He Who Can’t Marry
Remakes of popular Asian dramas by different countries are fairly common in this business. Taiwan’s Meteor Garden (2001), Japan’s Hana Yori Dango (2005), and South Korea’s Boys Before Flowers (2009) all tell the same story with the same characters, and all three were blockbuster hits.
He Who Can’t Marry (2009) is South Korea’s remake of Japan’s Kekkon Dekinai Otoko (2006), one of my favorite dramas of all time. In brief, the plot is about a neurotic architect who infuriates people around him because he is self-absorbed and freely speaks his mind without concern for others. Nevertheless, he is very successful because of his excellent building designs and quest for perfection. Through some chance encounters, his neighbor and a doctor at the local hospital become involved in his life. Although they are frequently annoyed by his behavior, they inexplicably feel an attachment to him.
My review of the Japanese version talks a bit more about the plot. It’s a realistic drama with ubiquitous but subtle humor. When it comes to remakes, comparing different versions is inevitable, so my review of He Who Can’t Marry will examine the differences between the two.
Taiwanese girl’s project: “Kiss 100 men in Paris”
This news story has been racing around the Taiwanese blogosphere so I wanted to share with a different audience. Yang Ya-ching (楊雅晴) is a 27 year old music student studying abroad in Paris. She is apparently done with her degree and wanted a memorable parting gift, so she launched a project to kiss 100 strangers in Paris. At the end of all this, she’s planning on writing a book about her experience so she has a photographer tag along to capture the kisses. This is her photo album so far, she’s up to 54 kisses!
I liked the fiery color in this one. Perhaps not too surprising that the guys she kisses are all fairly good looking. She doesn’t look 100% Taiwanese though, and I’m fairly certain she’s mixed although I couldn’t confirm it.
I have some readers who read my site through RSS so I wanted to take this opportunity to plug my Twitter feed. People use Twitter in various ways — I use the micro-blogging service predominantly as a links dispensary. That way I can avoid writing low-content posts like this one on my site and still conveniently share interesting videos and articles. I’ve been using Twitter more and more so consider following me if you read my site!
Med 3 July rotation: Ophthalmology
When I first started this blog as my senior year of college was winding down, medical school was just a few months away. My original vision was, sure, to have the gaming and entertainment discussion you currently see on here, but also to document my progression through med school. The first 2 years are the basic science years where we learn anatomy, biochemistry, pathophysiology of diseases, etc. Mostly lots of rote memorization in the classroom so nothing terribly interesting to write about, though cadaver dissection might be something I can go into sometime.
In July, I began Med 3, which is the start of the clinical years. This is when we rotate through the various general divisions of medicine (like surgery, internal medicine, pediatrics) and actually work in the hospitals and clinics. Each rotation is two months long (though some are divided into multiple parts) and I’ve decided to write an overall impression as I finish each one.
10 years of 9.9.99
On this 10th anniversary of the Sega Dreamcast U.S. launch on 9.9.99, I recommend reading this retrospective of the system by 1up writer Jeremy Parish. I don’t have much to add to that, except to say thanks for all the good times. Dreamcast is by far my favorite console that in the mere 18 months of its lifespan showcased such an unbelievable production of creativity by the industry’s finest.
One of these days I should rank a list of favorite Dreamcast games. It’s bittersweet to reflect on what Sega has become, but I’m merely stopping by today to pay my respects for the golden age. Echoing Parish: the Dreamcast was “a love letter to Sega’s fans, and to everyone who loves videogames.”
I begin my second rotation of Med 3 tomorrow: pediatrics. My first rotation from July-August was relatively light, so this is when the real work begins. I’m on call tomorrow night, which means my workday will be from 7 AM to 11 PM!! Next post will be a reflection of my first rotation (family medicine/ophthalmology). My schedule looks packed so I’ll hopefully have it online within a week…
UPDATE: I nearly forgot that I received an awesome Sonic the Hedgehog statue a few weeks ago. Never got around to photographing it, and if I had planned more carefully, today would have been the perfect day to show the statue. Stay tuned for that post as well.
Triumvir M-65 Shadaloo jacket
I was introduced to SoCal-based Triumvir when they collaborated with Capcom to produce licensed Street Fighter shirts. Although most of their clothing isn’t really my style, I stuck around with the brand when I read their blog and became a fan. The designers put a lot of research and thought behind their concepts, and furthermore, eagerly share this information with their very devoted fanbase. (Example: Constantine’s Bomber Jacket for the upcoming collection)
But back to Street Fighter. Triumvir produced the Shadaloo Collection in late 2008 which I completely missed. The highlight was a Shadaloo M-65 jacket limited to 100 pieces. I didn’t find out about Triumvir until their second Street Fighter collection, called World Warriors. Looking at their back catalog, I loved the M-65 jacket but of course it had already been long sold out.
Luckily for me, about a month ago, David from Triumvir just so happened to be selling a brand new Shadaloo M-65 from his personal collection. I jumped at the opportunity.
Bape multi-camo tie
As a medical student and future doctor, I have to wear a tie every day I show up at a clinic/hospital and see patients. That being the case, I can never have enough ties to cycle through. For the 2009 Autumn Collection, A Bathing Ape released several plaid ties in addition to multi-camo ties for the first time.
My preferred Bape products lean towards the more subdued side, so this multi-camo is definitely a little loud for my tastes. In fact I didn’t pay any attention to it until I saw the accompanying style guide. Multi-camo tie… neutralized with a white dress shirt and doctor’s white coat… this could work!
A Bathing Ape diehard on Taiwanese TV
A Taiwanese singer/actor named 阿Ben (Ah Ben) recently went on a variety show where the topic of the day was “name brand vs. no brand clothing”. He was head-to-toe in Bape merchandise and brought along some pieces of his collection to show the audience. There’s a lot of fans who will no doubt be interested in watching this so I will be supplying a general translation of what they talked about. Thanks to DJ-Shareen for bringing this to my attention.
On a side note, as a fluent Mandarin speaker, I’ve been asked why I watch so many Japanese and Korean TV dramas and no Mandarin-language shows. From my experience, there are only two types of Chinese and Taiwanese dramas — 1) poorly acted modern-day dramas featuring the latest hot singers or models who have no business making a show and 2) epics set in various dynasties of China’s long history, which have legitimate actors but uninteresting subject matter. I would love to be proven wrong though, so if you have a favorite Mandarin drama I should look into, let me know!
