rather frustrated and could not see why the others had not forgiven his brother like he had.

Seihad fan art by Takeru Takaishi on deviantart

I'd like to go on forever if I could, but then I think I'll end up pasting the whole story word for word - so I'll stop right here. Takeru's a very inspirational character to me. Every time I reread the Seihad Trilogy, it makes me rethink my steps and reflect. It's a beautiful story so this is why I want to add Takeru Takaishi to my archive of boys ;)
(Click here to see the BWS index for other editions)

♥

2012-04-11T10:53:15Z

Pick yourself up
Smile
I had a dream
Someone offered a hand
Someone helped pick me up
Today felt better
I realised I was alone
& then I remembered
Thank you

(5) BWS: Kora Kengo

2012-03-14T12:52:36Z

I've been doing my resume for the past couple of hours, staring at the computer unblinkingly at the computer. Done most of it now, so I thought I'd have a break ~~procrastinate~~ and write this entry. However, this isn't really a break considering I'm typing my fingers off.

Who cares! After all, it's the 5th BWS. It's Kora Kengo!

Kora Kengo is a Japanese actor and model. Born in 1987, blood type O, is a Scorpio - and that's all I really know about him. I did some googling to find more info, but was unsuccessful (~~unless any of you are willing to link me?~~). So, I'll just concentrate on his of wide range of works. ;)

Fish Story (2009) is the most recent Kora Kengo movie I've seen about, basically, how one song can save the world. ;) By far one of my favourite movies ever and I do not regret purchasing the DVD (after thoroughly searching for it) online. It's spectacular. The whole movie is incredible, and it makes me happier to know that Kora Kengo starred in it as well. If you haven't seen it, I strongly suggest you add it to your 'to watch' lists. It's that good and uniquely captivating.

(One of my favourite scenes in the movie)

Kora Kengo doesn't have many scenes because Fish Story is a collection of flashbacks and multiple stories combined. Kengo acted out a main vocalist, yet his character was quiet but you could feel how passionate he was when he'd perform with the band.

"The story of my solitude
If my solitude were a fish
It'd be so enormous, so militant."
- Fish Story

It's only when I looked at the 'making of', I found out that Kengo has never sung before. What I love about Fish Story is that they all 'learned' how to play the song that they were given. You see Kora Kengo working hard, learning how to sing and training his vocals. They looked like a believable band when formed. The song was even composed by Kazuyoshi Saito. And it really surprised me because Kengo sang like a pro despite him being a novice. If I hadn't seen 'the making of' I would think that Kengo was a singer as well. That's how believable he was.

Oniichan no Hanabi (2010) is another movie of his that I like. Kengo acts as Sudo Taro. The film beings with Sudo's sister (Tanimura Mitsuki) coming home from hospital after recovering from leukaemia, only to discover that Taro has become a recluse.

I adored how Kengo acted antisocial, but of course I loved the relationship between him and his sister - who would try her best to get Taro out of the house. From faking a fire, to taking him shopping and even dressing him like a girl ^^. Mitsuki shines in this movie. She's also another Japanese actress that you've got to keep an eye out in the future - very versatile from what I've seen her in.

Kengo acted really well because you could see how his character struggled to join the outside world again. You see that Taro's sister eventually gets him out of his cave and how Taro, despite it being very hard for him, tries his best for his sister because of how much he cares for her.

If you're in the mood for something mellow and sweet, Solalin (2010) is a nice movie to watch. Kengo acts as Nario who is the lead singer and guitarist to a band.

Taneda struggled to work because all that he could think about was pursuing his dream and playing the guitar. He'd work only for the money, but you could tell he wasn't happy.

It also mainly focuses on his relationship/love story with his girlfriend Meiko (Miyazaki Aoi) and how they live together searching for what they really want in life. They're relationship in the movie is really cute and looks quite realistic.

& I couldn't help but add that just because xD

And then you compare Taneda to someone like Ama from Snakes and Earrings (2008). A complete flip. Kengo's character Ama is kinda cute despite his punk-like appearance. In Snakes and Earrings he acts as Saeki's (Yoshitaka Yuriko) boyfriend. In one of the first scenes, he's dancing by himself at some club and spots Saeki staring at him. He approaches her and shows off his snake's tongue, which Saeki is completely fascinated by.

He's naive, charming and innocent yet hot-tempered when anybody tries to hurt Saeki (ie. presenting Saeki two teeth from the guy he beat up for her).

We can't forget the cold-hearted stoic Yukiya in BANDAGE (2010). Another band role as one of the side characters, yet managing to direct all eyes on him even if he made Natu's girlfriend, at that time, cheat with him to prove that she 'ruined' Lands. Which was totally kickass, mind you!

"Coming out to the beach with a man who isn't your boyfriend and doing this with him. Surely that's loneliness."
- BANDAGE

I think he does acting in a band well. Maybe that's why I get attracted to the movies he's in? Now that I think of it, ever since Fish Story he seems to betting a lot of band roles. Not bad for someone who hadn't had singing experience previously. ;)

There are more movies I'm seen him in. From the adorable boyfriend in Norwegian Wood (2010) <3 to A Crowd of Three (2010) with Matsuda Shota. Then there was Into The White Night (2010) where he acts out Ryouji. He acted well, but I wasn't really 'into' that movie because Horikita Maki's acting wasn't convincing enough to me.

I didn't realise I've watched a lot of his things until I started screen capping. A think I'm in love, or to some extent 'like', majority of the movies he's starred in. I can't remember what was my first movie I've seen him in, so these screencaps of different movies will be a bit everywhere.

He's nice to the eyes and is very versatile when acting - something that always pleases me. I mean, look at all the roles he's done? He's not afraid to take over-the-top roles, and (to me) he's probably one of the few Japanese boy actors I see that isn't ashamed to do a lot of sex scenes. Haha. Yes, you had to know that too.

Anyway, here's a a mini picspam ;)

What else? He's also in uniqlo ad & smartphone ad. I always look at his uniqlo add and drool. Haha. I remember when I saw him the smartphone add in Japan, I couldn't help but grin xD

He's a really great actor. If you haven't seen anything of his, I really recommend that you go check him out!

(Click here to see the BWS index for other editions)

Picspam: Kanjani8 no Shiwake Shigotonin SP

2012-03-12T11:12:20Z

Basically K8's senpais (Mabo & Higashiyama) guested on their variety show. The theme was all about Johnny's Entertainment - quizzes + games. Forgive me, I ended up capping the game part more because well, it's the game segment.

Haven't picspammed Kanjani8 for a while, so I thought I would. I screencapped these a while ago, a day after this Shiwake episode aired...I just got all lazy and didn't post them up. Anywho, they're finally here now! This is a screencap heavy post, don't tell me that I didn't warn you ;)

You will quite possibly like this post if...
- You want to see Kanjani8 vs. Senpai
- You want to know who'll be the victor & who will lose their sanity? (~~not like they haven't already~~)
- You're fond of pretending to play basketball/ You like arm wrestling
- You think that Subaru has a superhuman strength
- You believe tsukkomis have the power to make people infertile
- You're curiously eager to know the definition of 'Shiiikuretto Ageenttoo Man'
- You want to know why Maru is making that attractive face? Well, why yes, it's normal for him to be making faces...but you want to see more, right? Right? RIGHT?

There's bound to be something going down when there are senpais or any other Johnny's with Kanjani8. If it's senpai, they'd be openly craving for affection. If it's kouhai, they'll be raving on about how they better not get popular than them OR that they're getting better quality debut music videos ~~or maybe this is more like Yoko~~. In other words, I had been looking forward to this Shiwake. ;)

Arm Wrestling

OHKURA VS. MABO

Drummer vs. Drummer AKA Ohkura's shy smile vs. "I'm going to eat your children for supper" Mabo <3 I love how Mabo pretends to be intimidating but he's actually such a sweetheart. ~~AND LOL @ RYO IN THE BACKGROUND~~

Mabo wins. Prissy Ohkura is nursing his arm. He's thinking how it's going to ache in the morning and is going to write in his nikki about it so that the fangirls will say, "I'll look after you!" And stuff like that.

Completely off topic, but isn't Ohkura such a flirt on his nikki? Wait, he's just a flirt. He likes to shake his ass during concerts - intentionally.

MARUMAN VS. MABO

Before Maru enters the ring, Yoko has to comment that Maru's parents are bodybuilders. And then, of course, all havoc breaks loose. Maru the bodybuilder appears with his facial expression exercising galore.

...and he keeps going. Even senpai can't help but laugh at the Maruman - the man that can make the impossible possible. I rarely see Higayshiyama laugh at kouhai so it's pretty cute. ^^ Even in that top cap you see Yoko sneaking a look at the senpai/s to see their reactions to the Maruman.

Hina then has to make an appearance with his infamous tsukkomi attack for Maru to stop. (Featuring Yoko happily guffawing in the background)

& so they finally begin.

While Mabo is trying very hard not to laugh at Maru's aerobic of facial exercises.

Alas, Maruman looses. Yet, Higashiyama is very amused despite being on the opposing team ;)

TSUKKOMI HINA VS. MABO

The biggest rival appears. I'm saying this mainly because I reckon Hina's tsukkomi is very powerful. I personally believe it has the power to cause earthquakes and to make both men & women infertile. That, my friend - is strength.

...or I thought it to be strength. Mabo defeated the hand-hitting machine with that wild smile of his.
Heh Heh Heh!

SUBARU VS. MABO ~~The unwanted match~~

Silly boy Yoko thinks ~~makes~~ the unwilling Subaru save them all, requesting that he be the last additional person to beat the Mabo God. Mabo God takes off his jacket because it's time to get serious & jiggly with it.

All hope is lost. Subaru can't move Mabo at all. Mabo is even grinning while Subaru infinitely struggles to 'get on top' of his senpai.

It's okay, Subaru. We still love you despite you being physically weak. It doesn't matter. THE HEART MATTERS. WHAT'S INSIDE MATTERS! Your voice can make many girls orgasm simultaneously. Don't you ever forget that. <3

Total: Kanjani8 0; Mabo 4.

Basketball

BLONDIE YASU/EROTIC RYO VS. HIGASHIYAMA

Yoko boobies. Ryo boobies. Yasu = one boobie

Sorry Ryo, you're pouting and cocky pose made you lose :(

Yups. They both ended up failing against the senpai. However, there is one last hope....

I-KNOW-I'M-GOOD-YOKOYAMA VS. HIGASHIYAMA

Yoko's excited in the pants. We all know how amazing you are at basketball, Yoko <3 Now you've got to show to your senpai that you're amazing too, because...you are amazing - like fried noodles.

It's awesome how throughout the ball hooping, the rest of Kanjani8 keep randomly screaming, "YOKOYAMA!" I swear, every time Yoko would through a ball Hina's caught yelling his name. I love it muchos.

The game ends and Yoko scores pretty well compared to his previous fellow members. Higashiyama has a 'uh-oh' look on his face because he knows he finally has some competition.

So Higashiyama battles. Maru boobies and Mabo uniboob are pretty too. Yoko's giving Higashiyama the eye, 'You better not beat me, senpai'.

Throughout the Higashiyama throwing Yoko would be shouting, "YAMATE SENPAI!" It was really cute. ^^

A close battle. If Higashiyama had scored, it would have been a draw. Yoko's not bothering to hide his joy and is rubbing it in. :) Yatta!

Yes, we know that you're happy Yokocho <3

Shiiikuretto Ageenttoo Man - repeating history

Secret Agent Man! Higashiyama and Nishikido released the single in 2000 back when Nishikido was trying to figure out the definition of 'puberty'. Click here (couldn't find the Higashiyama version on youtube though) if you haven't seen it yet.

Well, on Shiwake they were forced to sing the song together, testing whether they remembered the song or not. Higashiyama was even asked Ryo if he wanted to be lifted again. LOL

After Higashiyama had sung his part, I laughed so much because I remember listening to it with Ryo's high-pitched voice ... so it was weird hearing it, well, low. HAHA

Ryo sings his parts correctly and then just when we think Higashiyama is killing it, he forgets his part.

Higashiyama even includes a spin to hide the fact that he forgot the lyrics. On the other hand, Ryo is mecha stunned. He is Akira`shocked. Mwhauahz.

Anywho, this SP was VERY entertaining to watch. It's not subbed yet, but it's still amusing as hell. You should really consider watching it if you want to watch Yoko getting Mabo's birthday date wrong despite them filming their drama together at the time, the senpais giggling over Sexy Zone <3, short clips of Kanjani8 when they were younger, an insight on Johnny's Entertainment & Kanjani8 failing at almost every question possible.
//and thus ends my language of flail. I hope you laughed @ my idiocy. :)

Oh, and since this was solely a Kanjani8 post, advita_ady created a Kanjani8 Gif Lyrics Tumblr account. If any of you guys are interested -> click here.

(4) BWS: Joseph Gordon-Levitt

2012-03-06T11:52:28Z

Who's one of my teenage year crushes? Joseph Gordon-Levitt is. ;)

He'll be the target for this entry. I didn't know how he was like when he not on screen, so I was pleasantly surprised when he energetically bounced off walls and did crazy flips on Saturday Night Live a couple of years ago. Let's just say I was impressively entertained. How can one not find someone like Joseph Gordon-Levitt charming? And, on the ironic side, he reminds me of the white version of Yosuke Kubozuka for both his topnotch acting skills & his appearance.

"Success is not important to me, nor are power or money. If the script feels good, then I'm in. It's that simple."

Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Joseph Gordon-Levitt is an American actor in his early 30s. As a child actor was well known for his role in 3rd Rock from the Sun. From my opinion, more attention focused on JG-L after his acting in Inception or even 500 Days of Summer. However, I reckon he already shone with potential from his earlier years as an underground actor, working his way to the top.

When I was younger I watched a few episodes or 3rd Rock from the Sun, but then again I never really paid attention to the series. So I'd say the first 'official' JG-L film that I've seen is the classic 90`s 10 Things I Hate About You (1998), starring amongst Heath Ledger, Julia Stiles & Larisa Oleynik. 10 Things I Hate About You is basically one of my favourite teenage chick flicks ~~as well as She's All That~~ growing up. I fell for his boyish charm there, and made note to myself to follow JG-L's progress as an actor afterwards.

He didn't fail me like many actors/actresses tend to do. What I love about JG-L is that he's always up for taking challenging roles that is out of the norm & completely different. He's not type-casted ~~Thank God~~, which makes everything he acts in more enjoyable - or even horrified like his character, Neil, in Mysterious Skin (2004). I still get shivers from that film. Brick (2005) is one of my favourites of his works too. Watching 500 Days of Summer (2009) was also a nice fresh slice of life. It's always about the guy getting the girl, right? But it was pleasant that he showed the unrequited side - the part where we get too lost in our own illusions of what we think love to be.

JG-L's acting range is brilliant, and the fact that he's truly passionate about his works truly is depicted. Acting asides, he sings too AND owns a magnificent collaborative production company called hitRECord.org (youtube link here).
& a picspam is a must, right? ;)

(Click here to see the BWS index for other editions)

(3) BWS: Domoto Tsuyoshi

2012-02-28T06:00:00Z

Next up to bat is Domoto Tsuyoshi for this Boys With Spunk edition :)

Surprised I chose him as my first Johnny's, ey? Haha. In all honesty, Tsuyoshi was the first ever JE idol I had witnessed act before with Summer Snow technically being the first JDrama I had seen. At that time I didn't even know the slightest bit about Johnny's Entertainment, which is why I only saw Tsuyoshi as an actor.

So yes. That's my rationale why I thought that it would be fitting to make Tsuyoshi my first JE boy to talk about! ^^

Domoto Tsuyoshi is many things you want him to be. He's king of the world. Haha. No, really he's a busybody. He joined Johnny's Entertainment in 1991, alongside with his other half - Domoto Koichi. I'm calling Koichi his other half because they both possess the same surname despite not being related to each other AND the fact that the duo debuted together in 1997, forming KinKi Kids.

KinKi Kids are not kinky, or are they? It's debatable :P I remember back in the day wondering why in the world they were named so oddly for a unit. They were titled KinKi Kids by Johnny because they both originated from the KinKi region. I think it was a right choice that they were picked together because they created epicness. They both possess great voices and their harmonies are always beautiful to listen to. I'm not lying because how would they have had released 31st singles with each song consecutively reaching number one in Japan? The Guinness World of Records even recognise KinKi Kids for having the most consecutive number one singles ever.

Now this is sounding like a KinKi kids pimp post, but I had to mention Koichi because it wouldn't be right. xD I mean...their bromance is tearduct-inducing. ;)

Back on topic - Tsuyoshi. Other than being an idol and singer, Tsuyoshi is known for also being a composer, singer-songwriter, lyricist, television personality, fashion designer, writer and illustrator.

And yes, that's Johnny Depp. Tsuyoshi interviewed him one time, and Tsuyoshi was joking around and saying that they looked alike. Depp played along and replied, "It's like looking in a mirror" whilst eyeing Tsuyoshi back. Pretty amusing. Check this short clip out on youtube if you haven't. xD

As mentioned earlier, the first time I saw Tsuyoshi was on Summer Snow (2000). In Summer Snow, Tsuyoshi acted a character called 'Natsuo'. Natsuo was the older brother, guardian and the main support for his younger siblings because their parents had died (I think it was from a car accident?). It's endearing how Natsuo's overprotective character cares so much for his siblings, sacrificing a lot of his time to make them happy - oh, and he was goofy as well too! I think Tsuyoshi did a really well job portraying his character. Believable. Really believable. Actually, the whole drama was a sweet and sour slice of life. Oguri Shun did a great job as well, but I'll save gushing over Shun for another time ;)

~~Now that I think about it, then Imai Tsubasa would be the second JE boy that I've technically been exposed to xD~~

Anyway, for Tsuyoshi I've seen him also act in To Heart (which I disliked - mainly because of the female protagonist's annoying character) & Files of Kindaichi. Other than that, I haven't seen him act that much.

Here are a few screenshots below from some old KinKi Kids PVs. Doesn't Tsuyoshi look different? ;) Haha. I couldn't help but include a rare topless pic. To be honest, I think I screencapped these pics because they remind me of my old crush. Haha.

Tsuyoshi's a real artist - the original fashionista. He doesn't care what people think about him, doing his own thing & wearing whatever he likes. His stylishness may have influence Yasuda Shota since they've apparently hung out before. xD As a sempai, you can also tell he really cares about his juniors too.
I think that's about it. To summarise, Tsuyoshi is a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. He has a heart of gold. In other words, he's amazing.

& thus ends my 666th post o_O

(Click here to see the BWS index for other editions)

(2) BWS: Koide Keisuke

2012-02-23T07:08:26Z

And here I bring the second issue of Boys With Spunk ;) This time the focus will be on Koide Keisuke!

Since there are so many people that I want to post about, I was unsettled with who I wanted to chatter on about next. Ironically, I watched the latest episode of Strawberry Night a few days ago and I knew that I had to post about him next.

Koide Keisuke is a Japanese actor born on February 20, 1984. According to his dramawiki, he's been acting since 2003 and has majored in literature at Keio University. He's one of those actors you do see around a lot in dramas and movies, usually not having the main role, yet somehow managing to leave some sort of impact and impression to the audience.

Other as an actor, I personally don't know much about Koide. I know he infrequently updates his nikki and is apparently rumoured to be dating Mizukawa Asami having been friends since appearing in the same drama Nodame Cantabile (2006) together. [source]

I think the first time I saw him was in Nodame Cantabile. He was that really animated 'high tension' timpani player in the orchestra. Pulling off that crazy `tache and the afro like a pro, I was constantly amused by his presence and his love for Chiaki sempai that he was 'very' possessive of. ;)

~~(yeah, I couldn't help but add that last pic. Haha)~~

Then I saw him act in JIN (one of my favourite dramas EVER), but ironically I didn't recognise him as that timpani player in Nodame, which is understandable. In JIN, Koide acted Kyotaro - the samurai of the Tachibana household. The unwavering, kind, stern and loyal brother of Tachibana Saki (acted by Ayase Haruka). I really adored Koide's role. He depicted him nicely. It was only when I searched the other roles, I linked that it was the same actor in Nodame. Let's just say I was pretty shocked by the discovery.

After watching Jin, I became more curious about his other works. I cracked a smile when I saw that he acted again with Ayase Haruka in Cyborg Girl, but instead of acting as her brother - he was infatuated with her. And, not to mention, she was a robot too. I watched it and found it pretty amusing and cute.

Which led me to watch Parade, where he acts as a boyish university student. Pretty laid back and down to earth, fitting amongst the group of misfits staying in the same apartment.

And then watching Surely Someday which I loved too. He played the lead singer to his high school band. It's a pretty cute movie to watch - really whacky.

As you can see, from all these dramas/movies that Koide's appeared in, they're all different. There will be some similar characteristics between the people he acts out, but it just presents how he can adjust and fall easily into a different persona altogether. Right now I'm currently watching him in Strawberry Night. His character is quite strict, firm, but also uncertain and wary of everything he does.

How Koide depicts his characters through his eyes, body language and tone of voice is really intricate and amazing. I still haven't watched him in that drama, Rookies, yet - but I will do so in the future. I look forward to seeing more of his acting roles in the future. If you have any other recommendations, let me know ;)

Previous BWS: (1) Spike Spiegel

(1) BWS: Spike Spiegel

2012-02-16T11:15:30Z

This is the beginning to my "Boys with Spunk" Archive. I'll be posting an entry dedicated to a different boy every now and again, whether they be fictional, non-fictional, an actor, an artist to merely an anime character ;) They won't be necessarily hot/sexy/drop dead gorgeous, but they have the "there's-something-about-him ~~Mary~~" feel. Well, to me.

Feel free to voice your opinion, agree or strongly disagree with me. I don't care. Just remember this is solely my opinion and my flailing enjoyment. ;)

"They say hunger is the best spice."

Spike Spiegel; Cowboy Bebop

**SEMI SPOILERS UNDER CUT**

No one will ever define lazy-swag, unless you're Spike Spiegel. ;)

Spike: Ever heard this story?
Jet Black: Huh?
Spike: There once was a tiger-striped cat. This cat died a million deaths, revived & lived a million lives, and he was owned by various people who he really didn't care for. The cat wasn't afraid to die. Then one day the cat became a stray cat which meant he was free. He met a white female cat & the two of them spent their days together happily. Well, years passed & the white cat grew weak & died of old age. The tiger-striped cat cried a million times, & then he died too. Except this time, he didn't come back to life.
Jet Black: Yeah. That's a good story.
Spike: I hate that story.
Jet Black: Huh?
Spike: I never liked cats, you know that.
Jet Black: Oh yeah, that's right.

If you don't know who Spike Spiegel is, he's the main protagonist ~~well, one of the mains~~ from my favourite anime of all time, Cowboy Bebop. An anime wayyyyyy before Naruto, Bleach, Full Metal Alchemist etc. Anywho, Cowboy Bebop is basically an anime set in 2071 about a misfit team who chase criminals not for justice, but for money in their pockets. However, majority of the time they're paying for damage and complaining about themselves dying from starvation. I don't think I can ever write a proper review for Cowboy Bebop since it's so amazing and because I'm meant to be ranting on about Spike, and not the most amazing anime ever.

Spike is 27 years old, born on Mars. Just like the anime, it's hard to ever accurately describe Spike without you watching him in action. He's always wearing that blue suit and known for his crazy mess of green hair. He often is portrayed as very relaxed, smooth, goofy, sarcastic and frustrated whenever he's with his team - well, more at Faye, Edd & Ein since Spike lists women with 'attitude', children and animals ~~dogs?~~ as three things he dislikes.

"You're all instinct and impulse."

Jet Black; Cowboy Bebop The Movie

His facial expressions are beautiful in this anime. Usually Spike has a somewhat languid obnoxious image, but when for example he sees someone from his past again, his facial expression changes. You can see he's somewhat remorseful as opposed to his usual sarcastic, fooling-around attitude.

Before then he was part of a syndicate with his best friend and ex-lover, Julia. I don't like giving much stuff away about this, but basically everybody thought that Spike was dead. In some sense, Spike is dead. He's in the present, but he lives in the past - or the past ends up catching up with him one way or the other. Any flicker of his past, and Spike becomes more lively, reckless and dangerously meddlesome.

"I’m just watching a bad dream I never wake up from."

Spike Spiegel; Ballad of Fallen Angels (Session 5)

"I’m not going to die; I’m going to find out if I’m really alive."

Spike Spiegel; The Real Folk Blues Part II (Session 26)

Throughout the anime, you gradually piece out Spike's past. It's only until the very last episode that there's clarity. The creator was smart about it. And in Cowboy Bebop The Movie, Spike mentions something about Julia despite never really talking about her in the series...

"When I was younger, I wasn’t afraid of anything. I didn’t have the slightest fear of dying. No reason for it. I thought that if I die, that’s fine with me, any time at all. But then I met a certain woman and it changed. I started to think that I wanted to survive. For the first time, the idea of death began to scare me. It was on my mind. Never felt that kind of feeling. Almost paralysed."

Spike Spiegel; Cowboy Bebop The Movie

The way he fights is always fun to watch. He's very smooth how he delivers kicks and punches, that it's almost like he's dancing (even when he's pickpocketing). In Waltz for Venus, Roco asks for Spike to be his 'sensei' and begs for Spike to train him.

This is one of my favourite quotes...

"You’re tense, I’m calm. You apply excessive force; I control that force through fluid motion. That means relaxing the whole body so it can react instantly without resistance—no, without thought. Do you see now? It means becoming like clear water. Water can take any form. It drifts without effort one moment, then pounds down in a torrent the very next."

Spike Spiegel; Waltz for Venus (Session 8)

Just watch the below gifs of how he fights. All gif`d from Session One: Asteroid Blues.

I'm not sure if it's still in the process/works, but Keanu Reeves is meant to be acting his part in a live-action movie one day. Ever since I saw the first episode of Lucky Seven, I just thought Eita's fighting is EXACTLY how Spike would fight. xD

Anyway, this post isn't complete without a shirtless, ab-friendly & smoking gif xD I admit, I hate smokers - but I still find smokers intriguing for some odd reason. Haha.

& this is also my favourite fan art of him too.
I think I've officially completed my gushing for today. He's just all sorts of amazing and rewatching the bebop movie recently is really tempting me to rewatch the whole anime all over again. Spike is such an eccentric character and it's always a pleasure watching him in every episode.

(Click here to see the BWS index for other editions)

Go (2001)

2012-02-02T10:28:39Z

You know that movie that you never get sick of? That movie that you are willing to rewatch over and over again? The one that you recommend to a friend, but you find yourself watching it again with them anyway, gushing over your favourite parts?

Well, Go (2001) is one of those movies for me. With this movie being over a decade old I can't help but love it more and more every time I watch it. And, to be honest, I can't believe I haven't ranted about it thoroughly on my journal yet. Since I rewatched it again today with a friend, I thought I might as well flail over it now xD

Starring my favourite Japanese actor Kubozuka Yosuke (Ping Pong, IWGP) & Shibasaki Kou (Orange Days, Sekai no Chuushin de Ai o Sakebu), Go is about a Korean boy who has been raised in Japan facing prejudice, delinquency and searching for his place in society. But above all, as he repeats countless of times ~~taking forever to get to the point~~, that it's about his love story ;)

The movie starts with Sugihara playing basketball. Though, not really. He's pretty much standing there daydreaming. The ball rolls towards his direction and he grabs it, holding it in his hands and staring around as if he's eager to pick a fight.

Since he's standing there, the people in both his team and the adversary team get frustrated with him for standing on the court doing nothing. They end up snatching the ball off of him, kicking and punching him til he falls onto the ground.

Guys, bad move because once Sugihara cracks it - he really cracks it.

He steals the ball back and scores a hoop, then all hell breaks loose.

And yet he reminds us that this is about his love story xD Haha.

The movie flashes back and forth, fleshing out his character more with him constantly reminding the audience that it's about his love story. It's only until half an hour later you meet Sakurai, the character Sugihara falls in love with. I like that they did that. I'm not getting into more detail of the movie because it's a gem and should be watched. :)
From his exboxer amusingly abusive of a father, his adorable mother, his his crazy friends from his Korean school, his druggy friend that has a father who is the yakuza boss, the random police officer and taxi driver, to the thoughtfully intelligent Jong-li who dreams to be a comedian. The movie is all-rounded.

And yeah, my Kubozuka Yosuke bias plays a big part with me liking this movie too ~~it can't be helped~~. If you click on my yosuke tag, you'll see me blabbering on about him a lot - but that's because he's bizarrely amazing. As Sugihara, you believe every word he says. He's such a believable character. When Sugihara gets angry, you can literally see his eyes fuming. When he is sad, you feel depressed with him. This is why it's so delightful to see Yosuke act whichever movie he's in.

That, my friend, is a great actor.

Tidying Up

2012-02-01T06:15:08Z

Did another f-list cut. Just really blogs who haven't updated for a year and people who I don't talk to anymore.

Well, to be honest, mainly those who haven't updated in a year. But if you still want to be my friend, let me know xD It's not like I update anything interesting here these days anyway. Haha. xD

Gomen!

Orchids from the Father

2012-01-09T02:22:52Z

You know it's sweet when your dad gets you flowers for Valentine's Day. He usually does it every year. But this time, he surprised me.

Apparently on my birthday last month, he lied to my mum and said that he'd go to Bunnings to buy tools for work. Turns out he comes home with orchids. <3

...for me :)

Ironically, it was my favourite flowers that he picked for me - even the exact colour. He's so cute. I remember a couple of years back saying to him, "Those are my favourite flowers, dad! Buy it for me!" And I mean years ago. He actually remembered. Haha. I would have thought it was utter luck, but I asked him if he remembered.

He did. <3

~~& then my mum gets jealous, but that's another story. Haha~~

Unsettled Waters

2011-10-09T10:13:48Z

It's October already. How are all of you? This year has been strange for me so far. I've been completely thrown out of my comfort zone and maybe it's been for good or for worse?

My entries on LJ lately have been more my life lately. I flail, but I guess I don't have the energy to type it up - especially when people talk about it anyway and I feel like I'm repeating myself. Or yeah, a lot of my f-list are on twitter on tumblr these days (read lastingdreams8 post about it). :) . I'm missing the interaction on LJ, but I'd be lying if I were to say that I'd interact a lot...just real life has been in the way. A lot.

I sort of don't know what to write or what to say on LJ. If I talk about work, not many of you guys will know what the gibberish I'm talking about. If I'm talking about friends, I don't know what's happening. If I'm talking about family, I don't know either. I'm thinking about everything..I've been constantly battling unsettled waters throughout the year. I don't know who to believe in so lately I've been depending on myself a lot.

Grad year, I feel like I'm a fish, fighting to stay in the water. Fighting myself. Surviving through work. I feel stressed all the time..and edgy. I'm not resting a lot because every time I get, I feel the need to catch up with someone because time is precious and I need to use that time on my RL friends and family.

If I do one thing wrong at work, it could be bad and the patient I'm looking after might get sick(er). I don't know why I'm writing this. It sounds like I'm a bundle of insecurity - but I'm not. I think I'm not.

I'm proud of how far I've come. From taking care of zero patients, to taking care of 5. In the public system, you only have four patients -- but I'm stuck with 5 at my work. It's taught me how to time manage.

Tomorrow will be my last rotation for grad year. Four more months and it'll be finished. I'm scared because it's a new ward, therefore new people, new experiences, new stresses. And to think I have to decide and apply where I want to be next year all over again.

Maybe I needed to write this all up and manage my thoughts because I think I needed to make sense of all this jargon that has been playing in my mind.

I also need to try and get people to swap shifts with me because I need to go Sydney in November. I requested the wrong days off. Must have been really tired. I don't know what happened. Sorry V. <3
Even though Ryo and Yamapi leaving NEWS is what's been talked about lately, I don't really feel the need to say anything. I'm pretty neutral about it...and I think I'm more overwhelmed over news that two of my family friends had a car accident a couple of days ago. I'm pretty shocked about it and I feel sick thinking about it.

It hits home. My friend's grandparents. I haven't had anyone close die, but this one hits home. I wasn't close to them, but they're sort of like my distant relations. I saw them all the time as a kid. Basically, the grandpa hit the accelerator instead of the breaks when going on a ramp and the car slammed into a wall. He died. The grandma is still in ICU.

I'm used to caring for patients, but it's all different when you know someone who is a patient. I'm freaked out. It just makes me realise how someone can die instantly and to treasure those around you.
Amidst the chaos, I felt like writing something. I've posted it on FP yesterday and it's pretty much a petty random romance story. Just to make me laugh and chill out, really.

So that's pretty much my head in this journal entry. Man, am I mentally stuffed up -_-"

~~not even going to bother and edit this~~

Mindfucked.

2011-07-01T12:34:52Z

Absolutely mindfucked. Season 2 killed it.

JIN is, without a doubt, officially my favourite drama of all time.

I need a JIN icon nowz. TT

I'm going to miss its amazingness.

The Dreaded Cut

2011-03-09T12:16:01Z

There comes a time in the year when I feel the urge to get the scissors out and do this.

I haven't done one in a while. Perhaps I'm feeling more edgy about keeping/adding friends lately because I've been busy. I'm mainly cutting those who I've never really connected/talked to. Those who I've lost contact with over the years. Those who have dead journals. Those who I know don't really care about what I have to say. Those who just added me for fandom. Those who just added me because of my writing friends or friends I had in common with, but we never clicked. The same reasons I've had before.

There are also a few of you that I was 50/50 about cutting, but I didn't. If you feel that you think it's time to part ways too, feel free to do it. I won't get offended. If you want to ask why you've been cut, ask away. If there's anything you want to ask, feel free. I just think it's fair to put effort - even if this is LJ. LJ is my home, my life, my thoughts.

My f-list are my friends, not strangers. xD Don't make Maru emo. Haha. <3

Happiness

2011-03-07T10:23:47Z

Make up: To cover what you don't want to see
Smile: To pretend you're happy
Liquor: To put you at ease
Cigarettes: To relieve your stress
Materialism: To avoid your real problems
Religion: To believe that the world's not that bad
Fight: To hide your frustrations
Laugh: To giggle away your worries
Ignore: To forget
Work: To struggle to live
Commit: To not want to let go

Happiness: An attempt of all those above combined