It's a dog's life

The toy is miiiiiine!!!

Cocoa is the family poodle (with a teddybear cut) that lives with my parents. He is extremely spoiled and timid but can be ferocious when he knows he has someone looking after his back. (Which is basically my mother.)

He gives the occasional precious 'give me a doggy treat' look,

But mostly spends his time napping:

Haeundae - the movie, the real thing

Korea isn't a big country. The population density is like a tight-knit sock; no ease, no stretch, you just have to fit your foot to fit the cloth. With limited places to go during the holiday season, the density jumps even higher. In-san-in-hae (인산인해), literally 'people mountain, people sea' is one of the terms that accurately describe popular vacation spots on the peninsula.

Haeundae Beach is the most popular beach in the port city of Busan, the second largest metropolis in Korea. People flock there en masse during the summer holidays and locals endure the annual population increase with stoic attitudes, even joking that the sea becomes "a public bath" during that period.

With a beautiful coastline and other attractions, it actually is a popular tourist spot all year 'round. A high number of people reside in the area, it being a bustle of commercial activity.

There are a lot of stories to be told about Haeundae. Film director Yoon Je Gyun, who is mostly known for his lighthearted comedies, tried his hand at telling a compelling one.

Haeundae is a blockbuster movie entwining the stories of various families in the area facing a disastrous tsunami. Boasting an incredible cast, it is currently setting Korean box office records beating out several Hollywood films in the process.
(I haven't heard of available English subtitled versions yet. Will keep you posted.)

I honestly went because of the cast. Most are "real" actors, those who you can absolutely rely on, those whose persona melts completely into the character. You know they won't disappoint.

I was disappointed, however, by the editing. The main message was clear, the acting great, the comic moments truly funny, but I felt something was greatly lacking.
Separate scenes are memorable but the whole is somewhat choppy. There were scenes that seemed spliced together without a shared core, the emotional buildups too forced. The little and seemingly meaningless details that link the whole together were missing. Had a certain raw quality been intentional it wouldn't have irked me as much but you could tell that it wasn't.

I am the biggest crybaby you'll ever meet (I sniffle and bawl at sappy commercials) but I didn't shed a single tear (not a one!) during this "heart wrenching" disaster movie.
Tells you a lot, doesn't it? I felt no connection whatsoever. Such a waste of acting talent.

On a related note, the movie reminded me of a storm I had witnessed at Haeundae (from a restaurant window) in August 2007. It had been a rather cloudy day, but the angry and fierce rainstorm that barged in was so sudden. Winds whipped at the windows from a quiet calm to a mad frenzy in a matter of minutes.

People were bathing and lounging under beach parasols (notice how closely they're placed together, it's that crowded) one minute and approximately six minutes later they all evacuated, with beach safety staff removing the parasols at lightning speed.
I was equally impressed at the agility and fast reaction of the staff as I was at the ferocity of the sudden storm. Every time I clicked the shutter there was a new scene happening below.

In chronological order:

DBSK dilemma

Junsu + Yoochun + Jaejoong + Yunho + Changmin = DBSK / TVXQ

So I had promised myself that the next time I post I wouldn't a) complain about the weather, b) feign surprise at how fast time flies, c) rant about my insomnia, and d) upload a lot of food pics just for the sake of it. Perfect self sabotage, that was. Did I effectively shut myself up or what?

Let's talk K-pop. It's a huge part of my life, although I appreciate it far more now than when I was in my teens. (I was an angst-ridden, angry rocker chick without the bike/tattoos.) Maybe it's because the music itself has become far more sophisticated, maybe it's because I'm not the sneering, 'music cred' flaunting music snob that I once was.

K-pop can be cheesy and absolutely camp, but what I like about it is that it never ever apologizes for it. It embraces 'pop' like the soda drink; bubbly, fizzy, excitable, sugary sweet and energetic, meant for everybody. Isn't 'pop' short for 'popular'? That's what K-pop is. True to the essence.

If you listen to K-pop you'll inevitably be introduced to the endless boy bands and girl bands. Although there are many influential solo artists, notably Rain~~~!!!! (after the "rivalry" with Stephen Colbert I can't seem to say his name any other way) and BoA, it's not an understatement to say that groups are the anchors of the K-pop industry.

DBSK (Dong Bang Shin Ki) aka TVXQ have been in the news lately. They are one of the reigning boy bands in the K-pop scene. Three of the members filed a lawsuit against their management agency, SM Entertainment, citing unfair clauses in their current contract.

DBSK may be the most successful boy band Korea has had to offer. They are big not only here but also in all of Asia. They have achieved an astonishing level of success as foreign artists in Japan, which is considered a very difficult market to break into.
In fact, they are at the peak of their popularity. Since the content of the lawsuit deals with the basic conditions of the members in question, this issue has raised the possiblity that DBSK may disband, as two of the members (Yunho and Changmin) are not involved.

Not surprisingly, fans started going berserk. The entertainment industry started getting nervous. DBSK just opened a big whupass can of worms.
This family affair isn't simply an internal dispute. The repercussion will be big; all aspects of the Korean entertainment industry will be affected, the rights of artists and agencies' management methods, the loopholes in legal contracts will be exposed and new standards will be set up.
No matter what the outcome, something is definitely going to change. Whether the industry is ready for it or not.

I'm not going to speculate further and take sides. I do not and cannot have an objective view with different facts thrown out by the opposing parties. All I know is that it's a we said-they said situation that has all the potential of turning into a very long and ugly legal battle, which is tragic.
I adore DBSK. They are great singers and dancers. I admire their spirit, their dedication, their endless perseverance. (It also helps that they are fabulous eye candy but I'm trying to avoid shallow - really, I am- in this post.)
I don't want them to disband. I want them to remain a close-knit brotherhood and be happy forever and ever after. As a cynical adult, I want some fairy tales to be true.