Filed under: Music, Randoms & Quick updates, ♥ Reviews | Tags: Japan fashion, japanese, headphones, mix styles, harajuku, yesasia.com
At least I think so.
Mix styles are contemporary headphones that have been through much press exposure. They’re slightly pricey but I love mine and they are completely worth it. Having done my research I was slightly put off, reviews on YesAsia.com are mixed and reviews elsewhere also have a very mixed view.
Admittedly these headphones are far more aesthetic aware than product aware. Ofcourse I bought mine with the same subject in mind. However the quality is decent, not as good as the Dr.Dre headphones, obviously. But for looking good and working well it does it’s job.
Here are some statistics:
Mix-Style Headphone features:
• Closed-style headphone
• Driver: 40mm
• Sensitivity: 99dB
• Freq. Response: 500〜20000Hz
• Power handling capacity：0.2W
• Impedance：32Ω
• Weight (w/box): 300g.
• Cord length: 50cm ~ 150cm (20 ~ 60”)
Celebrity Promotion :
Credits to Yeeun.wordpress.com
Credits to Slumberdoll.deviantart.com
Credits To Soompi.
Many people have claimed the cord to be either too long or too short, I didn’t have an issue with this personally. It did not bother me.
With such a wide variety of colours, Mix styles are must haves for the fashion conscious and those that enjoy their music. They are also easy pack, folding perfectly into a compact shape, you need not worry too much about storage.
Thus ofcourse, no blog would be complete without me taking the pleasure of displaying myself with my very own mix styles. If money were to one day become an abundance for me. I’d collect the rest (:
For more info head to the main website: http://mix-style-headphones.com/english/
Filed under: Movie, ♣ Interests, ♥ Reviews | Tags: Aliens, Crop Circles, Jo Seung-woo, Kang Hye-jeong, Korean Film, Love Phobia, Romance Movies, Tablo
What a strange title! You must be thinking. Well it is none other than the 3 words I chose to sum up Popular Korean Film “Love Phobia” (well that was it’s given title anyway). I sincerely felt that this film required a review, why?
Because I’m a sucker for these type of films. Sad, Cliche and a slightly strange love story.
Love Phobia tells the touching tale of two lovers, destined not to be together forever.
I for one, love a good cry after a sad film maybe I’m just a masochist but just like any other girl a sad love film is always bittersweet to the heart.
This film stars Kang Hye-jeong and Jo Seung-woo.
Love Phobia tells the tale of a young boy who meets a strange girl in a bright yellow raincoat claiming that she is cursed and whomever she touches will befall great misery, she also convinces him that she is an alien from outer space and her curse is related to this; however the story is not as complicated or as extra terrestrial as it seems.
Despite being warned several times by this weird yet cute girl, the boy follows her around and quickly commits to being her friend until one day she disappears. This also prompts the boy to seek out the girl and with great difficultly he does, just to let her disappear again, well why does this keep happening, you ask?
Is it just another pointless love story chase where they’ll find each other and live happily ever after in the end?
Well, yes and no.
*Spoilers – as per*
[ Watch the film and THEN come back? (: ]
The “curse” that this story describes is just a series of coincidences, our female lead character is not an alien, nor is she cursed she just claims so to protect those around her (which are not at all that many). Her story is that on a completely normal day out she and her family are driving around until they suddenly crash, ending the life of her father and her mother yet leaving her saved because of a blood transfusion. One she probably wishes she never had. The blood transfused into her was infected with the lethal disease AIDs. She is saved, to die another day. In being young and now orphaned she lives with a monk/priest who picked her up and decided to care for her.
The idea that she is an alien (or calls herself one) comes from an encounter with a doctor whom she asks (at a young age) “What is AIDs?” To which he replies “It is an Alien’s Flu.”
Embracing this idea she lives her life convincing others around her that she is an Alien.
She wore an eye-catching yellow raincoat in the pockets of which she hid a Lizard with a long name. This Lizard was her pet but also something else, he was used to scare off teachers that touched her. Obviously still believing that she is cursed! I think the Korean name of the film was related to Lizards somewhat too… Anyway…
The story then continues to follow her and the boy who fell in love with her, after her every disappearance they’d meet again, his love never once extinguished or wavered, she; strange in essence loved him back even though sometimes not wanting to, perhaps because she know that they wouldn’t end up together. After some Kiss and Chase the final scene is brought about, by this time he already knows of her condition and tells her that he’ll help her get back into space, because she is an alien and she told him that the aliens will come for her and she’ll have to go. He also painstakingly made her a crop circle just to signify his love and her leaving. It’s extremely confusing at the end because the story ends itself inside a metaphor, making the viewer believe that she’s actually left in a Spaceship.
However this meant heaven for her, that her last breaths have been drawn and that her last steps have been walked.
At this point I broke into tears for a good 10 minutes or so.
I guess the reason I was so intrigued by this film was because the mail role featured Tablo’s girlfriend. [Anyone that knows me will know that I am an Epik High/Tablo obsessive]. Admittedly I didn’t think she was very pretty, however she has this free, down to earth feel about her. A familiar fresh yet friendly face. I guess she’s average, cute. There must be something very special about her personality for her to be with Tablo. I give them credit for that. [Other than being a sickeningly good-looking pair]!
For this movie I loved the metaphorical references, that in itself was unique, the tale also unfolds itself nicely.
I reckon this movie ticks all the boxes for a romance, with a twist. Others may view it as too jumpy, unresolved and pieced together badly. But for me, who approached this film with an open mind and artistic view reckon it was a movie worth viewing.
Mistune – 3/5 ~ !
Filed under: ♥ Reviews | Tags: 3d film, Final Destination 4, Horror, Movie, Review
Although I have only seen Final Destination 3 I know that the Final Destination films are not connected through the series, however they all have one moral; when you’re supposed to die you will die.
… Or something morbid of similar sorts. That’s plenty tag-line for me! So, being heavily urged by a couple of friends I sat myself down for some first-time 3d goodness. (Yes my first 3D film had to be a gory one.) Final Destination 4 tells a story of 4 20 somethings that foresaw death and made their best attempts to escape it.
The film is full of comedic irony and in-your-face 3D action. However I don’t think it that this film is actually “all that”. Making full use of the 3d effect at almost every action scene, the weapons, people and various other things come at the screen which made for a few good jumpy scenes and required me to hide behind my jacket for. Besides the appeal of 3D action, Final Destination had very little going for it.
*Spoilers ahead*
The film was short, the deaths were unrealistic and the characters were not relatable.
For a film to be successful it has to have characters that viewers are willing to attach some sort of relation to. A likable character. However I deemed the main characters, semi-stupid. Then again, after all it was Final Destination and everyone IS meant to die, but I think that even story-line-wise that the old Final Destinations were a lot better. At the very end, the 3 left that had managed to escape death die in a tragic “lorry crashed into coffee house and kills them all” – accident.
It was a good spur of the moment movie but that’s all I’m willing to give. I actually thought G.I Joe was a dozen times better. I don’t think Final Destination 4 was worth it’s cost in money however it was a fun waste of time.
My opinions may have been overly harsh but I just don’t think this is a film for me.
I give Final Destination, a tragic 1/5 stars.
(Just because zero seemed harsh).
Filed under: Movie, ♥ Reviews | Tags: Byung Hung Lee, Film, G.I Joe, Mistune, Review, Sienna Miller
Having tagged along for my friends cousins birthday party a bunch of us went to see new film exclusive G.I Joe.
G.I Joe boasts a 2 hour something action packed explosive film starring popular actress Sienna Miller who I assume was the main attraction for the film. Not knowing much about G.I Joe’s origins apart from the fact that it was the rival action figure of mighty action man himself I expected the film to be based on some guy named “Joe”. As it happens, G.I Joe happened to be the name of an organization that consisted of high standard technology and military training, in the film anyway.
Having entered the film with pretty low expectations (since the papers and critics as such gave this film a shoddy 2 stars out of 5) I was pleasantly surprised.
The General casting of the film in my opinion was pretty good, I liked the characters that each person was given, however cliche that may be. There was the trendy Hero and his funny friend, the sexy villain (Sienna Miller) and a few baddies with slight deformities, however one in particular stood out for me ( and I’ll admit was the reason I went to go see this film) Byung Hung Lee – “Storm Shadow” the baddy ninja was definitely worth seeing. Having never before seen him in any film I was impressed, sadly not by his acting, but because of his aesthetic values.
Seriously, I’d watch any film with those abs included. Having many think he is 25, when he is actually 39 is pretty extraordinary. Lee plays the role of a ninja who has a rival with another character inside G.I Joe’s forces and there was a badly mashed together story-line behind it. Another thing that let this film down.
As said before, the casting was lovely. The visual effects, not bad. But the story-line was a really big disappointment. To make the film interesting there were 3 interlinked mini stories behind each one, first of all was the love & history between our Hero & the Baroness, Second was the Technology vs Technology of the goodies/baddies and then there was the ninja story between G.I Joe personnel “snake” and “Storm Shadow” played by Lee.
The story line seemed put together really badly, as if 2 puzzle pieces that did not fit each other were slammed together in the desperate hope that they’d fit and no one would notice, however obvious that it’d seem. There was a slight comedy element thrown in with the action however at times but when this did happen, I reckon it was timed badly.
Still I’d say it was money well spent, for me & my obsession with Korean men and abs. Plus for any male with an interest in Sienna Miller. Honestly, I reckon 2 stars was a little harsh for this film, I’d say it deserved a 3 maybe, but if the plot had improved a little it’d be well on the way to perfection.
Another Pet peeve the film gave me was the way the film itself ended, extremely abruptly and obviously implying the fact that there WILL be a sequel, I put my money on that. Those that have watched it will know what I mean.
Nevertheless; this film was pretty average, cliche and typical, pleasing to the eye, but not for the movie goer that knows good movies and expects good movies & good movies only.
A Deserving Two Stars From me also.
In English! I actually recieved the album a little more than a month ago. (I was just a tad lazy to write this.)
BoA Kwon who was first noticed at the tender age of 12 has been a famous entertainer ever since, majoring in Singing and Dancing has produced her first English Album and released it in America.Being a successful hit in both Korea and Japan, BoA has finally decided to take on the big market; America. How is she doing? Well you’ll have to wait and see.
So far so good I presume, BoA’s been receiving publicity from her fan-bases in America and getting to meet celebrities such as Sean Garret and appearing on shows like MTV Iggy along with a widespread of different and other chat shows plus campaign and projects.
However! Down to the nitty gritty. How is the actual CD? Your freshest review right here (:
The CD was ordered initially from Amazon.com, it arrived in immaculate condition. Consists of a CD booklet, containing lyrics and credits, and the cd itself.
Own Photo Used. Content is subject to copyright. (:
There are 11 tracks, as follows, I’ll summarize the track and give my verdict on each;
1. I did it for love ft. Sean Garret
This song is the one that is used to advertise BoA, it’s MV can be found all over Youtube and definitely displays what BoA’s capable of as a performer of singing and dancing. However as expected, in order to break into the American market, There’s a lot of American popular culture in the music. Cliche lyrics, catchy beat. There was also heavy bashing from netizens about this, how almost all of her songs have been altered so that they sound electronic and almost machine like. Of course this also makes the song harder to perform live. In America, BoA has embraced the image of ‘Sexy’. & Some fans find this upsetting also. The song itself isn’t all that bad, it’s catchy, I have it on my ipod, would probably play it at a party or a similar event. The dance is amazing though (: I high recommend the MV. Which you can watch here.
2. Energetic
This song hasn’t left much of an impression on me. It’s a very good dance track and very techno. Written by Sean Garret. Probably one of the more mundane tracks of this album.
3. Did Ya
Ahh, this is probably my favourite song of the whole album. I find it better than ” I did it for love ” even though there is no MV for this track, nor is there any advertising. But this track for me is extremely catchy and doesn’t seem so Americanized, the track is jumpy, much like the rest of the album, makes you want to get up and dance etc. But I also like the lyrics smartly infused with the fast music. BoA talks of a relationship in which she isn’t treasured so she leaves him. There is less auto-tuning here as well. I think that there is more meaning behind this song than it seems. Catchy and inspiringly, I highly recommend this track.
4. Look Who’s Talking
This is the track that was written by Britney Spears for BoA. As expected from Britney Spears it’s a very self-indulgent song and makes the album sound even more involved with current American popular culture, whether that is a good or a bad thing I’ll leave for you to decide.
5. Eat You Up
This track was released before any of the others, to my knowledge. The are 2 MV’s for this song, well 3 actually. The first one that came out was the Korean version, which depicts BoA street dancing her way into some Ballet exam. The second MV was the American Version where it was BoA in a sexy dress with a hot man and some dancing. The 3rd video is the unedited version where she’s not all dolled up, she’s just dancing. The track itself is alright, memorable lyrics catchy etc. Nothing out of the ordinary however, Oh and there’s also overuse of Auto-Tuning. I don’t get why they keep using that. BoA can handle raw vocals no problem. Anyway moving on…
6. Obsessed
One of my lesser favourites, typical dancing track. Singing about love, I don’t think there’s as much Auto-Tuning here, overuse of rhyming words same beat, nothing really special. Sadly.
7. Touched
I love the beginning of this track, it’s an extremely cute tune. Ring tone material probably haha. One of the sweeter tracks.
(As you can see my attention is quickly depleting.)
8. Scream
This track is pretty different from the rest. Also probably one of the better tracks. It has a very western feel to it, there’s like a sweet conflict in this track. This track is pretty different from the rest in that it doesn’t actually talk of Love. There’s also a somewhat sense of excitement within this piece. If you can somehow tear away the clusters of Techno and Auto-Tuning that is.
9. Girls On Top
This track is one of BoA’s older Korean songs but completely redone into English. Even though personally I think the Korean version is better, this version isn’t half bad either.
10. Dress Off
Pretty similar description to what I gave for Obsessed & Touched.
(You can really tell when my patience wears thin, I get bored so easily.)
11. Hypnotic Dancefloor
I love love love this track. It’s got some really good singing to it. The lyrics may not be all that but it’s a nice track to dance/sing to (: Also in my opinion one of the better tracks.
Overall I think the CD was a fair investment, it really grows on you, the tracks do. I initially bought the CD because of my love of BoA’s music and works and I wanted to support her within the U.S I really hope she makes it. & That her next album will not abuse the use of Auto-Tuning, it’s a cool effect every now and then but I & BoA fans will know deep down that she is capable without the fancy light shows that she’s been advised to stand in on.
This CD gets…
Fathomable-Four&AHalf Stars.
Filed under: Movie, Music, YUI, ♣ Interests, ♥ Reviews | Tags: Film, Movie, Music, Song Of The Sun, Taiyo No Uta, YUI
It has been much too long since I’ve blogged!
I feel extremely bad for neglecting my blog );
So, review of the day today is a touching Japanese film starring young yet charming singer YUI.
“Yui is a Japanese singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and actress. She is currently signed to Sony Music Records Japan and attached to the talent agency Stardust Promotion.”
- Wikipedia.
Personally I think that Yui has a lovely mellow and soft tuneful voice that calms the soul however her vocal ranges are rather limited in the low regions. Funnily, I discovered her while listening to Fiona Sit’s cover of YUI’s “Tomorrow’s Way” Which is an amazing song, in both Japanese and Cantonese. [The one linked is Japanese]. I advise you listen to both very strongly! In instantly falling in love her with her music and stumbling upon “Goodbye-Days” one of her songs that features herself in a movie, that is also used in some scenes of the MV. I went and searched for the movie and it happened to be named “Taiyo No Uta“.
Taiyo No Uta/Song Of The Sun is a touching story about a young girl named Amane Kaoru who has the rare disease; Xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) which is the inability to repair skin cells that are damaged by the Suns harmful UV rays. Each day she would not attend school, instead, she would sleep during the day and when night fell she’d go out with her acoustic guitar, sit in her favourite spot in an isolated park and and begin playing it. When she was up in her room and the sun was out, she would sit by her window and watch a boy who played around and dreamed of becoming a good surfer.
*Spoilers*
Eventually they meet [A strange meeting] and then a roller-coaster of events happen, some sad, some happy. Most sweet and touching. It’s definitely a movie worth watching, including lovely scenery, acting and music.
Portraying life through a girls eyes, whose sweet heart and talent made her prominent. Yet suffered what would become her downfall, Ironic and Upsetting. But she was loved to the very end.
Shortly after finishing the movie I took the courtesy of finding Yui’s albums and intently listening to them and though some songs weren’t as catchy as the ones I mentioned earlier, it is still a lovely compilation of acoustic music and heartful singing.
