Yukino & Satoshi Big Adventure

The second episode follows Kiina through a case of dissociative identity disorder, this time more sentimental than puzzling intrigues.

A girl believed she was possessed by her deceased older brother who died in a drowning accident when they were young children. She kept entertaining suicidal thoughts and blamed her brother for it, thinking that her brother felt that she was the one who killed him. To top it off, the house they recently moved in was seemingly haunted.

Remind me again that I’m watching Kiina and not Galileo. Galileo also had an episode whereby this particular house experienced strange happenings like violent shakes. In fact, I’m really inclined to believe that both shows were either produced by the same production team, or Kiina was adapted to model after Galileo, having seen the latter’s success with 1 special and a movie on its tail.

The MO already sounds alike. Strange unbelievable cases presented. Culprit is a no-brainer. The crux lies in how the case was performed. And science (thank goodness not religion) is the saving grace for each story. Oh, and not to mention Kiina’s scanning of countless of books is reminscent of Fukuyama Masaharu’s eureka-scribbling-on-sidewalk-with-equations-and-theories moment.

Back to the second episode: The Possessed Girl.

One of my favourite part was the one when the mother was falsely accused of killing the son, when actually the girl meant to point to her own reflection on the mirror.

On a sidenote, I discovered that the producer of Kiina, Kato Masatoshi also produced Hataraki man(surprise surprise), Gokusen and Ai No Uta.

Kiina

Kiina presents Kanno Miho in a similar role to Hataraki man, a work-centric person however remarkable and capable she is in her career, she is ever so downtrodden when it comes to her personal life.

Kiina (Kanno Miho) is a police detective with a penchant for solving mysterious cases. At first glance, this sounds like your over-the-mill detective drama. But what strikes me is that the cases were drawn from factual accounts and real-life diffult police case. Of course, Kiina is armed with an amazing ability of photographic memory and keen observation skills to point out overlooked details and cruxes.

Aiding her is Yuta Hiraoka (Swing Girls), the police officer dispatched to help Kiina in her cases. He is the predictable vessel viewers would relate to and turned from skeptic and believer.

And Kanno Miho fans would probably spot out in an instant the man who played the police commisioner also happened to be Kanno Miho’s father in Iguana No Musume back in 1996. He had this unmistakable ang-moh face and he has hardly acted in many dramas currently. So it was pretty refreshing to see him here.

First Ep: The Heart that Remembers

A heart transplant recipient woman plagued by recurrent nightmares is convinced that the dreams held the key to the murder of her donor. She does not know who is the donor is.

This is based on the article:

There is the 8-year-old girl who got the heart of a 10-year-old murder victim, according to medical reports. Plagued by nightmares of the crime after her transplant, the girl used the images in her dreams to help locate and convict her donor’s killer.

Some people termed this as cellular memory.

There is the ballet dancer, Claire Sylvia, who wrote the book “A Change of Heart” after her 1988 heart-lung transplant, when she developed unfamiliar cravings for beer, green peppers and chicken nuggets – foods she had disdained as a health-conscious dancer. After contacting her donor’s family, she learned these were the favorite foods of the young motorcyclist who became her donor.

“With any solid organ, you are transferring DNA from the donor to the recipient,” he said. “These are genes that relate not only to the specific organ, but to other systems as well, such as cerebral function. So there may be something to this thing that personalities can change.”

But Copeland stresses the huge change a transplant brings to a person’s life.

“They go from being a cardiac cripple, an invalid, to being a pretty active normal person again,” he said. “We’ve seen all kinds of effects from that kind of change – people turn athletic, they get divorced, they get married, they have kids. They tend to take one day at a time and live life to the fullest. Whether that could be confused with acquiring the habits of your donor, or whether this is a real phenomenon, we don’t know.”

End

Omg i just realised it was Kanno Miho’s birthday yesterday. Happy belated:D

111 minutes of visual feast

Nobody is pretending it is all going to be roses.

Japanese Film Fest woohoo! Included in the line-up of films we have SAKURAN. My god. My eyes nearly popped when I flipped through 8 Days and there and there Anna Tsuchiya is staring back at me in her kimono with her come-hither eyes, saturated colours of red and green in the backdrop. And to think i spent so many a night trying so desperately to lay my hand on the show. (but i managed it anyway. Though i did not complete the movie in its entirety)

I’m awfully excited to catch this during the film fest. Watching in theatre, i’d imagine it to be so much fun better than staring at my 14″in pc screen. I realised that these good offerings have a penchant for impeccable timing. The screening is extremely close to the occlusion and dm test. Last year’s Sondre Lerche gig was wedged during the finals. And BSS was ’round the exams’ corner. Aiya. an’t afford to think so much. Good stuff don’t come knocking twice.

Is Tomorrow yesterday, today?

More fodder for the kan-chan fanclub (kfc)

Lovely little surprise when i found out that Tomorrow has been uploaded. Been raring to watch the show for some time, considering how ardent a fan I am to Kanno Miho. Casted opposite Yutaka Takenouchi, who fitted seamlessly into his role as Kohei Moriyama, the reluctant civil servant who returned to medical profession while struggling with inner issues. Read: Brooding, pensieve and moody. Hero at the end of every episode type. Wowed everyone with his capability and da da da da ultimately. Lol, i sounded so sarcastic but actually I do like Yutaka Takenouchi too. Just that of the few shows I watched him in, his roles barely varied.

So i caught the first episode during breaks from the dreaded occlusion wax-up. Reminscent of Handoku, with Kan-chan filling the shoes of Tomoya Nagase as the hot-headed passionate healthcare provider. From a medical intern she’s demoted to a nurse this time around, somewhat more believable. (Yeah yeah I’m a sexist.) Her appearance here is SO much better than in Hataraki man, where the awful hairstyle and manly character are a big boo-boo. I looked forward to her sassy dress style in Hataraki Man. Over here, think all I will be seeing is uniforms and scrubs.

Of all the roles I’d watched so far, I like her best under the skin of an aloof, confident and dissociated authority. (cold is hot!) Like in Watashitachi No Kyokasho, O-oku & Sakuran. As Sawako in Dolls, she was equally impressive. In Itoshi Kimi E, Hataraki Man, Satomi Hakkenden however, I felt that anyone else could have done the job. No kick no schmick. And in Koi Ga shitai she almost got me believing that she’s weird.

Erm,yes. Enough with the Kanno Miho public adoration. Back to Tomorrow. It looks pretty promising. The usual inspiring first ep fanfare dished out in the typical fashion. Still, the presence of the new lady doctor is going to be exciting to watch. I would say such a storyline is normally a big deterent, myself inclining towards amusing rom-coms (densha otoko, zettai kareshi), thrillers(erm, trick sometimes scare the shit out of me), or incomprehensible arthouse flicks.(dolls)

As usual, I would be on a keen lookout for familiar faces I like. Sad to say, no supporting actors that i recognised. Maybe it’s just the first ep. Maybe it’s the low res screen.

In the Heart of Taiwan<3

Taipei, Taiwan.

On our first night we hopped onto Taipei Metro to Jiantan, curious to see what’s Shihlin Night Market like. The foodcourt didn’t exactly meet my expectations. I’m a no-no to smelly beancurds, pig innards, oyster and that just about sum up the food in taiwan. 大饼包小饼 was alright nia. Shopping however, was great. Loved how the fashion here is heavily inspired by Japan and Korea. We spent an afternoon people-watching at Xi Men Ding and concluded that neon is IT. (not buying into the neon trend though) The locals there were extremely friendly. They’re generally very talkative, sometimes i feel like they could go on and on and on without breaking a sweat.

Shihlin Night Market

Waiting Zone for Female Passengers at Night, Taipei Metro. How very thoughtful.

The famed Ah Zhong Mian Xian, Xi Men Ding. The noodles were all of varying consistency and type, but they tasted like mee sua all the same. Not bad.

I almost hyperventilated when I saw this.

Could not believe that I walked past this junction of XMD countless of times without recognising the MTV. KAT-TUN! Queen of Pirates now on retail:) I spent a good half hour with my eyes glued to the big screen while savouring the ah zhong mian xian.

Fortune street. Actually, it’s just a small section in the city jungle of Shihlin. There was one occasion outside Taipei Main station when this eerie fortune teller keep calling out to me in a very urgent and serious voice. But eeleng told me not to go. Thank goodness. What if he say those dreaded words. Will totally ruin my day.

Kanno Miho!!!!

Lukia endorsement, don’t think I’ll be seeing her big mug in Singapore any time soon. I saw her poster at 3 different watch shops in Taipei, and promptly pounced at every opportunity to snap a shot of her.

I was staring at this Jam poster at Rose Records, XMD when the Jam Fan Club member mistook me for a comrade. Hur hur, she started chit chatting with me and I, the great pretender, agreed with whatever chinese she was saying. Later on, we got another jam fan club member to help us take this photo. He asked if we bought the album already. I muttered a yes before making for a quick getaway. What if he asked “so, what is your favourite song from the album?” Can’t bear to lie again. Anyway, Jam looked really good in another series of posters. He looked so

I liked the beef noodles there. This bowl came without beef.

Pon De Ring! They had this scratch and win thing where you need to collect points to reach ten in order to redeem a pon de ring hp keychain. So we happily bought our donuts, carefully scratch our precious cards with much anticipation and hope when eeleng suddenly shouted “fuck!” It was super funny. She had 1 point.

We burst out laughing when we saw this.

Donch know why this dog sports eyes like that, but it’s probably the reason why it’s still unsold. Whatever it is, it’s best for keeping burglars at bay. bwaharhar

At Gong guan. The shaved ice here is like a mountain on its own.

Xi Men Ding!

I bought this sorting hat at Wufenpu. Kinda pricey but it was just so cool i could not take my eyes off it. I bought the 方大同 glasses at XMD. Love the frames:)

You can’t really try to go for the big teddy, it wouldn’t even budge out from the miserable looking slot. And the smaller teddy is holding on to its dear life. We couldn’t laughing when we saw this. Apparently, the shop owners does not even want you to try.

At Kaifeng St. We were looking for Show (luo zi xiang) shop. Stuff there turned out to be pretty steep. And the people who flocked there were mainly curious teenagers like us.

We stumbled upon this cool secondhand CD and book shop in the sleepy district of Yong Kang. English chill music at the background, endless shelves of books and obscure CDs, random stuff ala flea market cluttered the area, wooden chairs for you to sit around. Quite like browsing here, even if there’s nothing much to buy.

At Shida Night Market, one of my fave haunts. We spotted this cute decoration display outside a shop, couldn’t resist the shutterbug in me. As with many of the photos here, did a bit of photoshop to pretty up this photo.

At Danshui, their dental unit are pretty open concept. I could see the dentist working from across the street.

At Danshui Fisherman Wharf.

This is one good dining deal if you happen to go to CKS memorial station. They have 8 set meals to choose from (hence the name). Each set comprises the main dish (unagi, katsu, sashimi etc), chawanmushi, konnyaku jelly, bamboo shoots, pickled veggies, free flow rice, miso soup, coleslaw and green tea. All for NT$200! (approx SGD$9+)  no gst,and auto refund if the food doesn’t come in 15 mins. We stuffed ourselves here cuz the ambience was pretty and the servings were enormous. But it can get really crowded so it was hard getting a table.

At Danshui. The lovers’ bridge was really nice to chill. We didn’t feel out of place though, cuz there were alot of 小黑，小白 around, as well as many elderly hongkong tourists.

Narcissus would have love me; Echo would curse.

Finally! Back to dear singapura. At the airport. yes, we so heart sepia. cuz we are amateur photogs.

Ooku – The Inner Palace

One of my favourite past-times for the lazy bugger me on a long weekend is an uninterrupted japanese drama marathon, snacks on hand, feet propped atop the table.

First caught Ooku on cable a few years back, but the jdrama bug hasn’t bitten me yet so It left barely an impression. Revisited the series recently, only to discover what a touching and great drama it has been. (For it to churn out 2 more sequels and a nostalgic special do spell something)

Anyway, I just want to say that the relationship between Lady Tokuko (Kanno Miho) and His Highness Iesada (Kitamura Kazuki) moved me to bits! The love stories here are all very compelling to watch, and at the end of it all, you don’t harbour any bad feelings towards the antagonists. The Kimonos and elaborate settings were visually enthralling, and Lady Tokuko captivated me with her brilliant acting and beauty.

Her jaded highness.

Lord Iesada, the shogun i want for myself too! I watched Kitamura Kazuki in several shows but they were all forgettable parts (densha otoko special, galileo etc) This one gets the prize. No birthmark however hideous can villify this mysterious looking actor.

Whee, close contact. Ferget the sword.

Tomorrow

Yay! Just heard from xiaoyan that Kanno Miho would be acting in this year’s summer drama, alongside Yutaka Takenouchi.

Nurse role.. hmm wouldn’t that be similar to itoshi kimi e? That drama was a tad boring though. Don’t really fancy med dramas. Yutaka! He’s in the same league as Takeshi kaneshiro. Can’t wait~

Ai No Uta

Yesterday afternoon, after watching 3 episodes of change, i discovered, to my delight, that Ai No Uta was up on cr. Ureshi~ more Kanno Miho please!

Having watched only like 3-4 episodes, i will reserve my review for laters. This time it’s Miho with long hair. Same look as the younger Tamako Tsumiki in Watashitachi no kyoukasho. Her role is a break from the usual ones that i watched. Someone with ugly personality. How to pull that off? Something along the lines of Koi no kiseki maybe?

I thought the introduction was pretty funny. When she as a child tried to run away from home to test her mum’s reaction, only to realise to her dismay that her mum really doesn’t care. Her hiding in the box was very cute. And her offbeat narrating style was if anything, comical. And when she tried to commit suicide but ended up swimming ashore.

Is it me or suddenly everything’s heartwarming? I teared abit watching change and now, watching Ai no uta i was doing the same. The episode when she dived to the river to retrieve the little girl’s treasure, or when the kids explained that they loved the lunches she made all along. Touching! Goes to show that we don’t really need illness, death etc to move the audience.

The little boy has a knack for wasting sauce

Ah! Kan-chan!

Nanami is back! (from hotman) I almost couldn’t recognise her, until i heard the signature ” emm!” Between Rie-chan and Nanami I really can’t choose. So cute!

Lips Inc goes Funky Town

Was hoping for an early night retirement. But I spotted a new video uploaded of Kanno Miho. Some 1995 horrorflick called Eko Eko Azabusabo. Hiak hiak. Joke. it’s Azarabu. And I HAD to get it.

So here i am, mouth open, eyelids closing, keeping meself awake with My Boss My Hero. It’s surprisingly good. Tomoya Nagase, even with his furrowed brows and ultra alpha male persona, can fit into comedic roles prefectly. I liked this better than mukodono. And Tanaka Koki is cute. Always the one to stay up all night to sew encouraging prints on uniforms and underwear. But i say japan should tone down on the typecast. Typecasting is inevitable but we’re pretty wreary of watching our favourite heroes rehashing and reprising.

This morning i felt pretty down when i took out my ivorine tooth(competency test) and saw for myself the ugly truth of my cavity prep and amalgam filling. The voids at the proximal box screams under-condensation. The scratches on the marginal ridge are unwarranted signatures of my interproximal carver. The poor gleam that catches no light. The higher than normal distal marginal ridge, as if to tell me 一山比一山高 . To mark the tooth as 35, my index number, was like “a scar on my porcelain skin.”  Btw, tonight by stars is my latest discovery.

Kept brooding over the lousy piece of work I did that my appetite left me for someone else. That I was so dispirited doing my CR and wax-up for class IV. Binged on Carl’s later that evening in the company of karen, eggy and justine. 5% more to complete d/l.