New megane ichiba cf and donation

The making of new megane cf has been reported in japan today. According to the news, the new cf will be broadcasted on the 25th of this month. The links to watch the making has been posted in byjgallery, byjfan, kob and byj’s quilt. i’m currently at work and can’t view here because of firewall [argh!] anyway, let me post for you guys that links I got from kob. Just click here or here.

aside from the new megane ichiba cf another news that came out today about yong joon is the news about a charity activity in cooperation with megane ichiba. According to the news that tomato99 [much thanks!] translated in byj’s quilt, profit of sales from eye-glasses frame brand ‘I wish’ [JPY378] will be donated to vaccination support project for the Nepal through Japan’s Foster Plan.

To read more about this news, you may click here or here.

lee ji ah as a violinist

i love her as the tomboyish sujini in tae wang sa shin gi and i'm really looking forward to seeing her in her new drama 'beethoven virus' together with kim myung min [white tower] and jang geun suk [hong gil dong].

ji ah will play the role a 27 years old "Du Ru Mi", a frank and lively talented girl who plays the violin by the ear. She may seem womanly and elegant on the surface but she is tomboyish girl who even dares to share adult videos with her male friends. [source : bv thread @ soompi]

her first official photos for this drama were released today. here they are

hee, that's one of her managers in the background ^^

Was able to digest the article via translator and with a help from a friend.

According the various articles, the setting for Ji ah’s first scene in the drama happens in the subway, where she’s playing the violin to earn money. The articles also reported that Ji ah has been practicing the violin until the wee hours. During her visit to Japan for the TWSSG event, she even brought her violin with her to practice whenever she has the time.

Hope we get to read the whole translation later ^^

'beethoven virus' will be aired on MBC on september 3.

[photos] from yong joon's camera #3

and this set came from posoku's blog that mariko posted on soompi. posoku got these from the 'secret site' where you need a BOFi program to see it.

translation of the caption is courtesy of mariko. thanks so much dear sister! *hugs*

'Running on Osaka's road under the cloudy sky.'

'One afternoon on a dayoff, a little time alone.'

the last caption somehow made me a little sad. i wonder how little was that time alone.

p.s. if you want to see all photos that yong joon took himself, just click on the label above ^^

[photos] from yong joon's camera #2

just arrived home and found these photos that tomato99 shared in byj's quilt. 2 more photos taken by yong joon in japan!!! and what's great about it, it has english captions!!!

i really really love the pure feel of the photo above.


i loooooooooooooooove both photos! there's something about these photos that gave me a feeling that i can't explain.

yong joon chose the perfect time for this scene. the best time is when the sky is not too bright and the contrast between the sky and the scene is reduced. The hour just before and after sunset is actually the best time to capture the city lights and the darkening sky.

btw, you can also see these photos at the photo gallery of www.byj.co.kr

Yong Joon was spotted in Las Vegas

He went to watch Coldplay who is on tour as they release their new album ‘Viva la Vida’ at MGM Grand Hotel and Casino on Saturday, July 19. Tickets for the show were sold from US$59.50-US$89.50.

Yong Joon was spotted by fans and the sighting was posted on the net. It was said that he was wearing a cap. When the fan asked for photo with him, he refused politely by saying, ‘I’m sorry. Please enjoy the performance.’

To read the complete details of the story that suehan translated click here or here.

Coldplay is an alternative rock band formed in London, England in 1997.



want to take a peek of the concert last saturday? click here ^^

[k news] bits and pieces

still on kwon sang woo [stairways to heavern, sad love song], news said that the actor said he proposed to her soon to be bride, sohn tae yong, while on a hot air balloon ride during a trip to Australia with close friends. [Source: KBS Global]. on the other news, it was written that due to the news of his upcoming marriage, the actor is facing not only numbers of foreign contract suspension but also a number of TV ads. the loses may add up to 10 billion won. [source : mydaily]. but earlier today, ksw posted on his official website , "Money, fame. If you just look up to these, there won’t be an end to it. Let’s work a bit more, let’s earn a bit more money, let’s accumulate more popularity. There are people who gives up their love because of that. I don’t want to do that." [liezle : nasty words from fans are still being written despite ksw's plea for understanding.]

song hye kyo [autumn in my heart, full house, hotelier] will be in singapore in august together with hyun bin to shoot a tv drama under kbs with a title "A World in Which They are Living". It was reported that they will stay in singapore for 10 days.

bae yong joon's manager, Yang Geun Hwan, left a message in BYJ Mobile Official Site to give update on him. mgr yang wrote, 'I get in touch with Bae Yong Joon who is staying in the U.S. by phone or mail. Although we are far away in distance, he always shows his concern in detail for the company and for all the family, I feel that he is still close near me. He seems to be doing well, taking time to rest and enjoying his hobby.Please do not worry about him.' . to read the whole message that tomato99 translated click here or here.

lee ji ah was spotted with her manager at the vip premiere of 'the good, the bad and the weird' which stars Lee Byung-hun, Song Kang-ho and Jung Woo-sung last July 11. click here to watch the video and see the other stars who watched the vip premiere.

kami no shizuku #4

Miyabe woke up with hangover and surprised to see Shizuku sleeping beside her on her bed. She didn’t have any idea what on earth happened. Apparently, after the ‘training’ Miyabe wanted to drink and dragged Shizuku to her place. But when they got to her place she got into her bed and passed out due to too much wine. Shizuku instead of going home decided to stay and read books about wine but fell asleep. ^^

Over a cup of coffee Shizuku said to Miyabi that ‘You’ll be my teacher from now on.’ While drinking coffee Miyabi was so amazed by Shizuku’s keen sense of smell. He was analyzing the aroma of coffee! She then showed him her ‘training tool’ to know the smell of wines. He smelled each bottle and name them one by one. Again she was surprised of his talent and said ‘You…you’re lying right? Didn’t you say you just started drinking wine yesterday?’ Shizuku replied, ‘But my dad made me smell various things ever since when I was a kid.’ He continues telling her the things his dad made him smell. By then, Miyabe in all her amazement said to Shizuku, ‘Those are all wine aromas and bouquets. In other words, they are the smell of the fruits or the smell from the barrels. Plus, they’re the words used to describe the smell of an aged wine. Looks like your dad didn’t only teach you how to decant, but he started your wine-talent training ever since you can remember.’

With this, she then ask Shizuku to try more scents until he stops and remembers the scents of the wine he and Tomine are having a contest for the mansion. Both can’t figure the smell so they decide to meet go to the restaurant where Miyabi is working to check. But for the meantime, Shinzuku has to go to work.

Meanwhile, the ‘prince in the wine world’, Tomine Issei attended the Teilo Hotel 50th Anniversary Event. He’s in front talking about the difference between Burgundy and Bordeaux wine. All the females are swooning over him. He looks very confident.

After work, Shizuku and Miyabi met at the cellar where Miyabi works to look for the corks and empty bottles to know the kind of wine that Shizuku needs to identify. They found it, the same wine that Tomine identified, the Chateau Mouton Rothschild. But when Miyabi was trying to look for an empty bottle she broke an unopened bottle that was mixed in the emply bottles. With worried glance and sweating she said to Shizuku, ‘I think I broke a really rare and expensive wine.'

to read the 1st 3 chapters of vol 1 click 1, 2 or 3

photos courtesy of ncismanga

[k news] kwon sang woo (plus my thoughts)

kwon sang woo [stairways to heaven & sad love song]has been the talk of the town since last week especially when he announced the he's getting hitched on september 28 at shilla hotel. the lady who will be tying the knot with sang woo is a 28 year old actress and former Miss Korea sohn tae young [to marry a millionaire]. ksw gave a presscon last friday [sept 18] and he said that it was a love at first sight and that sty treated her mother so nicely.


furthermore, according to Sports Chosun, the two met earlier this year at a small party with mutual celebrity friends. It is said that they have received the approval of their families. Kwon was quoted as telling a friend "I have met my life partner and I can imagine spending the rest of my life with her" and that he wants to speed up the wedding and make a home. to read more click here.

many of ksw fans were surprised about this news and are expressing their anger and disgust over his announcement and choice of woman. it was reported that sty had 3 failed relationships. likewise, fans are speculating that sty is preggy that is why they're having the marriage in a few months.

when ksw had the presscon at seoul plaza hotel, he was alone. it was said that sty didn't join because she's being harassed by the media. and this brings the fans to raised their eyebrows.

i wonder how ksw is feeling right now. fans do not approved his upcoming marriage to sty. fans feel that what he said in the presscon were scripted. fans are hurling some nasty words about sty. and that fans and media are trying to dig into her past 3 relationships.

at this moment, i pity ksw. after some scandals with his former agency that resulted to lawsuit, a failed movie [fate], a failed drama [bad love], a junked drama [big things], now this, a marriage in september to sty whom fans do not seem to favor.

this leads me to think about yong joon. what if sooner or later he announces to the family that he will soon get married. i know that there will be fans who will not approve regardless of who the lady will be. though i also know that there will be fans who like to see him settle down. i just hope that those who are not in favor will have an open mind and give them their blessings. i wish not to read stuffs like what i read in ksw's thread. it's not our idol's obligation to get our approval, it's not our right to choose who he/she has to marry. our idol is not our property regardless how much money we spent buying their official goodies and going to their homeland to support them. our relationship with them is one way.

anyway, i used to like ksw. he belongs to my kimchi boys before. i wish him and his future wife lots of luck, happiness and lots of cutie babies. ^^

p.s. mariko showed me this clip. this is from the presscon of ksw at seoul plaza hotel last july 18. check the first few seconds of the clip and you will see mr. shin. yong joon's loyal bodyguard. mariko and i are wondering what he's doing there. could it be that he has taken up another job now that yong joon is in the US? but there are other bof artists who need him. i remember seeing him escorting lee ji ah in 'dressed to kill'. hmm....

new photos from byj.co.kr website

have you been to the main page of KOB? The main page photos has been updated as well as the song being played. ^^ Check it out!

here are the captured photos taken from byjgallery

i like this...

and this too ^^

[photos] from yong joon's camera #1

tomato99 just shared in byj's quilt photos that yong joon took himself when he was in japan for the twssg premium event.

here they are ^^



the above photos was actually accompanied by a notice from bof which was posted on KOB. here it goes...


Photos by BYJ
BOF
2008-07-15 15

Greetings, BYJ family members,

BYJ sent some photos from USA to show you, BYJ family members.
The pictures are taken by BYJ, when he was in Japan for TSG event last month.
You can find the photos on ‘Gallery’ section and feel BYJ’s warm heart to you.

hope you all have a nice summer.

Best Wishes,

BOF

***

according to tomato99 this message was posted at the same time in Korean, Japanese and English!

geez, isn't this great?! would he continue on showing us photos as what he said when he was in japan? please...please...

***

btw, thanks to tomato99 for sharing the news!

byj's ex-gf on the news

lee sa gang is in the news ^^. for those who are curious, she's the ex-girlfriend of yong joon. they were together in 2003 until 2004.

i've been seeing news about her directorial debut via music video. and today, willenette shared on soompi the article in english from starnews. here i'm shoving the article here.

BAE YONG JOON’S EX-GIRLFRIEND LEE SA-GANG IN THE NEWS

The lady who once captured the heart of South Korea's Top Hallyu star Bae Yong-joon, is currently in the news.

Lee Sa-gang (LSG), who studied filmmaking in London, has reportedly directed a couple of MVs recently such as Tataclan's Chopsticks and Fly to the Sky's Drink and Tell. But that's just to whet your appetite. The main reason she has returned to Korea is to make her feature directorial debut! More on that later.

Back in December 2003, Bae Yong-joon revealed to the public that he was dating Lee Sa-gang. The then 23-year-old LSG was on the receiving end of much attention both in Korea and Japan. However, the relationship lasted as long as most Hollywood marriages.

The couple called it quits in the summer of 2004 because of their busy schedules. At that time, LSG was already enrolled in a London film school, so after the break-up, she went to Britain.

Lee, now 28, returned to South Korea last year because she was given the opportunity to direct a movie. The talented lady will not only direct, but will also be penning the script for the film, which is reportedly a melodramatic love story between a top Korean star and a Japanese woman.

Famous ex-boyfriend aside, LSG is making a name of her own. "I got a Master's from the Central St. Martin's college of Art and have been working for various ad agencies in London and France. I have also worked as a model for sportswear companies," LSG revealed.

Apart from that, she also created buzz in the indie circuit with her first short film Sputnik. It was selected as the best student film by the London Film School back in 2002 and was even shown at the BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts).

Now that LSG has returned to her homeland, will she be looking to rekindle the romance with a certain Hallyu superstar? We don't know. But LSG's Papa, Lee Jae-yoon, has spoken up saying that he trusts his daughter to make the right decisions.

Papa Lee said: "He (Bae) was so busy so he could not marry soon and Sa Gang had to wait at least three or four years and she just could not do that. She made the decision. I respect her and I let her make her own life decisions."

Source: StarNews with translations by Joe Gimm [& BB's Rambling (?)] hmm, didn't see this in bb's blog

this is lee sa gang




what to know how proficient she is in english? click here

fan's ra beauty core experience

remember i shared with you the link to the story of khin myint? the a story about yong joon visiting ra beauty core in l.a.? anyway, click here again just in case you have not read it yet or want to read it again.

khin posted another story at soompi today. this time she shared her experience inside the salon. when khin learned that yong joon went to ra beauty core, she called the salon and set an appointment after learning that yong joon will be back for another treatment.

when she got to the salon, she never expected that she will be in the same room, in the same bed and will be treated by the same therapist that treated yong joon! the receptionist remembered her since she asked about yong joon and set an appointment for her using the same therapist since she asked for a facial too ^^. khin only knew about this when she's already dressed for the facial and the therapist told her ~

"The receptionist told me that you came here because you are a big BYJ fan. Because I was the therapist who performed his facial on him, in this very room, on that very bed." Wow! how about you, how would you feel if you'll learn about this? As for Khin, she can't hardly believe it. Hee, but she came to her senses and started asking questions about yong joon which the therapist answered likewise sharing some stories.

According to Khin, the therapist told her that yong joon went to the US to relax and get away from everything. Taking it as a hint, the therapist just concentrated on doing his facial until yong joon told her about his flight and that how glad he was that no one recognized him on the flight. He added that he likes the dry heat in California over the extremely humid summer in East Coast. And that when he craves for Korean food, he'll hide in the car and send his driver to pick up his cold noodles.

To the therapist amusement according to Khin, she asked yong joon "i though since you came here to relax, you wouldn't want to talk too much. So how come you're talking to me?" Yong Joon looked up to her with an adorable puppy face and said "I'm bored."

awww, how cute...i can only imagine how he looked when he said that. could this be it?

or this?

if only i'm in L.A. i would probably go to RA Beauty Core too...on second thought after Khin said that no more dining out until Christmas...hmm.....let me water my money tree first ^^ hee, i can get a facial here for only $50 or less [and that includes follow up check up].

btw, thank you so much khin myint for sharing your experience at ra beauty core. i really really enjoyed reading your story.

april snow

yong joon has done only 2 movies [Untold Scandal and April Snow]. US was given an 18 and above rating while 'April Snow' got a R rating. but like what i said, despite the rating of both movies [in their own genre] they did well in the box office in korea [as well as in Japan and France].

i noticed that there are quite a number of new baefans [hee, probably after watching twssg]. these newbies are probably in 'byj 101' ^^ , okay...since i've posted some photos from 'Untold Scandal' magazine earlier, here let me shove some bts photos from the making of AS photos. i just can't find the link for you guys to watch the video. it would have been good if you can clip. i saw 2 clips, click here and here to watch. you'll get giddy seeing yong joon with syj

[Photos] Captured Shots from AS Poster Making ~

to read reviews about April Snow click here to be directed to AS thread @ soompi. you'll also find out why this movie was so loved in France.

btw, don't you think that syj and yong joon look good together too? just like all the other actresses paired with him?

Untold Scandal

These photos of Yong Joon, Lee Min Seok, Jeon Do Yeon are from a magazine back in 2004 for their movie 'Untold Scandal'. Though the movie's classification rating is over 18 i can say that for its kind of genre, though others may contest, it did good at the box office. 'Untold Scandal' grossed 3,345,268* in 2004 and making it on rank no. 31 in the 2006 [or 2007? source does not say but it has 2007 movies on the list] box office list.

*source

'Untold Scandal' is a story about a young nobleman who takes up a bet to seduce a widow who is renowned for her chastity. The story revolves around love, lust, jealousy, and revenge. An adaptation of the 18th-century French novel Dangerous Liaisons, transposed to the Chosun Dynasty.

Other fans i know got turned off to yong joon when he did this movie, but honestly for me, i like his portrayal of Jo Won and he really did a good job of transforming himself from a gentleman in WLS to a playboy in this movie.

here are the photos. btw, it's my first time seeing some of the photos. LMS really looks beautiful and classic.

scanned by vento/byjgallery

byj in l.a.

If you’re a hard core fan of Yong Joon, I’m sure you already know by now that he was in LA on the 10th and went to Ra Beauty Core. A fan actually saw him and Suehan shared the translation of the fan’s very very short encounter with Yong Joon on BYJ’s Quilt. You may click here to read.

And at soompi Khin Myint said that when she learned about this she checked the salon and was informed that he got a skin care treatment and hair massage [no he didn't have a haircut yet]. She also wrote that the receptionist told her that he is a soft talker, gentle and very tall. The receptionist also mentioned to her that Yong Joon will be back again next week ^^ and that he came with his manager [I’m guessing that it’s Brian Lee].

In addition to the above, Khin Myint said that the receptionist doesn’t know until when he will be in LA and that he is not visiting his sister who lives in Glendale, CA.

Geez, with this info being known in bae community, I wonder how the staffs in the salon are handling the reservations now. I've a feeling that many are setting already an appointment in the coming days. That has always been the trend whenever fans learn where yong joon has set his footprints.

Btw, I checked the website of RA Beauty Core you might want to check it too. Click here to be directed to the site. ^^

and here's a photo of the waiting area from the website

p.s. thanks to suehan and khin myint for the information ^^

yong joon's life in NY

There are 2 articles today that i read about yong joon. They reported yong joon's life in new york. Not sure how accurate this news is but i'm glad to read something about what he's been doing in new york.

Hancinema wrote a short news about him. It says that yong joon has been strolling around NY in his casual style clothing. To read more about the article that Hancinema posted on its site click here.

The other article came from Ilgan Sports which Joanne translated and posted on the news section of BYJ's Quilt. The news that Ilgan reported is much longer than the one by Hancinema. Reporter Lee Inkyeong wrote that yong joon is enjoying his freedom in NY as he does his own cooking. ^^ He also reported what Hancinema wrote and added that he strolls around with his camera [and fans recognize him ^^] and that he is also devoting some time at a fitness center. The article also mentioned that according to a BOF staff, they're not sure when he is going back to Korea and denies rumor that he's studying to learn english. [hmm, i read somewhere that he's in therapy for his knee and that he's studying english?]

There was a mention of the japanese manga 'Drops of God' but there's nothing new about it. The article only says that yong joon is thinking of appearing and producing the drama.

To read the article from Ilgan that Joanne translated into english, click here.

p.s. the photo posted here is not the photo on either article ^^ just thought of using it since i really like that photo which i think from the megane ichiba designer series. hee, i'm using that image too as my avatar in soompi.

Re-run of TBS Special Program

according to mariko in soompi, the TBS Special Program will have a rerun on Aug 9 (Sat) from 22:00 to 23:00 in Japan . hmm, no wonder i've been seeing articles about this. could it be many missed seeing the program and requested for a re-run? whatever, it's really really a great program that documented the bts of the twssg premium event and interview of yong joon. it's a not to be missed program.

like what i wrote in soompi, after the video and screencaps of the tbs program came out, what could come out next? that's right...gifs. and here are some which i'm shoving here from posoku's blog. i think the original source if from dc inside.

'ye.'

i love this ^^

and this one too ^^

'gulp'

(^^)@

cute ^^

(*-*)

he seems to love drinking water ^^

he seems to savor the water ^^

he could be a model for SEI ^^

\^_^/

'love it too even if he's not smiling

(^_~)

v(",)v

***

About SEI Spring Water

check out it cool website



say, he could be a model for SEI ^^