olympics! yeaa. Good thing Beijing corresponds with my timezone (manila). Not exactly interested in the actual sporting events but the opening ceremony was just WOW. There's something special about it being held in china for the first time. As cheesy as it may be the whole "one world, one dream" concept/performance got me teary-eyed. even though it's mostly for gimmick and barely applies to real-world politics. oh well.

That's what you call propaganda at it's finest. Can you say "Arirang"?

The real question would be how many protests will be made by the athletes. It appears that China is taking a pretty strict stance on that.

waahh shoudn't it be for popseoul.com ?? ahehehe

HAHAHA that shirt is made of awesome.

Finished watching the Olympics opening ceremony. I thought it was just awesome, especially the lighting of the torch :)

lmao kimchi. popseoul's kind of sucking these days isn't it?

LOL I'm not one for slagon T-shirts but I want that one.

RE:Twitter

Veronica Mars was one of those shows that was designed to be one season. After that it just struggled.

Yeah! The Olympics has begun! xD The lighting of the flame was nice, but I half expected something different...(there were hot rumours that a phoenix was going to light the torch - only fitting for a bird to ascend on the bird's nest, right? lol).
Why was Jackie Chan singing on that stage with Karen Mok? He's probably the most recognisable chinese on the planet, but real singers please. It should've been Faye Wong (it's her birthday today!) and Jacky Cheung...oh well. It was a little surreal to see the loudest cheers went not to one of China's own atheletes, but to Roger Federer, lol! It's his birthday today too. :D Go China! Go Federer!

I want one too!!! someone digged where to get it?
couldn't watch the Olimpics live, recorded and will see it for sure
i'm against all these protests, i'm not saying i'm pro on china's human rights poiltics, but hey, this is sport. the origin of Olympics was exactly to pause all ongoing wars, and warriors would defy each other for the sport

I love watching pomp and pageantry.
I like the winter olympics more then the summer olympics though.

lol.. how ironic..
love it.

olympics tonight!!!
love the eights!!!
been watching the news about how people get married and do C sections on this day. wow. just to have kids born today- moms go to great length.

Loving Michael Phelps!!- he hasn't been shaving these days though.

My interview for this Marketing firm was this morning! how lucky, i supposed. I got through the first interview and got accepted for the second one, which is going to be 8 hours long? (wow, first time here, i guess it's going to be a trial kind of thing for the next round)..
I'm so excited that I got honked this morning. I don't want to get my hope up too high but I don't want to be unprepared either..
what to do.

love FRIDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I care about this blog- it's my daily dose of coffee. =P

Popseoul's mostly terrific comedy site. Commentators laugh at the K-pop news. The rest of us laugh at the commentators. ;)

@Felicity,

" . .. It should’ve been Faye Wong (it’s her birthday today!) . . . "

I haven't seen the ceremony, but did Faye participate? I would have loved Faye (or a massive singalong of various C-pop stars) to do a cover of "The Moon Represents My Heart." Han Geng described that his participation in the ceremony was the single greatest moment of his life.

"It was a little surreal to see the loudest cheers went not to one of China’s own atheletes, but to Roger Federer, lol! "

I'm not that surprised. Rafa and Fed are right behind Kobe and Lebron as the most popular non-Chinese Olympics athletes. Watch out for Asia in women's tennis. I attended a tourney some weeks ago, and a few Taiwanese female athletes were clocking 110+ Ooos and aahs from the crowd!

The timing of the Olympics isn't good for tennis, since the US Open follows up so soon after it. Also with the humidity and smog, expect a lot of the tennis athletes to fade in the tourney. However, the surface is said to play faster than the US Open, so it's good preparation.

oh, for california, the olympics begins at 8 tonight so we're behind compare to the other half of the world. lol.

Speaking of Blogs! Javabeans can you tell us where most of your readership comes from? Everytime I come on there are at least 50 people and I regularly come in the wee hours. I just wondered if it's all USA folks with a love of Kdrama or is it other countries as well.

"Javabeans can you tell us where most of your readership comes from? "

Sophisticated females, 13-35, with high college degrees or income. And Kobe. ;)

I thought the second season of VMars was pretty good, despite missing the amazing emotional backbone of the mystery of Lily's death. Really, the last episode of that season was fantastic. The show just should have ended there. It should never have struggled through that third season.

Long live LoVe!

And, Javabeans, I love what you've done here! I've been a fanatical Kdrama addict since watching Kim Samsoon last summer on DVD, and your site really keeps me up to date. Thank ya.

what's her name (the model)?

@belleza

"I haven’t seen the ceremony, but did Faye participate? I would have loved Faye (or a massive singalong of various C-pop stars) to do a cover of “The Moon Represents My Heart.” Han Geng described that his participation in the ceremony was the single greatest moment of his life."

No, Faye didn't participate in the group performance with the other HK/Taiwan/Mainland stars at the very end...at least I didn't see her, but I haven't watched the whole concert part yet (you can download it at d-addicts) - they cut off the broadcast a little after Jackie Chan, Karen Mok and 2 other chinese artists from Mainland (?) appeared onstage. The organisers probably DID approach Faye (she is, after all, the most successful pop-star to break out from China) but maybe she declined since she's gone into semi-retirement. Anyway, it wouldn't be quite right for someone of Faye's talent and stature to perform while the athletes were leaving the field....she ought to be singing during the Opening/Closing Ceremony proper. : / Did Han Geng sing 'One World, One Dream' with Sarah Brightman? Egads, I couldn't pick out a world of what Sarah Brightman was singing. Was she singing in Mandarin or English? lol.

"I’m not that surprised. Rafa and Fed are right behind Kobe and Lebron as the most popular non-Chinese Olympics athletes. Watch out for Asia in women’s tennis. I attended a tourney some weeks ago, and a few Taiwanese female athletes were clocking 110+ Ooos and aahs from the crowd! "

Yeah, Rafa and Kobe got loud cheers from the crowd as well when the cameras panned over their faces on the field. xD Rafa was sweating like a wet dog in the humid night air. Iol. Pity those cute chinese girls in white costumes who had to keep jumping, smiling and clapping for all the incoming atheletes during the 1 and 1/2 hour procession of participating countries. That must be so tiring. o_O

*nods* Asian women are making headway in world tennis. Good to see that. xD
The game today is very much dominated by power and speed, so the naturally bigger/taller physique of caucasian men are an advantage over the smaller built asian male physique. It'll be a long time before another asian male can repeat Michael Chang's feat at the French Open. Maybe that was a fluke, haha. But I see hope for the woman's game...as we all know, asian women are strong. :)

"The timing of the Olympics isn’t good for tennis, since the US Open follows up so soon after it. "

Still, I'm glad that Federer and Nadal are taking part in this Olympics. Nadal is just enjoying and absorbing the whole experience (it's his first Olympics) but Federer seems to be a man on a mission. He really needs to turn the tide from his recent string of loses, hopefully the Olympics will provide him with that needed boost.

yeah the t-shirt is pure awesomeness :D i missed most of the opening ceremonies but the bits i caught were pretty dazzling...the highlight was watching the torch runner jogging across the sky...

@ belleza~ you're pretty spot on about the readership & i'm starting to feel geriatric as i'm approaching the higher end of the age range...i'm earning my master's degree & working on the income...

watched to olympics live yesterday! it was AWESOME!!! lived up to my expectations!

the t-shirt is pretty cool! i wish i knew where people get all these cool t-shirts

@ Muffin

"Javabeans can you tell us where most of your readership comes from? "

If you click on the orange icon that displays the number of users online it'll take you to the Amung.us site which has detailed information about this site's readership. Click on the 'Maps' tab and it'll display a world map of all visitors:

US-East seems to have the most visitors followed by Europe then South-East Asian countries (Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines), and look! There's even someone from Victoria, Australia! I wonder who? :)

@ belleza

"Sophisticated females, 13-35, with high college degrees or income"

Sophisticated females having a discussion about sports.

Could be just me, but I find that very erotic.

"Could be just me, but I find that very erotic."

Michael Phelps is SO hot! And Rafa's arms are so strong. Vamos Rafa, vamos!! . . .

Oh I forgot -- Oh-pa! Oh-pa! Sarang hae oh-pa! *passes out on somebody's back* Happy now Kobe? ;)

"i missed most of the opening ceremonies but the bits i caught were pretty dazzling…"

It finally aired (US/NBC delayed it 15 hours late) for us. The ceremony was a really emotional experience for me, and I cried a few times.

"Did Han Geng sing ‘One World, One Dream’ with Sarah Brightman? Egads, I couldn’t pick out a world of what Sarah Brightman was singing. Was she singing in Mandarin or English?"

Oh, Sarah was singing in Siamese. It's a dialect of Shanghaiese using the 12 tones made by cats under significant duress. Meow meow means "hello." And MEow meOW means "I want today's special."

"It’ll be a long time before another asian male can repeat Michael Chang’s feat at the French Open."

A cousin of mine is going to his wedding actually. She knows the bride, and she's kinda "waaaa?!?"

"you’re pretty spot on about the readership & i’m starting to feel geriatric as i’m approaching the higher end of the age range…"

That's what Popseoul is for!!

Me at Dramabeans: "Le Dolce Vita is brilliant revision noir. Park Si Yeon is a revelation as a sexy villain. It is as if her character's sensuality has enabled her to be free with her acting."

Me at Popseoul: "OMG when Park Si Yeon be happy with her nose? OMG Korean actresses are SO plastic!!"

Watching the Beijing Olympics concert right now. Huh, I forgot how good Jang Nara's Mandarin is. Alas, no Edison.

Faye is pregnant again so perhaps she didn't want the stress of performing in such a big event?

For you info. readers from Singapore 16.2%.

I missed the opening ceremony because I had to work overtime to make up for being an unsophisticated male without a college degree and on low income. Oh well, we all have to play the hand we've been dealt, right? I'm ALL IN!

Re: Asian women in sports

What about them Korean females in the LPGA tour? Everytime I look at the Golf results in the paper the list is dominated with Korean names. Pretty impressive come to think of it; where are the Korean men?

All I could think of besides the awesomeness of the ceremony (only caught the girl dancing on the people holding the poles thing start) was that Mayor Daley must be going Oh Crap! I need more money! Alas tax in chicago is already 10.25% I wonder where his money is going to come from.

i love the song you posted. i like all the songs you post. there's a nice variety. thank you.

i can't believe they called TAIWAN Chinese Taipei- at first i was really confused until the reporter explained about the tension. taiwan didn't even get to carry their nation's flag but carried the olympics' flag instead at the opening ceremony. that's messed up.

and oh--love kobe!

omg. love michael phelphs. glad he shaved for the competition.

@dramabeans,

Re: Twitter

Which commentary are you speaking about?

@belleza

"It finally aired (US/NBC delayed it 15 hours late) for us. The ceremony was a really emotional experience for me, and I cried a few times."

Yeah, China really went all out and gave a spectacular show. I must admit that I got misty eyed too. Which were the highlights for you? I loved it that they got the little boy who survived the Sichuan earthquake to walk beside Yao Ming. That was moving. Tai Chi was awesome, and so was the printing press segment. :D

"Oh, Sarah was singing in Siamese. It’s a dialect of Shanghaiese using the 12 tones made by cats under significant duress. Meow meow means “hello.” And MEow meOW means “I want today’s special.”

ROTFL....that was Siamese, I see. :) And "Purrrrrr" means "let's make love under the moonlight tonight.".

"A cousin of mine is going to his wedding actually. She knows the bride, and she’s kinda “waaaa?!?”"

Your cousin knows that lucky biatch....?! *grumbles*

"Alas, no Edison."

Lol, the staid Chinese Olympic committee prolly wouldn't let Edison get within 2 km radius near the Olympic venues. Pity, cuz Edison and Nick being on stage together could set off the biggest fireworks of the night. :)

@Jessica
"Faye is pregnant again so perhaps she didn’t want the stress of performing in such a big event?"

But she's only 4 weeks pregnant. If Faye was invited to perform, it would've been before she got pregnant.

@Kobe

"What about them Korean females in the LPGA tour? Everytime I look at the Golf results in the paper the list is dominated with Korean names. Pretty impressive come to think of it; where are the Korean men?"

Yeah, where are the Korean men? They can't all be doing military service. And where are the Korean men archers? The Korean women archers are in a class of their own.

Here's a clip on Michael Phelps learning mandarin, just cuz I like Phelpy too: :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_S2inzb7R4

"but I expect my Amerrikan coverage to at least PRETEND to be fair and objective.)"

I think it is in the uhhh "small" (read: where America is not so good) events, but yeah jingoism prevails. It's especially obnoxious during women gymnastics, the marquee event for the American viewing audience. I preferred that the Americans would leave out the "let's not point out China's bad points such as . . . " meme during the Ceremony coverage, but that said, they weren't obnoxious either.

Men's gymnastics may be an exception, though. The American commentators also expressed a lot of "will the Chinese male team choke?" commentary in gymnastics . . . but tone aside, that's pretty close to the reality of their situation. It's not just the last Olympics, the last 12-20 years there's been this sense that the Chinese male gymnasts kinda shoot themselves in the foot in the big moments. And now that it's in the motherland, and after last Olympics's relatively disastrous showing, there has been enormous pressure on the men. Also, with the comeback of Japan and the rise of South Korea in this sport, it's another pan-Asian rivalry. Much fun!

"And “Purrrrrr” means “let’s make love under the moonlight tonight.”.

Mm hmm. The complete translation is "let us bend bamboo and observe harmonious satisfaction under this auspicious moon!" Say it wrong, though, then it translates to "'Shorty wanna thug. Bottles in da club . . " Tricky is the Siamese dialect!

"Your cousin knows that lucky biatch….?! *grumbles*"

Mm hmm, college teammates (and roughly same age, which kinda creeped her out.) Michael Chang was from my hometown too.

"Pity, cuz Edison and Nick being on stage together could set off the biggest fireworks of the night"

Edison: "Hi Cecilia!! I'm on TV in front of 3 billion people!! Not even the Triads would . . . "

Nick: *bang* *bangbangbang* *finishes the rest of the now one-person duet*

Andy: "Sigh. Kids today. *cue one drop teardrop* I myself am immortal. I just wanted to share that."

Gosh I was sooooooo irked by those NBC commentators, and yes during the Women's swimming relay, Bob Costas, who has always been like an annoying life-size Lego figurine to me, said immediately after the Chinese ladies won their heat, sth along the lines of they were not supposed to win, they were so 'mysterious' , and nobody (ie he) knew much about the swimmers in the relay. ummmm... Go learn Chinese then, coz a 10 y o can easily look up bios on the swimmers everywhere.

That was so unprofessional. And during the Men's gymnastics, one of the Chinese Gold medal hopeful, the one they said carrying the hope for 1.3 billion Chinese on his shoulders, made a mistake, and the commentators have to said it was a mistake that could only be made by a kid learning the routine first time REPEATEDLY.... so unnecessary.

And how can they say the broadcast was 'live' for swimming at least for the West Coast when the results were out hours ahead?!@#

@Belleza, fthat would be a fun scene with Edison+ Nick + Andy...but I've seen too much of Edison that can last couple lifetimes already. *wink*

It would be the icing on that extravagant cake of an opening ceremony if Faye would've sung.

"The complete translation is “let us bend bamboo and observe harmonious satisfaction under this auspicious moon!” Say it wrong, though, then it translates to “‘Shorty wanna thug. Bottles in da club . . ” Tricky is the Siamese dialect!"

Lol...belleza, I'm guessing here, but are you a copywriter by profession? Cuz if you're not, you should seriously consider a new career as I see some hidden talent there with your witty wordplay. :)

Eh, Andy Lau might as well be immortal. Either that or he has stumbled upon the fountain of youth somewhere along his travels around China (*ahem*, solo travels of course, unless he has a hidden family in disguise ;) ) and is not sharing it with anyone. Never liked Andy, but gotta give da man credit for aging the best amongst all the original Cantopop stars.