For the past few weeks, I have been using wordpress.com but I find that it is too restrictive in terms of its customization. I couldn’t edit alot of things such as css and adding new themes… I really want to be able to customize the layouts of my sites. And so I have decided to shift to my own domain. Yeah finally I can have my own personal domain!

I will try to link the posts, pages, comments and everything to the new site whenever possible.

So hope you guys can head down to www.hanfever.com. I will be posting articles from there on. Thanks!

Nah, I’m not going to talk about its viewership ratings anymore… unless it hits like 50% nationwide. Instead, I’m showing a set of images that has been circulating among netizens since yesterday .

This set of images shows the “Iljimae” version of Wondergirl’s popular hit “So Hot”. The lyrics of “So Hot” along with some other editing, are subtitled onto the screen shots of “Iljimae”. This remake makes it feel like a new music video again and it has been a hit on the internet.

After seeing those pictures, Netizens vie to leave comments at forums praising the creator of those pictures ( although it is not known who actually made it). They also left comments like “This is interesting”, “Its very comical” and “Lee Joon Ki is too suave”.

What probably added to the effect are the blushes on their face. Its already very comical just by looking at the pictures.

Source: HanCinema

Kim Ha Neul receives much attention from the Italy media when she was filming “The Travel Diary of Kim Ha Neul in Italy”, a joint production by ONSTYLE and ETN.

During the shooting last month, the local media was captivated by her charm and requested for an interview with her. “Italy is the focal point for art and Kim Ha Neul’s charisma matches very well with Italy”, this was how the Italian media described her. The local media decided to do an official interview with Kim Ha Neul after they knew that she is a top star in South Korea.

“I was shocked when they wanted to interview me. However, considering the nature of the show, I could only do some simple makeups. I am very happy and grateful for their interest in me.” said Kim Ha Neul.

Kim Ha Neul’s dressing immediately became the focus of many after her drama “On Air” was aired due to her excellent dress sense.

She has already completed the seven days filming in Italy and returned to Korea. The show is scheduled to be shown in august.

Continue for more pictures

In this week’s episodes of “When It’s At Night“, Kim Sun Ah and Lee Dong Gun transformed into partygoers with their black evening gown and tuxedo suit respectively. This is a stark contrast to their normal and plain clothes during everyday’s work.

The photos show both of them attending the charity auction hosted by “Five Star Enterprise” in an attempt to locate and recover the stolen antique.

During the filming, Kim Sun Ah attracted the eyes of the production crews when she changed from t-shirt/sports shoes to sexy evening gown.

Since this plot is at the end of episode 4 when they were about to enter the hall, viewers will have to stay tuned next week for the interesting events that will be happening inside the party.

From the promotional posters of “When It’s At Night“, I had thought Kim Sun Ah slimmed down a lot but she still looks a little chubby. Guess thats the power of photoshop. However, she still looks pretty attractive in that black evening gown. Awaiting for her splendid performance next week.

“Iljimae” has finally done it! Many people probably expected it but it is still nice to see higher numbers every week. According to TNS Media, SBS’s “Iljimae” obtains a high rating of 25.3% in yesterday’s airing which is 0.7% more than its previous episode.

As “Iljimae” keeps breaking new high, the difference between itself and its competitors has also increased. MBC’s “Spotlight” gets 8.8% while KBS2′s “Women of The Sun” receives 12.4% during the same timeslot yesterday.

I did not watch the live telecast of “Iljimae” yesterday so I’ll probably have to wait for the video files to be out. From what I have gathered at Soompi, episode 13 seems to be an exciting episode. It little wonder why “Iljimae” is able to break new high. However, this is still not enough as the production team expects a 30% rating before the end of the series. Another 4.7% more to go!

On the other hand, it is really sad and frustrating to see “Spotlight” getting such a low rating. The plot is intense for “Spotlight” too, although it lacks in its love plots.

Once again, congrats to “Iljimae”.

Note: I made the graph myself. :p

Gourmet Episode 6 Summary

Sung-Chan enters the shop and tries to reason with the shop owner who reported him to the police. However instead of getting anything out of it, Sung-Chan is thrown out of the shop by the shop owner. The shop owner warns Sung-Chan not to come in again if not he will break his legs.

Jin Soo wakes up unwillingly upon hearing the alarm clock rings but she later returns to sleep again. On reaching the magazine press, she tries to cook up various excuses on why she is late for work but Director Han sees through her lie. During the conversation, Jin Soo receives a call from Mdm Jo asking her to return the bucket but Jin Soo pretends to be speaking to Mr Oh.

Meanwhile, Sung-Chan is travelling around buying persimmon fruits and snow crabs for his customers.

Bong Joo expresses disappointment when his request for Joo Hee to join him in the trip is rejected by her. Jin Soo enters the office at this time and volunteers to go with Bong Joo as she wants to interview Director Zhang. Bong Joo agrees to it.

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On the way to the hotel, Bong Joo receives a call from Mr Oh asking him to pay Kyung Chul (the old blacksmith who forges chef knives for Un Ahm Jung) a visit. Bong Joo knocks on the door after arriving at the blacksmith shop but no one answers. Sung-Chan arrives at the blacksmith shop too when Bong Joo is about to leave, however they fail to see each other. Sung-Chan then finds the sick Kyung Chul lying in his room…

Back in the hotel, Jin Soo is happily bathing when she hears some sound in her room. She opens the door to discover Bong Joo inside her room. Being shocked and confused on what to do, Jin Soo makes a call to Bong Joo in an attempt to lure him out of the room. Her plan fails however, when she comes out from the bathroom before Bong Joo leaves the room.

Sung-Chan prepares some dishes for Kyung Chul but Kyung Chul keeps accusing him of having a motive for his visit.

Jin Soo and Bong Joo are taking a stroll along the beach when they see some people playing with fireworks. Jin Soo asks Bong Joo on news about Sung-Chan which then triggers Bong Joo’s memories about the happy moments he had with Sung-Chan.

The next day, Bong Joo and Jin Soo goes to the seaport market to search for top-grade Uljin Snow Crabs but they are not able to find any. Bong Joo then requests the ship captain to fish for more snow crabs and also explains the different grade of Uljin Snow Crabs to Jin Soo.

Sung-Chan wakes up and finds Kyung Chul missing. He desperately searches for him and eventually finds him walking unstably outside the house. Kyung Chul reveals the truth of him contracting cancer to Sung-Chan. Sung-Chan wants to get top-grade Uljin Snow Crabs for Kyung Chul, hence he goes to bug his friend to reveal the secret source.

In the meantime, Jin Soo also receives news about the person selling top-graded Uljin Snow Crabs. Jin Soo finally meets Sung-Chan as both their sources turn out to be the same person. After a conversation, Sung-Chan warns Jin Soo not to reveal his location to anyone and leaves. On his way back, flashbacks on him kneeling in front of his father’s grave filled his mind.

In the nick of time, Jin Soo brings Bong Joo a box of top-grade Uljin Snow Crabs and Bong Joo is delighted. Bong Joo introduces Jin Soo to Director Zhang after his arrival.

Sung-Chan accompanies Kyung Chul to visit his son in the prison. After arriving at the prison, Sung-Chan finds out that they are not allowed to bring food in. Therefore, he calls Jin Soo for help. Jin Soo rejects his request initially but later decides to help Sung-Chan. She lies to Director Zhang and Bong Joo that she actually forgot to pay for the snow crabs but slips off to the prison instead.

Jin Soo too fails to persuade the officers to make an exception and hence phones her boss, Director Han for help. They finally succeed. Inside the meeting room, Kyung Chul’s son wanted to leave before trying out the snow crabs but Sung-Chan stops him. Sung-Chan discloses the truth about Kyung Chul contracting cancer to him and he is speechless. Tears flow down his cheeks as he is eating the food prepared by Sung-Chan.

Jin Soo and Sung-Chan start singing together while on their way back. After they return to the blacksmith shop, Kyung Chul hands Sung-Chan a chef knife that he has made personally.

Back at Un Ahm Jung, Mr Oh receives a call from Kyung Chul’s son telling him about Kyung Chul’s illness. The following day, Mr Oh and Joo Hee rush over to visit Kyung Chul in the hospital. Mr Oh shed tears upon seeing Kyung Chul’s pale face. Kyung Chul reveals to them that Sung-Chan is with him but Sung-Chan manages to hide from them. However, Sung-Chan bumps into Bong Joo when he is about to leave the hospital…

Note: the name Kyung Chul may not be correct

A set of photos showing the innocent and playful Sung Yu Ri was recently uploaded onto the web. The set of photos taken during a commercial filming, spark intense discussion by netizens shortly after its release.

Sung Yu Ri appears to be pure and capable with her short hair image, giving out a different charm from its previous appearance. This is especially so when the photos were taken using a camera phone from close range, revealing her soft and delicate skin which is the envy of many others.

It has quite some time since I last saw Sung Yu Ri on tv. I really miss her, especially her character in “Hong Gil Dong”. She is just so hilarious in the show. Patiently awaiting for her next drama and hope to see more of her news soon.

Continue to see the rest of the photos.

The photos can be found on Sung Yu Ri’s official website, Sidushq.

Gourmet Episode 5 Summary

Mr Oh asks Bong Joo and Joo Hee if they know Sung-Chan’s reason for leaving but they both express ignorant of it. Joo Hee’s father then complains about Sung-Chan’s lack of responsibility on leaving Un Ahm Jung without notice. Mr Oh is upset and leaves the room after hearing those words. Back in the office, Joo Hee suggests to Bong Joo to go search for Sung-Chan at his hangout places but is rejected by him. Frustrated by Bong Joo’s unconcern towards Sung-Chan, Joo Hee left the office in a fit of anger.

Joo Hee looks for Jin Soo in the main hall and tells her about Sung-Chan’s disappearance. Jin Soo is puzzled too but she suddenly remembers something amiss on that day…

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Baffled by Sung-Chan’s departure, Min Woo finds Bong Joo in the office but Bong Joo instead tells him to prepare to assume the position of the head of the kitchen. Bong Joo also summons Suk Dong to his office and warns him to keep his lips tight.

In the night, Bong Joo reveals the truth about Sung-Chan’s departure to Mr Oh and Mr Oh shows a little bit of shock.

The next day during the meeting, Mr Oh announces to suspend the competition until Sung-Chan returns to Un Ahm Jung but his decision is challenged by Joo Hee’s father. Bong Joo is furious about Mr Oh’s decision but there is nothing he can do.

Meanwhile, Jin Soo is on her way to a magazine publisher for an interview when she misses her bus stop. During the interview, Director Han (Kang Nam Kil) realises that he has already shredded Jin Soo’s Resume and so he gives a lame excuse that the interview is already over and ignores Jin Soo. Jin Soo leaves the office in rage.

Outside the magazine company, Jin Soo receives a phone call from her manager at Un Ahm Jung. She then boards on a cab but realises that the customer inside refuses to alight. After some commotion with the frustrated cab driver, Jin Soo finally reaches Un Ahm Jung. However, she is already very late for work. She threatens to resign after an insult from her manager.

During the meeting, Joo Hee’s father announces the visit of a world renowned gourmet columnist, Mr Ted Oh to Un Ahm Jung. Everyone is surprised as this Mr Ted Oh is well-known for his stringent ratings. Mr Oh is displeased about this and before leaving the room, says that the reputation of Un Ahm Jung is not determined by a single person.

Director Han gets hold of news on Ted Oh’s visit to Un Ahm Jung and intends to do an interview with him. He then looks for Jin Soo at the restaurant, promising to hire her if she manages to do an interview with Ted Oh. Jin Soo is attracted by his offer.

On the day of Mr Ted Oh’s visit, everyone is busy preparing the dishes when they receive news on his early arrival. Bong Joo finds it strange for Mr Ted Oh to arrive 2 hours before the scheduled time and hence ponders over it.

In the meantime, Mr Oh and Ja Woon are on a travel around Korea. They reach a place named “Blossom Market” after alighting from the train. While strolling around, Ja Woon joins in a local dance.

Back at the restaurant, Bong Joo finally discovers the reason for Mr Ted Oh’s early visit. He then serves Mr Ted Oh with milk porridge before the main dishes and Mr Ted Oh is very pleased by this.

A person at the main hall requests for red bean porridge but he isn’t satisfied with the porridge despite several re-makes by the chef. Tired of having to re-do the red bean porridge over and over again, the chef (Jong Goo) goes out to the main hall to reason with that customer. The customer turns out to be the secretary of Mr Ted Oh. He does it on purpose to test the quality of service at Un Ahm Jung. Mr Ted Oh is disappointed by this but he is stopped by Jin Soo before leaving. Jin Soo requests for another chance to cover for this mistake.

Back in the office, everyone is pressing Jin Soo for the name of the dish Mr Ted Oh is looking for. Jin Soo does not know what it is but ultimately realizes it, with the clues given by Joo Hee. The second attempt is successful and Mr Ted Oh is extremely touched.

Mr Oh returns to Un Ahm Jung and is satisfied with Bong Joo’s performance. On the other hand, Joo Hee goes around looking for Sung-Chan in the wet market but to no avail. When she returns to the restaurant, she meets Bong Joo who is waiting for her. After the conversation, Joo Hee is disgusted by Bong Joo’s unconcern for Sung-Chan and leaves.

The following day, Jin Soo is sent off by her colleagues as she is about to leave for her new job at the magazine press. At the meeting, Bong Joo proposes the rebuild of Un Ahm Jung and the setup of Un Ahm Jung franchise in other countries. This proposal is strongly opposed by Mr Oh as he thinks that this is simply overboard. The plan however continues as Bong Joo has the support of Joo Hee’s father.

It is now a year later. Sung-Chan is peddling all over Korea on his truck, selling seafood and vegetables as his mean of living. As he is selling at a certain location, someone however called the police, hence forcing him to leave. During the car pursue, Sung-Chan drops many of his items but he manages to escape in the end. After knowing who made the police report, Sung-Chan goes over to reason with him. However, Sung-Chan is instead thrown out of the shop by the owner…

Lee Seung Gi, the popular member in “2D1N” section of KBS2′s “Happy Sunday” program was recently chosen to play in MBC’s upcoming “Iljimae’. No, this is not SBS “Iljimae” that is currently still airing but a new one based on the original comic.

MBC’s “Iljimae” will start filming soon and broadcast in the later half of the year, hence whether Lee Seung Gi will be able to continue with “2D1N” is still an unknown question. The filming of “2D1N” is known to be very intensive. Once the filming is confirmed, the participants would probably not have time for other stuffs. Therefore, many netizens are speculating and suggesting Lee Seung Gi to drop from “2D1N”.

In response to this, the production team of “2D1N” expressed that nothing has been confirmed as of yet and they hope to continue working with Lee Seung Gi if possible. The agency of Lee Seung Gi reveals that they cannot give an accurate answer too as the filming schedule for “Iljimae” has not been confirmed yet. They will re-adjust his work schedule after everything has been confirmed.

Source: Chosun.com

The life story of a wise king who reigns for its people, the reenactment of the Joseon era and a true love between two people; this is what “Yi San” is about. It has been two weeks since the final episode of “Yi San” was aired in Korea but somehow vivid images from the drama still linger in my mind. There isn’t a day where I won’t think of a scene from the drama. Hence, I have decided to write a short post on it.

Story

The drama is about the life of King Jeong Jo, the 22nd ruler of the Joseon Dynasty. King Jeong Jo is remembered as one of the few kings in the history of Korea who ruled and sympathized with his people.

The drama begins with young Jeong Jo (Yi San) trying to save his father (Crown Prince Sado) with the help of his friends Song Yeon and Dae Su. They fail however and Crown Prince Sado ultimately dies. Jeong Jo soon grows up to become the crown prince but his life is always in constant danger due to his enemies trying all ways to remove him. With the help of his friends like Song Yeon, Dae Su, Hong Guk-Yeong and others, he eventually rises to power and becomes the king. During the process, Jeong Jo and Song Yeon fall in love with each other but they cannot be together due to their social class difference and objection from the king’s mother, Lady Hye Gyeong. Their love proves to be strong and Song Yeon eventually enters the palace and becomes Lady Seong.

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Good things usually don’t last long, Song Yeon dies shortly after her son had gone to other world, leaving Jeong Jo alone behind. All this while, King Jeong Jo has been trying to improve the lives of his people to stem out the opposition powers within the court. He succeeds in the end but this also means his time is soon to be up and he passes his throne to the young Sunjo. This ends the life story of a great king.

About the drama

Initially planned to be a 50-episode drama, the number of episodes was extended and eventually settles at 77 episodes. Probably what touched many viewers is the love between Jeong Jo and Song Yeon. The social class difference is upheld very strongly in the olden days and it takes a tremendous effort to break this barrier.

There are two scenes in the drama that really touches me. The first will be the scene where Song Yeon cries while painting a portrait of the king at the Artist Bureau and the second will be where Song Yeon dies in the arm of Jeong Jo. The plot is intensive and well executed throughout the series except probably from episode 50+ to 60+ which shows how Hong Guk-Yeong slips to the dark side and follows the footsteps of others. I personally do not like this part as it stretches over too many episodes which I think is unnecessary.

The cast performance is great, especially Lee Seo Jin and Han Ji Min. Lee Seo Jin successfully portrays the life of a king; his every expression truly resembles a ruler of a country. The same goes for Han Ji Min, it seems that she has an unlimited amount of tears.

How it fared

“Yi San” is very well received in Korea, constantly getting 2nd or 3rd in its ratings and 1st after episode 65. It is also very popular on the internet with many forum discussions going on.

For those who like Korean historical drama and have not watch this, I will recommend to watch this series despite it being a hefty 77 episodes. For those who have completed the series, what are your thoughts about this drama?