Happy New Year

Hi Everyone!
Happy New Year to one and all. May you all be safe and having a great time. I wish 2010 would be a fabulous year for YJssi and to each of us.

Enjoy your time with the family and don't forget to write some new resolutions although I have forgotten about that myself. I must say there are quite a list of things to do in 2010.

The highlight of this year is seeing BYJ in Tokyo Dome. May we see more of him looking healthy and happy.

I'm signing off and saying goodbye to 2009. It's been a good year overall and a very memorable one. Cheerio!!!

'Crimbo Limbo'

If you're like me wondering what the title of this post is about, it's something the radio DJ came up this morning crimbo limbo (you might have heard of this). It's got to do with the days between Christmas and New Year. In other words it's when there's not a lot going on and everything is back to normal briefly then another celebration comes on. Personally I wasn't paying attention as I have been back to work.

I am not trying to rush this year to end as there have been good days and well some rough times but mainly good. Although recently I feel that sometimes I  have to pull myself together to get things done or start a new one. I think when you are anticipating and have poured most of your energy on something and it passed you get drained of enthusiasm after. It's not easy to pick up steam and get going but you just have to 'cause it's part of life. Anyhow am I also missing something??? maybe... whether it's personal or not it's something to keep an eye out.

Speaking of missing something, I have missed so much on many things in Baeland. Photographs, interviews, appearances and important dates of BYJssi  but might be a cliche I have a lifetime to catch up. However I stumbled on this photos of him which reminded me of his current hair style. (Woman can't you leave the hair alone?)

Wishing the new year would be more bright and colourful for BYJssi and us all.

Holiday Excess

Hello there! How was your holiday? After being subjected to sumptuous food and intoxicating drinks this season our family tradition is to go for a good walk in the country (not just to blow cobwebs away but burn those extra bits we gained apart from what's already there). This time we headed to the nearest RSPB reserve- Frampton Marsh.

We were first optimistic since the sun was out and the ice on the ground had started to melt. When we arrived in the area our enthusiasm was suddenly extinguished after the northerly wind hit us. In less than an hour I couldn't feel my hands and my fingers started to hurt badly. The fresh air was refreshing though so we endured the walk in a muddy and  ice ring- like ground. Unfortunately some of us landed on knees and back but suffered no serious injuries. At the end of the interesting walk we still managed to smile and came home safe. These are some of the photos of the reserve.

Have a lovely week ahead..

Season's Greetings

DA Feature

Wow! Tomato99 shared this in You Tube. A short video of BYJ whilst dubbing the WLS Anime. For times like these, the video means so much..hope to see more. Thanks so much.

Nevermind Doctor

As the year comes to an end so is David Tennant's role as Doctor Who. There are few programs I follow and his is certainly one of them. I surely would not like him go but that's just how it is.. I think he's a very good actor and the best Doctor so far. David hosted Nevermind the Buzzcocks a Doctor Who Christmas special. It's fun watching this show and I hope you'd enjoy watching it too.

For more of the program please click here and here. Tennant is also in the new film St. Trinians which is already out.

Visit Korea

For many of us in Baeland Korea is the ultimate tourist destination. Thanks to Bae Yong Joon and the Korean wave. This new ad of Visit Korea for 2010-2012 signals a very welcoming message for all of us to discover Korea. Have you planned your next visit? His travel book is the best tool to begin with.

Photo scan from Asahi Shinub courtesy of Mizuumi. Thanks.

cold and ice

Hello sisters!

Are you ready for the holidays? Only few days before Christmas and indeed what a cold one it is. Still snowing where I am at the moment. My neighbor officially detested the snow and I just bit my lip as I am getting a little bit impatient with it. It's the treacherous roads and the hazards it bring to many that I don't like. Definitely expecting a white Christmas this week.
As things get frozen including gas and water pipes I just hope the temperature ease up so our central heating gets the chance to work better otherwise more cold nights for us. Thank heavens to standing oil heaters as it would have been a total disaster.

I have wondered how BYJ is getting on too. Totally quiet and though it's just how things are moving at the moment I hope there would be more in the new year. BYJssi is busy dubbing for the Winter Sonata Anime. Have many of you watched the anime? I hope you have.

I've gone back to the very reason why winter is extra special and these videos are good reminder of it.

I have watched these videos several times after posting which made me realize that I'd love to see him inlove and be loved. (sigh) For now enjoy the season wherever you are. Stay safe and happy :-) Videos courtesy of sabineko4 & IP2316

Happy Birthday Myoce!

Lovely

Hi!!! I hope the you are fine and the weather is a lot better. As much as I love the snow it gets a bit too much sometimes.. If there are more to come this week we will perhaps experience a white Christmas. That would be nice but extra care on the road is highly needed.

I couldn't help but share to you my Twi party last night.. I had a good time with few friends and family. Just want to share with you the lovely cake Judy made me.. It's simply perfect for last night's event.

Hope your weekend is just a good.

Let it snow

Hi there!!! Wow I got up this morning and so glad to see the blanket of snow covering the ground. I have to remember to wear two pairs of socks at least when going out. I could feel my toes aching so much after a lovely morning walk.

I hope you have  a lovely weekend ahead. :-) Keep warm.

Just another day

Hi everyone!! Are you warm and comfortable? I know it's late but thanks for the warm thoughts you've shared on my nearly catastrophic weekend. However, I have fully recovered and been back to work.

We had our first share of snow today and we are expecting more.. What a good day to start my day tomorrow I hope. I was dreading that day and refused to face it if I could. I didn't even want to do anything with it to begin with but I suppose I have to face the music and enjoy it the best way I can and look forward to another new year.

I must admit I have enjoyed my Twenties. I've been where I didn't think I would be, I have met people, settled down, and have  a new perspective in life. I'd say that I was actually truly blessed. My childhood years were difficult and looking back I'd say someone has been so kind to me. I have grown as well following BYJ. It felt like it's only a few months ago since I saw WLS.

Then came his other works which showed how much of a great man he is. Despite the pain and suffering he still endured and came out as the golden boy. I also had ups and downs but I just think that there's always a way and solutions to troubled times. The important thing is making the most out of what you have.

Although the future is yet to come and what we do today affects what the future would bring but in my opinion there are only two ways to get there. One is to face it with a smile and second is to give it your best.

You probably think I am trying to calm myself which I'm probably doing but this has given me the chance to look back and examine my life. Although tomorrow is just another day it's certainly is a day to look forward to. Snowball fights seem to be a good treat. ;-)

The X Factor

Every year in Britain as we move towards the holiday season the X Factor comes around and Strictly Come Dancing. They are the main programs which seem to divide the country's primetime viewing experience. X factor is like The American Idol favoured by the young ones and young at heart while Strictly are for the not so young who love dancing. If you want latin and modern dances this one is for you.

Personally I didn't manage to follow both this year for some reason. A lot of things got in the way. However last Sunday the new X Factor winner was revealed-Joe McElderry. He's young and quite cute. He could definitely sing so let's hope he would be successful like Leona Lewis and Alexandra Burke's as former X Factor's winners. Here's the clip of his performance and one from last year's winner Alexandra Burke. I couldn't also resist posting Sir Paul McCartney's appearance in the show.Enjoy.

Confessions of a twenty something

Hello!

How's your weekend? Perhaps not quite the same as mine. Lying in bed observing the back field as the horizon becoming greyer each hour is not my idea of a relatively sunny Sunday morning. A jugful of water, sports drink, cups of coffee, Twilight books and dvd, phone, camera with photos screaming to come out and a bucket are my faithful company.. The latter is there just in case I don't make it fast to the bathroom. Alex gave me a new name this morning 'chunder monkey'. Lovely!

So what brought all this unlikely appearance? Party at work. I forgot how lethal a party is in Britain. Partly because I try to skip parties and  I have stopped going out. It shouldn't be a problem as long as you know what you are doing. That means you should have a good meal before hand (but if you are going for a meal try not to finish a glass of wine before you eat otherwise you'd get dunk pretty quickly). This is one of the biggest mistakes I had. I was rushing to get my dress that I forgot to eat lunch. Then I thought I'd stick to vodka and coke since I was used to be fine with this drink but I forgot the last time I had vodka I didn't like it at all. (I just gone off it)That's the second mistake. Third say no to drinks offered to you other than what you are drinking. Such as shots of God knows what I had last night. At first I thought it was Sambuca but I now think they were flavored vodka. Not a good idea.

Dancing doesn't help either. The more you move the more tiddly you'd become. However when everybody is having fun and enjoying themselves who would be able to resist the beat especially when your favorite tune is being played. Nevermind the both left feet or right feet excuses.

So what did I learn from last night? Having fun is good  but looking after yourself is the prime agenda. From the look of it alcohol poisoning is not the best thing to have either. So be responsible.

I will leave you the only song I remembered dancing and singing my heart out last night. .Enjoy.

video from dddkesa

Edible Rambling

Hi! It's pretty quiet in Baeland. Apart from the law suit BYJ filed against a tour agency organizing tours for Japanese tourists which signalled a huge warning to those who would like to use his name for commercial purposes without his consent whilst tramping on his own right to privacy. This serve them right. I hope this would be the end of the story.

Looking at the brighter side. It's the festive season just around the corner. Abundance of tempting food sprouts like nobody else's business and parties don't help at all. Plus it's winter time. It's getting difficult to shed those extra calories. I have decided to keep myself active apart from work by using the bike..it's too cold to jog and trip to the gym doesn't even look appealing. So we'll see if it works. I've tried to avoid festive food as much as I can though..wish me luck.

However I'd like to share some of the food we had tried when we were in Scotland. Scottish food are quite different from the English as you would hardly taste salt in the former.

Let's take for example this chicken with vintage port pate with oatmeal biscuits. The port was noticeably strong that would surely leave a distinct aftertaste. It's not sweet nor salty either.

Alex had a pheasant with mince meat and Haggis which to me was an interesting combination but he certainly loved the Haggis, neeps (turnips), potato in whiskey sauce for starter.

Hope you have a lovely day wherever you are. :-)

Edinburgh

Hello there!

Last weekend I had the chance to travel with the family on a chartered train going to Edinburgh.The five hour journey on each way wasn't so bad. It was actually  faster than I thought. I used to have this picture of a train travelling near the coast in my head and I'm glad to be on a similar trip.

Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland. The city is situated on a hill while the castle is at the topmost part. As we came out of the station we had to climb which seem to me a hundred steps to get to the city. It was raining, cloudy and truly a dull day. The grey colored buildings with its old Georgian style stood out the most.

Above is the statue of Sir Walter Scott whose famous works include Rob Roy and Ivanhoe.

This Highland Piper is wearing a 'Number One' dress uniform which is made up of kilt, tunic and sporran, spats and diced hose, full plaid with a Cairgorm brooch and a feather bonnet. He's kind enough to pose for me. It's strange when he asked where we came from and when we told him the place he shouted back, 'ah England'. Then I felt we were certainly in a different land.

Edinburgh is a lovely place. Although our visit was short it's surely a great place to see for another time.

Blooming Good

Hello!

The Copenhagen Summit will be in full swing this weekend. Remember BYJ's participation on the Seal the Deal campaign? A climate treaty is expected to be developed to replace the Kyoto Protocol which will expire in 2012. The summit to be attended by over 190 countries will tackle the effects of climate change and cut down greenhouse gas emisions.

If you want to participate and get involve in reducing carbon emissions, you can also try the interactive site of BBC. They launched BLOOM which is an easy and fun way to reduce CO2. Just click here and start sowing.

New BYJ Book

Hello there!
Latest news posted by Tomato in Quilt is the released of a  photo book in February. This is great since most of the photos were taken by him. Just imagine all those places he visited. It must be difficult to choose which one to publish if there are more beautiful photos left.
Source: Nikkan Sports

2009/12/3

Bae Yong Joon's new photo book, "Memories of the Trip -from Discovering the Beauty of Korea" will be on sale from February 2010.
Yon-sama had experienced and reported traditional culture for about one year to write his Japan and Korea’s best selling book "Discovering the Beauty of Korea."
His features were recorded in more than several thousands of photos, but his book included mostly photos taken by Yon-sama himself.
This new photo book will carefully select unreleased photos and will show BYJ devoting himself to his work in details.
His managing company says "this content will let you re-experience his trip and his feelings."
Reservation starts from 4 December at shopping sites, Nikkan-sport.com and bofi, and at Kinokuniya Book Store. Price: jpy 4,200

The Face Shop

Hi everyone! It's the first day of December. Pretty soon the holiday season is here to come. We just managed to put the Christmas tree up and rearrange the furniture. I forgot how stressful it could get. But we're nearly sorted.

It's been a pleasant surprise seeing the new Face Shop photos. This must be taken months before he had his hair cut. It's good to see the previous style. I'm sure you feel the same. Thanks to miemi of BYJGallery.

I love this profile photo..simply beautiful.