Shooting Hoops at the SSC

As I was helping out with the Hallyu Shooting Stars Event this past weekend, I got the opportunity to go onto the basketball court and shoot a few hoops. It was pretty cool. The rims looked shorter than normal for some reason and they were kinda soft. Plus, from some angles, the arena lights are directly in your eyesight as you look at the basket. It makes you wonder how the guys who play there can even see the basket from those angles. All in all, a pretty cool opportunity.

Ghost Rider Trailer

This trailer looks much better than the unofficial one I posted here. But man, it's a long wait! February 2007! But looking good so far!

NBA Playoffs Are Fun!

I've been trying to watch whatever games I can, and the playoffs this year have been great! I was able to watch the 4th quarter of the Dallas/San Antonio game yesterday, but had to leave the house at the end of regulation to go to taekwondo. But I listened to the OT on the radio and I am so glad that Dallas won. They deserved it. I'm tired of watching boring San Antonio and the one thing I was hoping not to see was another Detroit/San Antonio final. At least one of those teams is out now. Dirk really stepped up big this series. Here's a funny photo of him and Steve Nash, looking like they've had a few budz.....
Speaking of Nash, his Suns beat the Clips in another Game 7. Wasn't able to watch this game but checking the stats, the Suns were 15 for 27 from 3 point range! How you gonna beat that? You just can't. If the Suns have their long ball going, it'll be tough to beat them.

Still, I say Dallas wins in 6 games.

On the East side, I am so hoping that Miami beats Detroit. Let's hope that the long rest they've had benefits them and Shaq especially comes out smokin' and dominating. He averages 28 ppg against the Pistons so all they need is Wayde to throw in another 22-25 and another 15 from Walker or Williams and they're good to go. I don't know if the Heat backcourt can defend Billups and Hamilton though. But I really want Shaq to win a title without Kobe. That'll be awesome.

Heat in 7.

Naked Guy Commits Suicide

Not just any naked guy, but THE Naked Guy.

This guy was famous in the 90s for going to class at UC-Berkeley naked. I mean, totally naked. He would walk around campus nude, like nothing was out of the ordinary. I actually had a class with this guy too. Of course, my attendance record was not the greatest in college so I didn't see him too often but when I did, it was quite a sight. But honestly, you get over it after a few times and don't even notice it.

Anyways, apparently he was arrested for assault and battery and killed himself in his jail cell. Sad. He was campus icon when I was there.

GNP Party Leader Attacked with Box Cutter!

I'm a few days late with this one but....

Korea's Grand National Party chairwoman Park Geun Hye was attacked Saturday (Sunday Korean time) while attending a political rally. She was about to step up to the podium to speak on behalf of Seoul mayoral candidate Oh Se Hoon when a man sliced her neck with a box cutter. The wound measured 11 cm (a little over 4 inches long) and went from her ear to her jaw, nearly missing her jugular and requiring 60 stitches.

The attacker was a 8 time convicted felon and had spent 15 years in jail. It's been revealed now that his target was actually mayoral candidate Oh Se Hoon.

Park Geun Hye is the daughter of former assassinated President Park Jung Hee and is believed to be one of the top candidates in the country's next Presidential election.

Some of these Koreans are so radical and crazy that it's sad to see such astonishing events. People cutting off their fingers and setting themselves on fire in support of Dokdo is one thing, but to inflict harm on another is just insane.

K-Pop Singer's Comeback

Korean pop singer Baek Ji Young is making a strong comeback this year, finally recovering from a big fallout after her huge sex scandal in 2000.

In 2000, Baek was as big a pop star in Korea as you could imagine. She was called the Korean "Britney Spears" because of her catchy tunes and well choreographed dances. She was a pop princess.

But then, a video surfaced on the internet showing her having sex with her ex-manager. It was very similar to the recent Paris Hilton sex video, except without the night vision advantage. If I remember correctly, the manager taped them having sex without her knowing and then when Baek either fired him or refused to give him more money, he released the video on the net. Needless to say, she was ashamed and scorned, especially being only 20 when the video was taken. She continued to release albums in the coming years, but with only middling success and did not appear on TV shows.

In 2006, however, Baek is making a strong comeback. She's appeared on numerous TV shows and her record is doing very well. Good to see her overcome her early years mistakes and still succeed and not succumb to public pressure and judgement. The Korean public has been kind of forgiving lately with celebrities. Comedian/singer Shin Jung Hwan, after being banned by all 3 major TV stations for being arrested for gambling, was back on TV not even a year after his arrest.

Ballet Feet!

There's this famous Korean ballerina named Kang Su Jin. Apparently, she's really famous in that scene. But you ever wonder how those ballerinas stand up tippy toe all the time and bounce around all over on their toes? Well, I guess that comes with a price.

She's released a picture of her feet....and it is nasty! Remember that scene in Boomerang? It's like that, but 1000 times worse! And I thought my sister had nasty feet. Here's a pic below.
Talk about suffering for your art! The weird thing is, according to the article anyway, is that people are calling her feet "the most beautiful feet on Earth" and they even want to kiss her feet. All-righty then! I think I'll stick to kissing body parts without corns or callouses on them.

Da Vinci Not Getting Good Reviews

I check out a couple of movie news websites and the buzz so far on The Da Vinci Code is not too positive so far. They're calling it too long, too talky, not suspenseful enough, etc. Will still probably check it out though, even if 2 hours 45 minutes does sound way too long for this kind of film.

Aint-it-cool-news
JoBlo
Rotten Tomatoes

Summer Movie Update

I saw Mission:Impossible 3 and was kind of disappointed. I felt the action was a little lacking and unoriginal. The romantic aspect of it didn't work for me and the ending was definitely anticlimactic. Plus, since it was directed by JJ Abrams, it felt like a 2 hour episode of Lost, with similar set design, camera angles, music, story set up, etc. MI3 gets a 6/10 from me.

Decided not to watch Poseidon as it's been getting some harsh reviews. But then again, one review I read said that "If you liked Armageddon, you'll like Poseidon". I thought Armageddon was a great movie and it made me think twice about watching Posidon. Nah, I'll wait to rent the DVD.

Here's a glowing review of X-Men: The Last Stand. Even if it had bad reviews I'd be there on opening night. I can't wait.

Here's an updated poster on M. Night Shyamalan's Lady in the Water. I'm a big fan of his work and am really looking forward to this film. This is also a very cool poster with a bunch of hidden images.

There's also a new Miami Vice trailer out and it looks damn cool. Director Michael Mann is brilliant and it'll be good to see Jamie Foxx playing the cool cat again.

Maxim's Top 100

Maxim Magazine has unveiled a preview of it's latest Top 100 Sexiest Women list. Here is the top 10:

10) Christina Milian
9) Keira Knightley
8) Kate Bosworth
7) Cameron Diaz
6) Scarlett Johansson
5) Stacy Kiebler
4) Angelina Jolie
3) Lindsay Lohan
2) Jessia Alba
1) Eva Longoria

Kate Bosworth? Yuck. Plain Jane. Cameron Diaz? I don't think so. Who the hell is Stacy Kiebler? Lindsay Lohan is gross now. Scarlett Johansson should be higher on this list.

But can't argue with Angelina, Jessica, and Eva. Haven't watched a single episode of Desperate Housewives in my life, but have seen enough of Eva to know that she is definitely a hottie!

Korean Celebrity Basketball Event

Funny Japanese Video

Check out this video of a Japanese game show of some sort. It's a bunch of guys sitting in a classroom watching a video. What's on the video? It's a guy reading English. So what? Well, let's just say that the guy reading the English isn't very good at it. The point of the game is, the guys in the classroom watch the video and try not to laugh. Whenever they laugh, they get blasted on the butt with some kind of stick.

Watching the video, I wouldn't have lasted 10 seconds! Wait till you see the part where the guy on the video starts to recite numbers. The way he says "20" and "100" is priceless! There's this one guy that gets caught laughing like 4 or 5 times. Poor guy!

Funny Japanese Video

The Kims of Comedy

This is a new DVD featuring 4 Asian American stand up comedians. I ordered this when it first became available like 3 weeks ago and it took 2 weeks for Circuit City to get it to me! What the hell!

Anyways....Popped it in and watched it. As mentioned above, it's a comedy show featuring 4 Asian American stand up comedians. Actually, all 4 are Korean Americans (well, one is hapa). Funnily, none of them are named "Kim" but I guess they wanted to play with the well known title of "Kings of Comedy".

Bobby Lee, the most recognizable one (from MADTV) is the host as well as the opening act. That guys is just so outrageous and out there that he's hilarious. I love this guy. Great stuff.

The 2nd act was Kevin Shea. His "thing" was to do his act like he was half drunk. I don't know if he was acting or if it was real, but he was damn funny doing it! I loved his act. Plus, he swears a lot. That's usually a plus in my book!

3rd was hapa comedian Steve Byrne. I swear I didn't laugh once in his entire set. Was pretty sad stuff. He tries to do the physical comedy bit but can't pull it off. To be honest, he was boring.

Last was Ken Jeong, a doctor in his day job. He was funny, especially when ragging on other races like Vietnamese and Filipinos. The medical humor wasn't that effective and his folk rap song felt kind of cliched but he had some good moments.

Random News

What a Country!
80s comedian Yakov Smirnoff just graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a graduate degree in psychology. Can you believe that? I totally forgot about this one trick pony from the 80s. Now it looks like he wants to heal psychic wounds by promoting laughter. Good idea!


Tattoos Now Legal in Oklahoma
Oklahoma became the last state to make tattoos legal. Man, I didn't even know this stuff was illegal anywhere in the US! Imagine that. I woulda been a criminal in the Sooner State!<

Korea's World Cup Roster Announced

Korean national team coach Dick Advocaat announced his 23 man roster yesterday and it looks pretty damn good! There is a lot of youth on this year's squad however, and their inexperience may be a liability, but there are also a few veterans that will hopefully influence the young'uns. Surprisingly, striker Cha Du Ri (his father was one of Korea's best players) didn't make the squad. He was on the 2002 roster and has blazing speed. But he's only an alternate this time around. Also, striker Lee Dong Kook didn't make the squad because of his recent ACL injury. 20 year old Park Joo Yeong has lots of potential and could be Korea's next big soccer star. It'll be interesting to see if Advocaat's preference for the 4-3-3 formation will pay off. I believe Coach Hiddink utilized a 4-4-2 at the 2002 World Cup. Here's the complete roster:

Goalkeepers
Lee Woon-jae (Suwon BlueWings)
Kim Youngkwang (Chunnam Dragons)
Kim Yong-dae (Seongnam Chunma)Defenders
Lee Young-pyo (Tottenham Hotspur)
Kim Sang-sik (Seongnam)
Cho Won-hee (Suwon)
Kim Young-chul (Seongnam)
Choi Jin-cheul (Chonbuk Motors)
Kim Dong-jin (FC Seoul)
Song Chong-gug (Suwon)
Kim Jin-kyu (Jubilo Iwata)Midfielders
Park Ji-sung (Manchester Utd.)
Kim Nam-il (Suwon)
Lee Ho (Ulsan Tigers)
Baek Ji-hoon (Seoul)
Lee Eul-yong (Trabzonspor)
Kim Do-heon (Seongnam)Forwards
Cho Jae-jin (Shimizu SPulse)
Lee Chun-soo (Ulsan)
Park Chu-young (Seoul)
Seol Ki-hyeon (Wolverhampton Wanderers)
Ahn Jung-hwan (MSV Duisburg)
Chung Kyung-ho (Gwangju Sangmu)

Generous Michelle

Michelle will be appearing on my favorite Korean game show X-Man on 5/21 and 5/28. This show is kind of like the American show The Mole. There are 2 teams of 8 celebrities each and they compete in fun, light contact physical games. Before the games start, one of them is secretly chosen to be the "X-man" and their job is to sabotage their team from winning the games. It's a very fun show.

Anyways, while taping the show, Michelle also presented a check for $200,000 to help out kids with long term illnesses. Good for you Michelle!

And you might have read Ferd Lewis's column in yesterday's Honolulu Advertiser where big mouth Morgan Pressel once again shot off her mouth about what's going on with Michelle. Basically, she's saying that Michelle making the cut wasn't that big a deal and that "many girls...could go out there and make a cut or so in the men's event, they just don't wish to do that." Really, Morgan? Although her statement is arguable and I'm sure that Annika and maybe a very select few could actually make a men's cut in Asia, the fact is, do these tournaments want the other women too? That's what makes Michelle special. She's the one that tournaments love to have in their field. Not Annika, not Christie Kerr, and certainly not Morgan Pressel. Meanwhile, Michelle is the #2 ranked woman golfer in the world while Pressel has only 1 Top 10 in 6 tournaments this year.

Don't get me wrong, I still think Michelle still has a lot to prove and I'm critical of her missteps as well, but her game, image, and charisma is at a point where Morgan Pressel can only dream of reaching.

Yeah, I think this photo pretty much sums up their relationship. Morgan will always be looking up to Michelle.

Book Update

Well, I finally finished reading Cell, the latest novel by Stephen King. Sorry to say, it kinda sucked. That's why it took so long for me to read it. It doesn't really go anywhere and takes a while to get going. The premise is pretty interesting but it doesn't expand on that premise at all. In fact, it leaves the reader with some major questions unanswered. The ending is very abrupt and doesn't even bother with expounding on anything important in the story. This is the 2nd consecutive King book that I've been disappointed in, the other being Dreamcatcher. That was kind of a crapfest too. It's really unfortunate because the other 2 King books I've read are really excellent. It and Thinner are very good novels and It in particular really freaked me out.

Now it's on to Arraignment by Steve Martini. I have never read a Martini book before but I have heard of him. Several friends have also recommended his works. So when I saw Arraignment on the Bargain Shelf at Borders for only $6, I grabbed it. I hope it's decent.

Dollar for Won Exchange Rate Plunging

The exchange rate for dollars to Korean won (W) continues to fall. This is bad news for anyone going to Korea as the value for their dollar is considerably lessened. When I went to Korea in 2004, the exchange rate was a healthy 1,200 W per $1 US. Now it is at 932 W per $1 US! So if you exchange $100 US, that would be a difference of 26,800 W! That's enough money to buy 4-5 meals!

I really hope the exchange rate bounces back up before I plan to go in the fall.

Congratulations Michelle!

Congratulations to Michelle Wie for making her first cut in a men's tournament. She scored a 69 in the 2nd round of the SK Telcom Open in Korea to follow up her first round 70. She is now at 5 under and in a tie for 17th, 6 strokes behind the leaders.

While it isn't a groundbreaking accomplishment (LPGA golfer Se Ri Pak finished in 10th place in a men's Korean tournament in 2003), it's still another rung climbed on her ladder to better and higher goals. Good for her. Hopefully she'll finish strong and maybe even contend for the title.

In celebration, here's a picture of Michelle doing the 8-beat Euro dance with entertainer Park Myung Soo. Jo! Jo! Jo! Jo!

Hapkido Promotion

Had my first promotion test yesterday for hapkido. Was pretty simple actually. Since I'm only a white belt and getting promoted to yellow, I only had to do real basic stuff like flying no-shadow kicks and take on 4 guys in a street style fight. Nah, just kidding. Just some basic hand techniques, some basic kicks, and the basic breakfalls. I got an overall grade of A but had some B+'s in individual techniques. I think they were in circle techniques and sool gi. I don't even know what sool gi is and didn't realize I even did it. Maybe that's why I only got a B+ on it? LOL

I even got to break a board, even though it wasn't required for my level. But they asked if I wanted to so I said sure, why not? They said it was traditional to keep your first broken board and the 3 instructors even signed it. Don't know how long I'll keep it though. It's not even my first board anyway since I took taekwondo back in hanabata dayz.

And then after the test, we got pizza!!! Yippee!!!!

So if takes about 2-3 months for one promotion test, I should be a black belt in about a few years? Not that I really care about the belts. I just wanna learn the art. Then I can call out Steven Seagal and kick his ass. Aw-right!

Crazy Best Buy Stunt

An improv group in New York had about 80 people dressed up similar to the Best Buy uniform of royal blue collar shirt, khaki pants, and black shoes and had them all enter a Best Buy store. Once inside, they wouldn't act like they worked there, but if customers came up to them with questions, they would answer if they could. If an actual employee asked what they were doing, they were instructed to say that they were waiting for their girlfriend/boyfriend and was just browsing. When asked about their attire, they were instructed to respond that it was just what they put on to wear that morning and that they didn't know the other people dressed almost identically.

It's a somewhat amusing stunt and if you read the whole thing, the reaction by the Best Buy staff is kind of interesting. They thought it was either a cult, or an elaborate heist ala The Thomas Crown Affair. They even summoned police and a lot of the people were questioned and asked to leave.

I love this one quote from a customer - "Everyone in this goddamned store is wearing a blue shirt and nobody knows a thing!"

And another one from an employee to one of the pranksters - "You're instigating our shirts"

Best Buy Stunt

Brian Ching makes US World Cup Roster!

Congratulations to local boy Brian Ching for making the USA 2006 World Cup squad. Ching is from Haleiwa and attended Kamehameha High School. He's improved a lot of late and I hope he sees some action on the field. The US (FIFA Rank #4) will need all the help it can get because it's in a killer group which includes the Czech Republic (FIFA #2), Italy (FIFA #14), and Ghana (FIFA #50). But I have faith in coach Bruce Arena. He took over a team that finished last in the 1998 World Cup and took them to the Final 8 in 2002.

On top of that, the US team has a good mix of youth and experience. Goalkepper Kasey Keller is awesome and will be playing in his 4th World Cup.







Midfielder Claudio Reyna could have been an even better player than he is now if it weren't for his nagging recurrent injuries. He's also in his 4th World Cup.







Their best player is probably midfielder Landon Donovan. Just 24 years old, he's already a veteran and his playmaking skills are incredible.

Good luck to the US squad!!!

Dokdo Island Web Cam

You can check out a live webcam of Dokdo Island here. Not that much going on, but pretty cool nonetheless.

Summer Movie Preview

I always look forward to the Summer Movie Season because it usually has everything I'm looking for in a movie. Big stars, big action, and big laughs. Yeah, the award season movies have their qualities too, but enough of Brokeback Mountain and bring on the BadAss Movies! These are the ones that are of interest to me...

May 5:

Mission:Impossible 3 - Early buzz on this film is that it's the best of the three. It'll be interesting to see what first time feature film director JJ Abrams (Lost, Alias) brings to the table.

May 12:
Poseidon - A remake of the 1972 disaster film The Poseidon Adventure. Looks like Titanic without the sappy love story and that's cool with me. Looks like a fun flick and director Wolfgang Peterson is a veteran of films such as Troy, Air Force One, The Perfect Storm, and Das Boot.

May 19:
The Da Vinci Code - We've all read the book and now it's time to see the movie. With Ron Howard and Tom Hanks behind it, it'll no doubt be a blockbuster.

May 26:
X-Men: The Last Stand - The film I'm most looking forward to seeing this summer. Even though director Bryan Singer is gone, Brett Ratner steps in and as a fan of his Rush Hour movies as well as Red Dragon, I'm hoping for the best. Plus, you got Beast, Phoenix, Angel, and I'm there!

June 16:
Nacho Libre - From the director of Napolean Dynamite. Starring Jack Black, this film just looks so silly that it's bound to be fun.

The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift - I actually kinda enjoyed the first 2 films for what they were but a 3rd isn't really necessary. However, up and coming Asian American director Justin Lin (A Better Tomorrow) is behind this one so I'll take a look-see.

The Lake House - See Here

June 30:
Superman Returns - The return of the Man of Steel. Not a "must see" for me, but pretty close. Early trailers don't really excite me so far.

July 21:
Lady in the Water - I have no idea what this one is about and I don't care. It's M. Night Shyamalan, one of my favorite story tellers. Yeah, I feel he's more of a story teller than a movie director. Although he's been hit and miss, his hits are very solid.

July 28:
Miami Vice - Was kind of a fan of the TV series, but the fact that Michael Mann (Heat, Collateral) is directing this really draws me in. They're not gonna do the pastel suit thing and it's gonna be a more gritty version of Mann's 80s TV show. But I also heard they're not gonna bring back Jan Hammer's awesome theme song. Why not!!!

August 18:
Snakes on a Plane - This film has been getting tons of internet buzz due to its subject and straightforward title. What's the film about! Snakes on a plane! I also hear that they're gonna make it Rated R so they can show more gore and stuff. Yes!

2 New Trailers

Superman Returns
Doesn't do much for me. Still don't like Kate Bosworth but think Frank Langella as Perry White is a great choice. Not enough action shown in this trailer to excite me yet, but I do love the fact that they brought back the theme music from the original films.

Superman Returns Trailer #2

Pirates of the Carribean 2
Just saw parts of the first one on a plane ride but fell asleep. Wasn't really interested in it either as it seemed made for kids. And this trailer looks like more of the same. A "maybe" for me.

Pirates of the Carribean 2 Trailer

Vince Young - Genius!

Nah, I actually think he's gonna be a great player at Tennessee, but I couldn't resist posting this pic cuz it's so funny. I think it came out after it was revealed that he scored an "8" on his Wonderlic Test. But with Vince Young and Lendale White, I think Tennessee will make a strong run this year.

Reggie Bush will make an impact in New Orleans, no doubt, but what happens to Deuce McAllister?

Matt Leinart probably deserved his draft spot, if not lower. Watching a lot of USC games this year, he definitely needs some work on his accuracy and doesn't have a big league arm. Apparently all the scouts are in love with Jay Cutler at Denver so let's see how he works out.

Chad Owens may be done in Jacksonville for good because they drafted UCLA RB and KR Maurice Drew.

No UH players drafted this year and only 2 (Eaton, Manners) with FA tryouts thus far. Not a banner year.

TIME Magazine Top 100 People Who Shape Our World

TIME Magazine came out with it's 100 People who Shape Our World list in their latest issue. Some notables....Writer/Director JJ Abrams is the man responsible for bringing us Alias, Lost, and the upcoming Mission:Impossible 3. A great talent.So Korean pop singer/actor Bi (aka Rain) made it onto the list. I really don't have any comment on him.Don't know much about scientist Kim Jim Yong, but after reading his write up, I am definitely impressed!The write up calls Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi a "good looking, straight talking maverick". I call him a trouble maker. He's done lots of things to corrode relations with Korea and China including celebrating war criminals, endorsing inaccurate school textbooks, and instigating a battle over Dokdo Island that very well may end up in violence. Yeah, great job.It's scary how much power Oprah has. I was just talking about this with Wayne's World over the weekend. It's like Middle America won't make a decision without her okay. I've never watched an entire episode of Oprah in my life and don't really intend to. I give her credit for appearing not to be full of herself for the most part, but it's sad that a talk show host has so much influence. What's even scarier is that TIME Magazine lists her under "Leaders and Revolutionaries" along with world leaders and other people who really do have an impact on our lives besides telling us what book to read.There's no denying what golfer Michelle Wie has accomplished off the course, if not on it. This marketing dynamite is talented, attractive, and charismatic and will probably spawn a whole generation of young female golfers.Angeline Jolie....just because.Franz Beckenbauer is one of the best soccer players in the history of the game. He is a former coach of the German national team and now oversees the World Cup Organizing Committee which his country will host this year. A soccer legend.