Gaga heels by Japanese Designer

When you think of Lady Gaga, what comes to mind first? Her meat dress? Her balloon dress? If you step back and think about it, all these images are related to fashion. We tend to think about her fashion before her music. She has crafted a signature look to cement her brand. Part of her look includes those crazy high platforms that have no heel. Lady Gaga has bought fame to the man behind those unconventional heels, shoe designer Noritaka Tatehana.

For the past 2 years, Tatehana has designed over 20 pairs of heels for Lady Gaga; which has helped him make his work become an icon. The story of how he and Lady Gaga started to collaborate is kind of cool.

Tatehana wanted to modernize the traditional Japanese ‘greta’ shoes that were worn by geishas, he designed his first shoe for his thesis. They were eye catching, pink leather with a reptilian texture. He sent out mass emails to people in the industry and he received 3 replies; a blogger, a journalist and Lady Gaga’s stylist. And the rest is history.

As for the future, Tatehana hopes to expand his brand to clothing, accessories and hopes to raise the profile of his Japanese heritage around the world.
Reference: Korean Herald

DigitalRev TV: Cameras, light & action

For the past few months, I have been researching seriously about what DSLR camera I should get. I’ve been toying with the idea of getting a DSLR for over a year. I’ve been learning a bit about the mechanics of a camera and lenses, TLR, SLR, mirrorless, ¾, full frame. But I'm still having great difficulty on deciding what I want.

In terms of cameras, my family has always owned a canon camera – we use to shoot on film. Then I got 2 canon point and shoot cameras, the ixus and ixy. I love my canon cameras; it’s easy to use, produces great colored pictures, has some nice art filters. So naturally, I would stay loyal to the brand and get a canon DSLR like the 60D, 600D right?

Well, that’s what I initially thought. After going to camera stores and picking the brains of experts, my friends and watching DigitalRev TV my mind has changed some what.

Let me tell you about DigitalRev TV, well it’s a show about cameras. It’s one of the most entertaining shows I’ve seen, I’m absolutely obsessed with the show now. Think of UK’s TV show Top gear but instead of featuring cars, the show features cameras. Like Top Gear, DigitalRev TV has 3 hosts: Kai, Lok and Alamby.

Kai is the frontman of the show, his humor is similar to Jeremy Clarkson’s – it’s blunt and he comes up with some classic one liners. In one video he referred to Justin Bieber as a singing foetus. His humor is bloody brilliant.

From the show I learnt that Canon cameras are large plastic things and the lenses are cheap plastic. Olympus OMD M-5 has a magnesium alloy body with weather sealing. All the features of the SLR are in a more compact size in the OMD M-5. The smaller camera is more ideal for the traveler. Currently I'm leaning towards the Olympus M5, but I shall ponder a tiny bit longer about it. I want to be 100% happy with my purchase.

Back to DigitalRev TV, some of my favourite moments include Kai and Lok painting DSLR cameras (they are not cheap) PINK! Such as a canon 600D, Nikon D7000 even a Leica M8 camera!!! I enjoyed their smoke photography tutorial (let me mention they nearly burnt the apartment down!! Don't worry, they had a bucket of water lying nearby LOL!)

I’ve posted one of my fave DigitalRev episodes below, check it out =) This is where they just abuse a canon 7D camera to test out its durability. You'll be surprise at how much the 7D could handle.

Odd Things I saw - Toilet signs

I was browsing around on the web and came across this photo that actor Peter Ho posted on his weibo (China's version of twitter).

Clever toilet photo sign yeah? lol!

SBS Bollywood Star

My new fave Aussie show this year is 'Bollywood Star'. This delightfully entertaining family show is on the search to find  Bollywood's next superstar in Australia.

In this 4 part series, contestants go through a grueling audition process to discover who has the talent, star quality, appeal to succeed in Bollywood.

A diverse group of contestants of different backgrounds went to Sydney to dazzle the judges. Amongst the good, the bad and the ugly auditions, the judges uncovered remarkable talent that shined through the crowd.

In the second episode (aired 9th June), the contestant pool was narrowed down to the final 6. The 6 include G-Luv, the only male to make it to the finals. His personality is huge, unmissable on the show, making him one of the most memorable faces on the show. He is what I would describe as Bollywood meets hip hop. He has a lot of hip hop attitude, the way he speaks and poses. The way Bollywood is modernizing for the younger audiences, G-Luv may as well find a fanbase in Bollywood.

The final 6 will now fly to Mumbai for the next round of auditions. Tune in next Saturday on SBS at 7:30pm to see what happens next!

Odd Things I saw - Miniature art

I'm a huge fan of art and I came across this unique form of artwork that I wanted to share with you all. Artist Chen Forng Shean expresses his creativity on a microscopic scale, his masterpieces are the size of a needle eye. If you don't look hard enough, you probably won't realise it's there.

Chen has been dubbed as 'the founder of miniature art in Taiwan', he has been creating miniature masterpieces for 30 years. He never needs to worry about running out of space to store his artwork! LOL!

When working on a small scale, there are quite a few challenges. For instance, a shaky hand is of no use in this type of artwork.

"If the hands shake a little bit, the work will be destroyed, " Chen said, "my job is dealing with very fine things, so I learned to breathe and hold my breath. When I take a breath, I can hold it for 60 seconds, and then I can engrave every stroke with the rhythm of my pulse." Reference: Sina english

Employees refuse to take tattoo survey in Osaka

Do you feel it’s OK for a workplace to make you declare if you have a tattoo? In Australia tattoos isn’t an issue in the workplace. On a professional level, they may ask you to conceal it while at work but they certainly would not sack you over it.

In Japan, the mayor of Osaka Toru Hashimoto forced all employees in the public sector to declare if they have tattoos in a survey. If an employee owned up to having a tattoo, they could meet some unfavorable consequences such as relocation or dismissal. Not a win win situation for inked employees.

So why all this fuss over employees having ink? Well, in Japan tattoos are frowned upon in society - because they assume that person has an association with the yakuza.

 Recently another tattoo survey was conducted and 15 employees refused to fill out the form arguing that it violated their privacy. Displeased with their response, the government replied that they will take disciplinary measures that include salary cuts and other reprimand.

Mayor Hashimoto strongly feels that if people want or have tattoos they don’t belong in the public sector and should find work in the private sector. If you think about it, how does having a picture on your skin affect a person’s ability to do their job. Having ink doesn’t take away a person’s qualifications, skills or experience. Why so judgmental Mr Mayor? Don’t you feel that you are discriminating against people with tattoos? Doesn’t the public sector in Japan have work laws such as Equal Opportunities.

What do you think of this story?

EUROVISION WEEKEND BEGINS

It's that time of year when the biggest song contest in the world, Eurovision, begins.

Spread over 3 epic nights, the highs, the lows, the good and the ugly of Eurovision will make highly entertaining television.

During the Eurovision broadcast, twitterverse always explodes with tweets from viewers worldwide - sharing their opinions. 

This year's Eurovision is held in Baku, Azerbaijan watch all the European countries battle it out on stage.

Hosted by Julia Zemiro and Sam Pang, this epic music events starts tonight on SBS at 8:30pm and continues tomorrow and Sunday.

Broadcasters MBC and YouTube join forces

Kpop Singers held a special concert near the Google headquarters, California to celebrate the content sharing deal between korean broadcaster MBC and YouTube.

The concert featured major artists that included TVXQ, Girl's generation, and Kara. It was also broadcasted live on YouTube for fans worldwide.

More than 20,000 kpop fans attended the free event at the Shoreline Amphitheatre. The fans that missed out on tickets were able to watch their idols from outside the theatre.

This is a valuable partnership between Korea's MBC and the largest video sharing site YouTube. YouTube was one of the main platforms that helped Kpop reach an international audience.

Viagra generics enter the Korean market

Pfizer's blue pill 'Viagra' has gone off patent, which caused a lot of excitement amongst Korean pharmaceutical firms as they are allowed to make generics of Viagra.

One day after Viagra's patent expired, Korean pharmaceutical company CJ released 'Heragra' in to the market. They sure didn't waste any time at all. They are certainly giving Pfizer a run for their money too by pricing Heragra at one third of its price. One pill of Viagra costs 13.60USD whilst one pill of Heragra costs less than 5USD. As a patient, the pricing difference will sure make Heragra the more appealing and cost effective option. (NOTE: Heragra is a terrible name, it doesn't roll off the tongue easily).

However, Pfizer came out with a statement:
"Pfizer held two different patents in regards to sildenafil. One was for the compound and the other for it's use in the treatment of erectile dysfunction."

This means CJ or any other Pharmaceutical company can manufacture sildenafil but they can't make health claims for erectile dysfunction for their products.

CJ were unsatisfied with this so they have filed a law suit against Pfizer.


Reference: Korean Herald

Odd Things I Saw - Toilet mural

To all you  love birds out there. When you want to do something romantic for your partner, what would you do? Wine, dine, buy some flowers or maybe jewellery.

Well, Chinese artist Wei Hua came up with an innovative idea and gift for his future wife. He created a wall of toilets and arranged roses in the toilet to form a love heart. I don't entirely understand how toilets came in to the equation of a romantic gift for his beloved.

The art piece is appropriately named the 'toilet waterfall'. A total of 6,000 roses were put in the toilets. 

Me personally, I think he should have just given her the 6,000 roses (that''s like a florist shop) that is romantic. I think the addition of toilets is overkill, but it definitely will leave a long lasting impression for her and the whole town. lol

Film release: Careless Love (2012)

A new Australian film 'Careless Love', starring Vietnamese Australian actress Nammi Le was released nationally in selected theatres this week.

The film is about a Vietnamese Australian uni student who moonlights as an escort in order to help out her family's financial struggle.

For more information check out the film's official website.

Mickey Mouse supports gay marriage, Japan

After much talk in US politics about gay marriage, President Obama has finally expressed his support for gay couples to tie the knot. Another high profile person has also expressed their support for gay marriage is Mickey Mouse in Japan.

Same sex couples are able to have their dream fairytale wedding at Tokyo Disney Resort in Japan. However, the unions are not recognised legally.

Having a same sex wedding at Tokyo Disney does come with a few conditions.

Firstly, couples are required to be dressed 'like a man and a woman'... Doesn't this restrict the couples freedom and expression to get married? What if they both want to wear flowing wedding dresses or tuxedos. Staff explained that the same sex marriage would create 'repercussions' among the visitors when they saw 2 brides or 2 grooms... Again... what the? Doesn't this take away from the whole point of allowing gay couples to wed?

Soon (after realising their "support" was actually  not supportive), they revised their policy to allow couples to wear what they want.

Then, to further outrage couples, Disney staff said gay couples are not allowed to exchange marriage vows at the onsite chapel 'because of Christian teaching'. How is that support for gay marriage?

It's like they are saying:

"Oh yes! You can have your wedding at our venue. We support gay marriage. But your marriage will not be legal, we'll give you a hard time about what you can and cannot wear, PLUS! You are not allowed to exchange marriage vows at the Disney chapel 'because of Christian teachings."

Share your thoughts on this. Love to hear from you.


Reference: AFP

Odd Things I saw - Ice Pack Bra ?

This week, underwear firm Triumph Japan launched a novelty bra that has built in ice packs in an effort to keep women's chest area cool during the hot summer.

Yes I am serious, and it seems Triumph Japan are serious too. Some of the features of this 'cool' bra include gel padding that remains soft even when frozen. LOL!

Would you want to wear 2 ice packs under you clothes everywhere on a hot sunny day? I don't see how practical this cool bra is and what kind of market research they undertook to come up with this idea. Who exactly is their target market.

When you start to ponder about this idea a bit more, I wonder how long the bra stays 'cool' for and what their user feedback would be like. But hey, let's not forget Japan did also invent the Man Bra... so maybe this ice pack bra will be a hit.

This bra is Triumph's contribution to the Nation's 'Cool Biz' campaign, where companies are finding innovative ways for Japanese people to conserve energy.

 Check out the photos

Kmovie review – Mother (2009)

Its mother’s day this weekend, so I thought it was fitting that I review the Korean film ‘Mother’ on today’s show. This film is a thriller so not the type of film you would watch with your mum on mother’s day (LOL!).

‘Mother’ stars Kim Hye-ja and Won Bin as mother and son. Kim plays an unnamed widow who works as a herbalist in a small town in order to support her only son Do-Joon, whom has an intellectual disability. Mother smothers Do-Joon with affection causing dislike from Do-Joon because he wants his independence. Do-Joon’s only friend is Jin-tae, a bad apple in the small town who always gets Do-Joon in trouble.

A high school girl is discovered dead on a building's roof and evidence found at the crime scene points to Do-Joon. Unable to defend himself, police find’s Do-Joon guilty of the crime and throws him in Jail.

His mother believes Do-Joon has been framed and goes to extraordinary lengths to prove his innocence. She constantly asks Do-Joon to remember details of the night the school girl was killed. Do-Joon has trouble recalling because he was drinking earlier in the night.

With no lead to follow, she did unethical things in an effort to collect evidence that will clear her son’s name. The question begs, how far will she go to protect her son?

One of the most fascinating aspects of this film was questioning everyone’s involvement in the crime. Things aren’t what they appear to be, and it was hard to determine who was good and who was bad.

Kim carried the film, moving us when she was vulnerable, frightening us when she was angry. Won Bin proved himself as a serious actor taking on this role. He delivered a compelling performance, especially in the ending scenes.

Interesting and compelling film. 5/5 stars.

America’s Next Top Model – Nicholas Tse

Hong Kong superstar Nicholas Tse guest starred in this week’s episode of America’s next top model.

5 finalist remain in the competition and they were flown to Hong Kong for the last part of the competition. For this week’s challenge, Nicholas Tse had the girls act in fight sequence. The winner of the challenge would get to star in an upcoming music video of his.

Nicholas did some demos of fight sequences, displaying his professionalism and skills. The contestants were very impressed with  him. The entertaining part was when the girls had to learn the fight sequence. It was obvious the girls are no Maggie Q or Angelina Jolie. A lot of the times the girls looked rather awkward or un-coordinated. It just shows that it’s hard to do action sequences and make them look natural and not rehearsed or contrived.

It was really cool to see Nicholas Tse in America’s Next Top Model.

Kmovie Review: Actresses (2009)

I’m a huge fan of documentaries and ‘Actresses’ is the first Korean documentary I have watched. ‘Actresses’ follows 6 leading ladies of Korean cinema at the Vogue Korea Magazine Photoshoot.

The 6 leading actresses are Choi Ji-woo, Yoon Yeo-Jeong, Lee Mi-sook, Ko Hyeon-jeong, Kim Min-hee and Kim ok-bin. The documentary focuses on the 6 actresses and how they interact together on set.

There are a few elements that make the documentary interesting to watch. The generational tension that is seen between the actresses was evident; whose ages span from 20s to 60s. In addition, a lot of drama was seen amongst the young actresses arguing who is the 'bigger' celebrity. Things got quite catty, but in comparison to American reality shows, it was rather tame.

Rumors had it that this film was scripted. It actually wasn’t, however, the director said each scene had an outline (similar to how TV show ‘Curb your enthusiasm’ is made). The outline required the actresses to improvise in the given scenario.


The director wanted to show the women’s character in real life. When I was watching the film, some sections felt contrived – like the actress was putting up a performance. Which reminded me of the quote shown in the opening credits of the film:

'There are 3 types of people in this world, Men, Women and Actresses'.

There were some delightfully funny moments between the actresses when they start to warm up to each other. 

I was most surprised about Choi Ji-woo’s diva antics. We’re so familiar with her girl next door image in movies and TV dramas, so it was surreal to watch the ‘real’ her being a diva and having a whinge. She’s a convincing actress, however ironically in this film she comes off as over acting.

This documentary doesn’t feel authentic. I would actually label it as a mockumentary. I'll give it 3/5 stars.

Check out the trailer:

CMovie - Insperable starring Daniel Wu & Kevin Spacey

Daniel Wu and Kevin Spacey star opposite each other for the first time in the Chinese film 'Inseparable', which is released today in China.

It is an exciting project, having two of the biggest stars in Asia and Hollywood on screen together. The film is bilingual with both english and mandarin dialogue.

In this black comedy, Daniel Wu plays a young man dealing with problems at work and at home, who is befriended by a mysterious American expat (Kevin Spacey).

Check out the trailer:

Odd Things I Saw - Hello Kitty Couture

I do have to say that sometimes I indulge in reality television (if a dessert isn't on hand). They share a lot of similarities, they are deliciously bad for you and surprisingly enjoyable.

On this week's episode of America's Next Top Model, the contestants had to wear Hello Kitty Couture for a photoshoot.

All these gowns took around 3 months to put together. The dresses are amazingly creative. One of my favourites was the kimono made out of hello kitty pencil cases - too cute.

I love how one of the dresses was made out of tin hello kitty lunch boxes.

I felt the models didn't use a lot of creativity to model in these unique creations. If Coco Rocha wore these dresses, she would own it and model the hello kitty out of the dresses.

What do you think of these hello kitty couture dresses?  

Students protest against Lady Gaga's concert in South Korea

 A group of college students have announced that they will stage a protest outside Lady Gaga's Seoul concert this Friday.

They are protesting against what they describe as her 'abnormal', 'obscene', 'sexually perverted acts' on stage. The students are trying to launch an 'anti-gaga' campaign online through (yep, you guessed it) social media. They also stated they they will boycott companies that support Lady Gaga. Churches in Seoul have planned group prayers against Lady Gaga.

Lady Gaga will kick off her 2012 World Tour in Seoul, so this is not quite the welcome an artist would hope for.

In the article, they interviewed Professor Mathieu Deflem, an expert in sociology at the University of South Carolina. He suggested a reason for the protests, “Mainly because Lady Gaga uses religious symbols and because she is a supporter of gay rights,”

“However, I think these groups are not very well-informed, because Lady Gaga herself is very religious and not out to destroy young people,” he said.

Lady Gaga has remained silent over this issue and declined to hold a press conference in Seoul.

I wonder how this affected her preparations for her world tour?

Reference: Korea Herald

Odd Things I Saw - Sushi for your iPhone

Are you a sushi and iphone lover?

Well, Japanese brand 'Tsukasa Sample' has created a special sushi iphone cover that retails for 42USD.

'Tsukasa Sample' are known for their realistic plastic foods that are displayed in Japanese restaurants. They have adapted their designs for apple products.

You will see the fine detail in all their designs, from the crinkle in seaweed, to individual rice grains.

It will sure make you crave sushi when you are working in the office and looking at your sushi iphone. It's mind control I tell you! lolz.

If sushi doesn't take your fancy, you can get dessert iphone covers such as strawberries and ice cream.

You can check out their iphone food case menu online.

Bon Apetite!

Chinese Olympian under fire for second child

Diving gold medalist Tian Liang is being investigated by authorities for alleged violation of the one-child policy by arranging the birth of his second child in Hong Kong.

Tian 32, a gold medalist from the Sydney (2000) and Athens (2004) Olympic games retired from diving in 2007 and became an actor.

In 2008, Tian welcomed his firstborn, and earlier this year his second child was born in Hong Kong. Since the arrival of his second child Tian has faced accusations of violating the nation’s one-child policy.

China introduced the one-child policy in the late 1970’s to control the fast growth of its population. Since then, authorities have made exceptions, allowing eligible couples to have a second child.

Opinion has been divided over Tian's situation.

Shaanxi Administration of Sport stated that Tian had not violated the one-child policy since his son was born in Hong Kong.

Ma Li, director of the China Population and Development Research Center, however, confirmed with the Global Times that "no matter where their house registration is located, Tian and his wife broke the law."

According to NPFPC's hotline for public inquiries on the one-child policy, a couple who are not eligible for a second child are considered to have violated the policy even if their second child was born outside the mainland.

The hotline said the couple will be fined if they bring the child back to the mainland. The fine would be between two and six times the couple's total income of the previous year, and any future fines would triple for every additional child. That is a harsh penalty.

Tian and his family have remained silent since the news broke.

Du Peng, a professor with the Population Research Institute of Renmin University of China, told the Global Times that he expects the policy to be loosened little by little to deal with the country's growing aging population and decreasing birth rate.

"First, families with either the mother or father being the only child can have two children. Then gradually, all families will be permitted to have two children," Du said.

What do you think about this? What about the harsh penalty that applies to couples that have more than one children?

Reference: Global Times

Odd Things I Saw: Free! Playing cards with China’s Most Wanted

Would you want to play black jack or poker with images of criminals on the back of the cards?

Police in Guangzhou have devised a novel plan of capturing criminals by putting their photos on playing cards and giving them free to the public. Over 50,000 decks of cards have been given out to the public, in hope that they could provide tip offs to the police.

Each card contains an image of the criminal as well as their profile; information such as name, height, reward value, ID number for reporting tip offs. Claiming the Joker card is one of China’s most wanted criminals, with a reward value of 300,000yuan ($47,700USD)

Not surprisingly this campaign has received mixed feedback.

Some people felt uncomfortable playing cards while seeing pictures of criminals, feeling that it will ruin the mood of the game and make them feel scared.

Whilst others felt that this will allow them to help police and claim the reward.

This is not the first time that criminal playing cards were introduced. In 2005, police in Zhengzhou printed ‘criminal cards’ and gave them to the public. In 2003, the US military also developed a set of playing cards with the most wanted team members of Iraq’s former leader Saddam Hussein for their troops.

Reference: (Beijing Time) China Daily

Lost in Auslan

A new music video featuring Johnny Depp and Natalie Portman using incorrect sign languages to song lyrics have been pointed out by sign language experts.

Depp and Portman star in Sir Paul McCartney’s MV for ‘My Valentine’. Some of the signing errors made by the starlet are:

- ‘tampon’ for ‘appear’
- ‘enemy’ for ‘valentine’

A representative for The British Deaf Association has praised their efforts.

"It's great that famous people such as Johnny Depp and Natalie Portman are highlighting the use of sign language. Their use of it is more a poetic expression," a spokesperson said.

"The sign for tampon does seem to come up from both Johnny and Natalie, which causes some confusion, especially as American and British sign languages are different.”

I question how this sign language error made it to the final music video. Wouldn't there be a sign language expert coaching the Depp and Portman?

Or do you think the sign language purposely wanted Depp and Portman to sign 'tampon' and 'enemy' as a prank? LOL! That would be a brilliant prank.

So everytime the song title comes up 'My Valentine', Johnny would be signing 'My enemy' for people with hearing disabilities.

I can't imagine how many times the world 'tampon' was signed during the song. LOL! My enemy the tampon --> hahaha

It gave the song a completely different meaning to people with hearing disabilities.

NOTE: When translating - must ensure it is accurate!

Reference: The Age

Kmovie review: Chilling romance (aka Spellbound 2011)

Two film genres that the Korean film industry excels in are romcoms and horrors. So it was just a matter of time when we saw the marriage of the two genres to produce one terrifying love story.

‘Chilling romance’ stars South Korea’s sweet heart Son Ye-Jin. It’s a welcome return for her to the big screen. Her last film was ‘Into The White Night’ in 2009. She plays Yu-Ri, an odd woman with a secretive life. When we are first introduced to her character in the movie, she looks a bit emo.

The leading male in this horror romance is played by Lee Min-Ki. His character Jo-Goo is a street magician who found Yu-Ri as the inspiration for his horror magic show. He invites her to join his magic show as part of the production crew. When Yu-Ri joined the team, his show became a huge success and he was enjoying fame and fortune.

Jo-Goo doesn’t understand why Yu-Ri is anti-social and distances herself with everyone around her. When he pays her a surprise visit in her home, he sees an odd little boy whom he doesn’t realize is a ghost. That boy follows him home and he quickly realizes the boy and other ghosts have come to haunt him.

Yu-Ri soon reveals her terrifying secret to Jo-Goo and tells him to stay away from her. But he couldn’t because he had developed feelings for her. Although he is frightened of all the ghosts he is determined to be with her.

The ghosts are angry with the situation and want to drive Jo-Goo away from Yu-Ri like they did with everyone close to her. They go after Jo-Goo.

I love romcoms but cannot watch horror flicks. So this film was an interesting experience for me. When the scary music started, I knew it was my cue to close my eyes LOL! I did manage to watch some of the scary scenes and they were scary! It reminded me of ‘The Ring’ and ‘The Grudge’.

I really enjoyed this horror twist to the romcom, it added a new dimension to the genre. The ending wasn’t as strong as the rest of the film, it was OK.

Son Ye-Jin’s character evolved from weird to a typical girl in a Korean romcom. I would have liked to see her character a bit more eccentric and quirky.

Enjoyable film 3.5/5 stars

Titanic 3D censorship in China

Due to China's strict censorship regulations, 'risque' scenes from Titanic have been cut. This caused the memorable scene of Jack drawing a nude pic of Kate being cut to only seeing her from the neck up.

I'm not entirely sure why this is making the headlines again because when Titanic first premiered in China over 10 years ago, those scenes were left on the cutting floor. So this isn't new news.

Director James Cameron appeared on the The Colbert Report this week (watch full episode)to talk about the censorship in China. Cameron stated that the Chinese authorities didn't want the movie goers to reach out to the screens during the film as this will cause a distraction to other viewers. Cameron was happy to go along with the censorship because Titanic 3D was doing great at the box office, raking in 20million in the first 2 days.

Colbert asked Cameron, 'Why Titanic 3D? Did you want all of us to feel as though we were drowning'. LOL! Hilarious interview, I highly recommend you all to watch the full interview.

Although Cameron is happy to go along with the censorship, many people in China are unhappy with the edit. Chinese males especially were looking forward to seeing those steamy scenes in 3D. Well, maybe they will get a chance to see the full version when Titanic 4D comes out in another decade or so LOL!

Reference: The daily mail

China’s first Hello Kitty Restaurant

Hello Kitty fans! A new Hello Kitty restaurant opened in Beijing earlier this year to sell out crowds. With such high demands, people are on a long waiting list in order to secure a reservation.

You can expect pink and hello kitty motifs splashed everywhere in the restaurant: on the walls, on staff uniform. It’s Hello Kitty mania! The décor is so cute – if I were to go there, I would feel like a 5 year old girl.

And of course, you can’t forget about the menu. Every dish features the hello kitty face in some form. They have hello kitty coffee, hello kitty puddings... you get the picture LOL!

Dining at Hello Kitty is not cheap either, it would set you back 160 yuan (which is around 35AUD) – which is really pricey in China.

Whether the food is good or not, I would love to go for the novelty of it. But it would be a bonus if the food was tasty!

P.S. All I can say is, the marketing and merchandising team at Sanrio are bloody brilliant. Every possible materialistic thing in the world has been hello kittyfied!

Movie review: Silenced (aka The Crucible)

I recently watched this powerful Korean film called ‘the crucible’ or ‘silenced’. The different titles are used for different markets in the world. This movie is based on the true story about the mass sexual abuse of deaf students by their teachers at a special needs school in, Gwangju South Korea, in the early 2000s.

Hallyu star Gong Yoo plays Kang In-ho, the new arts teacher at a special needs school in a small town. He notices that the children’s behave quite strange, but doesn’t understand why. He soon discovers the lethal secret that is covered up buy all the staff and local policeman. In order to protect the children, he fights against power and corruption.

This film is confronting and upsetting. Some of the scenes were so horrifying I could not watch. The children’s performances were gripping and it really angered me to know that this was based on a true story. This film clearly demonstrates how people with status and money can abuse their power to prey on the weak and get away with it.

Gong Yoo’s performance in this film is his best to date. This challenging film allowed him to display a maturity and vulnerability that has not been seen from him before. He has definitely left his leading man heart throb roles behind and growing as an actor.

This film has received critical and commercial success.

“ For the past few years, we have seen almost no South Korean films that actively examined the state of our society, the values of what is right, and what we need to do the way The Crucible does. ”

—Film critic Ahn Si-hwan

I can’t recall watching any film like this one before. If you like powerful and honest films, you can’t miss this one.

5/5 stars

Songs of the Week

Number one on the Kpop Charts - 2AM with 'I wonder if you are hurt like me'



Here is a sneak peak of Namie Amuro's new MV - 'Go Round'. Love the set design.

Odd Things I Saw - Vibrating tattoo ??

If a gazillion ring tones or vibrations weren't enough to alert you that your phone was ringing - well now you can get 'magnetic tattoos' that will vibrate when someone is calling you. This is real, and not from some sci-fi movie or novel.

Firstly I want to ask, who came up with this idea? Secondly, who would want a vibrating tattoo accessory to go with a mobile phone?

This technology was recently patented in the US. Presumably, the inventors plan to make big bucks with this idea. Well that is the whole purpose of getting a patent.

So the idea is, ferromagnetic inks will be tattooed on the skin. When someone calls or the phone is running low on batteries the tattoo would vibrate. In order for the user to stop their tattoo from vibrating, all they have to do is scratch their skin.

Worse case scenario - what if the user scratches their skin and the tattoo won't stop vibrating? What then? How would they troubleshoot this... Get the tattoo removed?

Also! Wouldn't you freak out if your skin was vibrating? What if you use your phone a lot, your skin would be 'vibrating' all day.

This is the most ridiculous and insane invention I ever heard. And usually, ridiculous and insane ideas turn out to be brilliant and cutting edge. But for this invention, I truly believe it's quite crazy.

What are your thoughts?


Reference: The Telegraph

Movie review: 21 Jump St

The unlikely pairing of Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum in the movie reboot of the 80's television series 21 Jump St can certainly raise eyebrows.

Jonah Hill who is part of the Apatow alumni is proving to be a comedy heavyweight in the industry. Besides, starring and producing this film - he also wrote it with Michael Bacall. Jonah has comedy credentials.

Moving on to Channing. He is best known for the Step Up movies, action flicks such as GI Joe... So it seems that he is an odd choice for an action comedy who is starring opposite Jonah Hill. However, let me remind you - early on in Channing's career he did dabble in the comedy film 'She's the man'. That is one of my favoourite films! It's a fun film. Channing does have a knack for comedy.

The plot of the film is quite silly but guarantees some hilarious moments. In a nutshell, Jonah and Channing play 2 cops who have to go undercover as high school students and try to bust a drug ring at a high school. What could possibly go wrong in their mission?? Well plenty actually - they are dealing with hormone driven high school students.

Jonah and Channing's chemistry is obvious! They make a great comedic duo, everyone in the cinema were bursting out in laughter at the crazy and gross things they get up to. Remember, Jonah is part of the Apatow alumni - so you can expect some dirty dirty jokes.

This is a crazy fun film - I highly recommend it. 4/5 stars

P.S. A sequel is now in the works because of the success of this one. Looking forward to seeing Jonah and Channing together again!

Daniel Henney talks about his Number 1 Fan

In a recent Q&A session, Hollywood actor Daniel Henney answered questions that were sent to him by his fans, this lead him to talk about his number 1 fan Kim So Young.

Kim So Young has touched Daniel's heart by all the support and dedication she has given to him. She attended all his fan meetings, helped decorate the venue and ensured everyone was having a good time. She didn't want recognition for her work and told Daniel's team not to tell Daniel about her efforts.

Sadly, Kim was diagnosed with cancer and she did not want Daniel to feel sad for her; true to her nature she hid this from him. But he always knew of her condition because his team kept him up to date. Kim continued to help out at Daniel's fan meetings. But her health was deteriorating, this prevented her from helping out but she continued attending the his fan meetings with a smile.

Her condition worsened and she was hospitalised. Daniel and his team regularly sent her videos to help keep her spirits up. Last year, she passed away. This news was hard on Daniel.

A week after her death, a cake was sent to Daniel's office. It was from Kim, she had asked a friend to help her organise it. Kim wanted to thank Daniel and his team for everything, for the joy they gave her.

It is clear that Kim has a special place in Daniel's heart.

Pokemon Live Action Movie - Or NOT?

I was watching upcoming 2012 movie trailers on YouTube and came across the Pokemon live action movie trailer!! I am always hesitant about live action films of popular animes, because it's hard to get it right - Hollywood has stuffed up quite a few. And so I was quite concerned about this one.

The pokemon live action film is called 'Pokémon Apokélypse'. The film is set a few years after the original anime series. Now, Pokemon battles have been outlawed due to animal rights and protection. But Pokemon battles are continuing in the underground scene. Gangsters want Ash and Pokemon to participate in match fixing but Ash refuses and this puts everyone close to Ash at Danger. Ash and Pikachu set out to save his friends and take on the gangsters.

The biggest twist of Pokemon Apokelypse is - this is a trailer for a non-existent film! So why have a movie trailer when you don't have a movie to promote? Well, Canadian filmmakers Kial Natale, Dylan Innes and Lee Majdoub wanted to make a fan film about Pokemon and turning its cute world in to a darker and tougher one.

The trailer took 2 years to complete and the trailer runs close to 3 minutes. It is an interesting and original idea, I admire their efforts in producing this film. The trailer has exceptional sound, accurate wardrobe and great editing. The 3D animation of the pokemon are pretty cool too.

3D Pikachu doesn't look like the fluffy and cute yellow friend that we all know from the anime series - here he looks a bit like a retired wrestler, worn out and doesn't care anymore.

The film was promoted through a viral campaign. Fans have praised this trailer and given thumbs up. Despite the positive feedback, the film makers don't intend to make a full length film.

What do you think of this trailer? Would you like to see the full feature film?

CherriiPOP Playlist -16/3/12

Remember to send in your song requests, dedications and shoutouts on to our new facebook page.

Here is the playlist for our season 5 premiere show!

Jay Park - Know your name
Flower - Fadeless love
Infinite - Be mine
Rain - Sad tango
Jang Geun Suk - Let me cry
T-ara - Lovey dovey
Beast - Shock

Highlights:
Big Bang - Fantastic Baby


**NEWS** Big Bang Aussie Tour
The Big Bang boys are planning to add Australia to their new tour!!! No dates or cities have been announced yet. I'm guessing Sydney will be a definite tour location, hopefully they will add Melbourne as well! I will keep you posted.

Karen Nguyen - Olympian

I would like to recommend you all to read Olympian Karen Nguyen's inspiring interview with ABC Radio Australia.

Karen represented Australia at the 2004 Athens Olympics in the women's gymnastics team. She shares the sacrifices she made in pursuing a career in gymnastics, and the unwavering support she received from her parents. In 2007, Karen retired from gymnastics and is now pursuing other dreams.

The new CherriiPOP facebook page

CherriiPOP has a new facebook page! We are timelining now - come and visit our exciting new fb page and let me know what you think.

I have been working on new graphics for the page - I hope you guys like. Support our fb page - we aim to get 100 Likes this year =D

Odd Things I saw - Hello Kitty Bun Bun

I love eating bun buns, especially the custard filling ones. When I was browsing the internet, I came across this cute hello kitty bun bun! I think it is so adorable and creative. I love hello kitty LOL!

As you can see, the hello kitty bun bun in the marketing poster is a lot more attractive and appealing than what it really looks like. But I am sure it tastes delicious.

Happy eating everyone!

CherriiPOP Season 5 premiere

Hey Everyone! I'm so excited to be back in the studio for season 5! Yes! This is our 5th semester broadcasting on the Radio Monash airwaves. Thank you to RadMon for having us back

This year, Radio Monash has some cool new features in the studio. We have a UStream channel!! You can tune in to watch us live in the studio. ooOoh, it's like being a fly on the wall. You can watch us do our thing and dance terribly when a song is being played! lol.

Also, you can send sms messages to the show. I will announce the phone number soon. Now I can read your sms texts live on air! Very exciting.

Our facebook page, has had a bit of a makeover. It is now timelining. It looks pretty cool, so be sure to check it out. We aim to reach 100 Likes this year so help us out =D

Keep sending in your song requests, dedications and shoutouts to our facebook or twitter page. I love hearing from you.

I have a lot planned for season 5 of CherriiPOP. More interviews, more music, more reviews. It will be the biggest season ever - I can feel it.

Remember to tune in 7pm on Fridays at http://radiomonash.fm/listen

- Tam

CherriiPOP season 5

Hey everyone! Hope you guys had a great summer break. Uni has resumed so that means Radio Monash will be back on the airwaves very soon. This will be CherriiPOP's 5th season.

What can you expect this season? More music, more guests, more reviews and of course my favourite segment Odd things I saw.

I saw a lot of great movies and tv dramas that I will review on the show.

Remember you can send in your song requests, dedications and shout outs for our debut show via our twitter or fb page. Remember to support our fb page.

^_^

2012 Vietnamese Tet Festival @Sandown, Melbourne

As we all recover from the New Year celebrations... Festivities start to pick up again as we celebrate Tet (Vietnamese New Year) & Chinese New Year. 2012 welcomes the year of the Dragon.

The largest Tet Festival in Melbourne will be held on the 4th & 5th of February at Sandown Race Course.



What you can expect at the Sandown Tet Festival:
- Delicious food such as bot chien, pho, barbeque food, sugar cane drink
- Live entertainment. Usually there is an international singer that fronts the performance show. It hasn't been announced who this is yet - I will keep you posted. Previous performers have included Don Ho, Diem Lien, Tommy Ngo.
- Fun carnival rides such as the boat, the spinning planes
- You can try you luck with the cool games! See if you can take home a huge soft toy.

Past Tet festivals have attracted over 35,000 people. It is expected a bigger crowd will attend this year's Sandown Tet festival.

What does the year of the Dragon mean?
It is considered the year of good luck. In Chinese mythology, the dragon represents good fortune in health, wealth and longevity. The dragon is also a protector and is well respected and beloved by the Chinese people.

Watch out for Cmovie 'Saving General Yang' this year

One of the most anticipated movies this year is 'Saving General Yang'.

If you're not familiar with Chinese History, the Yang family are legendary and their legacy still lives on today. For generations the Yang family served as generals in the Song Dynasty, they protected borders and won battles. Known for their unflinching loyalty, honour and integrity - Their story has been immortalized in film and television for generations.

They Yang family were brilliant on the battle field, and because of this many people in court didn't like them and wanted to do everything in their power to harm them. The Emperor himself was insecure and had unwarranted fears that the Yang family would commit treason and steal his crown. He knew if they wanted his crown they could easily attain it. The Emperor always questioned and challenged the Yang family's loyalty.

The Yang legend began with Yang Ye, he had 8 sons who all whole heartedly served the emperor. The Yang family were ill fated and most of the men died in battle to protect their country, their emperor. The Yang family became a house full of widows. They were resilient and to they continued to serve the Emperor and carry on the family's legacy and became legendary women warriors. If you are interested in finding out more about the Yang family, definitely read up about them. I grew up with their story, it's hard to sum up their heroism in a few paragraphs.

Now, back to the film 'Saving General Yang'. What's so exciting about the film is the AMAZING cast! It's mighty impressive. Screen legend Adam Cheng will play General Yang Ye. The actors who will play his sons are Ekin Cheng,Wu Chun, Raymond Lam, Vic Zhou, Li Chen, Yu Bo, Fu Xinbo and Xu Fan. Joining the male ensemble is the beautiful Ady An as Princess Chai.

This film is directed by Ronny Yu, the director of the historic film 'Fearless' starring Jet Li. You can expect some epic battle scenes in this film - I'll even go out on the limb and say that they will rival or even trump the battle scenes in the film Red Cliff starring Tony Leung and Takeshi Kanishiro.

I just have this feeling that this film is going to be HUGE - a big critical and commercial success - Just look at the cast and director! What a great formula for success.

The film is slated to be released in Oct this year, so there is a bit of a wait. Definitely keep an eye out for this one!

Songs of the Week

New year, New songs! Here are some of my fave tracks for the week.

Kim Hyun Joong - Rainsim
Kpop artist Kim Hyun Joong performed a remake of Rain's Hit song 'Rainism' on KBS music festival. Rain put some hard choreography in this song and Kim Hyun Joong was able to perform it nicely. However, only Rain can own those dance moves. Check out the the performance. What do you of Kim Hyun Joong's version of RAINISM?


Davichi & T-ara - We were in Love
Two of the biggest kpop girl groups join forces for this power ballad. Love this track!


Jay Park - Star
Here is a nice r'n'b song from Jay Park! Enjoy!


Fairies - Hero
Here is an inspiring and KAWAII song from the jpop girl band Fairies

On SBS (Documentary) - Once Upon A Time in Cabramatta

Starting this Sunday at 8:30 on SBS, the documentary - 'Once Upon a Time in Cabramatta'

This in-depth 3 part documentary series explores the history of the Vietnamese community in Cabramatta, Sydney.

Here is the synopsis on the SBS website:

"Once Upon a Time in Cabramatta is the never before told story of Australia's first significant influx of migrants post White Australia policy. This groundbreaking documentary takes you behind the headlines of turbulent Cabramatta in the 80's and 90's as the Vietnamese people finally find their voice – speaking up to claim their rightful, democratic place in Australia against all odds.

Told by politicians, social historians, police and for the first time from the Vietnamese people themselves, these are the stories of a period that changed Australian migration forever."

HAPPY NEW YEAR! 2012 is HERE

Best wishes for 2012 everyone!

How were your NYE celebrations? Mine were great! I was in Melbourne CDB with my cousins. We watched the fireworks display in Alexandra Park. It was a buzzing atmosphere filled with laughter, glow sticks and live music. This year, the fireworks display was a bit different. Instead of using a variety of colors, the fireworks were mainly gold. For me, I prefer a choca block of colors because it makes the night sky so pretty.

The Arts Centre had a fireworks display but shockingly, it caught on fire from the fireworks. Check out my photos below. The flames from the top of the structure fell on to the building to cause more fires in the building. The flame grew and the crowds were gathering to witness this. It was scary. After 40 minutes, the flames were diminished by the firecrew. The crowds cheered the firecrew's efforts then disbanded.

That was an interesting way to start the new year - to watch an iconic building catch on fire.

How were your NYE celebrations? Did anything out of the ordinary happen? Love to hear from you.