Dinner & Ice Cream Mooncakes Promotion @ Swensen's

I had dinner at Swensen's yesterday with my family and also bought a box of 4 ice cream mooncakes as there are early bird discounts of 20% off a box of 4 mooncakes if you purchase before 31 August 2010 and a complimentary singe scoop ice cream. I checked with the service staff and was informed that i can keep the mooncakes in the freezer for 6 months and i plan to keep it till the mid-autumn festival (lantern festival) in October :>

There are 8 cool flavors to choose from and i got the sticky chewy chocolate, durian, salted caramel cheesecake and yam flavored mooncakes.

For those who are not familiar with the mid-autumn festival, the Mid-Autumn Festival is held on the 15th day of the eighth month in the Chinese calendar, which is usually around late September or early October in the Gregorian calendar. It is a date that parallels the autumnal equinox of the solar calendar, when the moon is supposedly at its fullest and roundest. The traditional food of this festival is the mooncake, of which there are many different varieties. Traditionally on this day, Chinese family members and friends will gather to admire the bright mid-autumn harvest moon, and eat moon cakes and pomelos under the moon together.

The most famous legend surrounding the mid-autumn festival concerns its possible role in Chinese history. According to a widespread folk tale, the Mid-Autumn Festival commemorates an uprising in China against the Mongol rulers of the Yuan Dynasty (1280–1368) in the 14th century. As group gatherings were banned, it was impossible to make plans for a rebellion. Noting that the Mongols did not eat mooncakes, Liu Bowen (劉伯溫) of Zhejiang Province, advisor to the Chinese rebel leader Zhu Yuanzhang, came up with the idea of timing the rebellion to coincide with the Mid-Autumn Festival. He sought permission to distribute thousands of moon cakes to the Chinese residents in the city to bless the longevity of the Mongol emperor. Inside each cake, however, was inserted a piece of paper with the message: "Kill the Mongols on the 15th day of the 8th month". On the night of the Moon Festival, the rebels successfully attacked and overthrew the government. What followed was the establishment of the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644), under Zhu. Henceforth, the Mid-Autumn Festival was celebrated with moon cakes on a national level.

(Source: http://www.swensens.com.sg/promo_aug13_imooncake.html)

(Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mid-Autumn_Festival)

Leighton Meester Talks Gossip Girl, Herbal Essences

(Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lTm5-ZDdeQ&feature=player_embedded)

Previews to Korean Drama - Playful Kiss

Here is another upcoming Korean drama that i'm looking forward to watching starring Kim Hyun Joong and Jung So Min. First love is always so sweet and Jung So Min looks so adorable in the video clip where she tries to express her love to Kim Hyun Joong and he looks so cool and cute. The drama will be showing in Korea in September 2010 and i have included the video clip and official posters for the drama below:

(Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZddzlO7lH8&feature=player_embedded)
(Source: http://www.dramabeans.com/2010/08/posters-are-out-for-playful-kiss/)

My Girlfriend Is A Gumiho- Fox Rain MVs

I love this song since i heard it while watching the drama "My Girlfriend Is A Gumiho" and has been humming the song frequently this 2 days :> My hubby was complaining that he also found himself humming the song after listening to my humming haha :>  I found 2 nice MVs of the song from Youtube to share on my blog. I love the drama and can't wait to watch episode 5 once it is available online! I'm also eagerly waiting for new episodes of "Dong Yi" which is also getting more and more interesting with the introduction of Dong Yi's second son. Can't wait for her to return to the palace soon and be with the King. The last few episodes were so sad with her brother Chun Soon leaving her, the death of her elder son and her leaving the palace and the King.

(Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzCcdDKWLuE&feature=search)
(Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1I87SHTh9c&feature=player_embedded)
 

Yuji Oda To Return In Drama Sequel To "Amalfi"

Actor Yuji Oda (42), who just got married last week, will be reprising his role in a sequel to last year's hit movie "Amalfi: Megami no Hoshu." However, this time it will be turned into a television series, rather than another film.

The drama is tentatively titled "Kaikoukan Kuroda Kosaku." As the name indicates, the show will focus on the diplomat Kosaku Kuroda, Oda's character in "Amalfi." After the success of the movie, sources say that Oda strongly wanted to play the character in a television series. While the movie told the story of a single kidnapping, the drama will take on a much bigger scale, with Kuroda becoming involved in various situations such as international terrorism and domestic crimes. Right now the script is in development, though details will have to wait until Oda returns from his honeymoon overseas.

Fuji TV will broadcast the drama. It is planning to start the series in January in the Thursday 10:00pm time slot, though filming will begin as early as mid-September.

(Source: http://www.tokyograph.com/news/id-6519)

The Maquillage Autumn/Winter 2010 Commercial

I love the new rouge enamel featured in the commercial, can't wait to get it if it is available in the stores :> You can visit Shiseido's website for more information.

[ Download ]

(Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8k9DUlSQgo&NR=1)

Orchard Valley Brides - Debbie Macomber

I just bought Debbie Macomber's latest eBook "Orchard Valley Brides" online so that i can read it on my Ipad :> It is so convenient and i just have to download the Kobo Ipad application from App store and make my purchase. The Kobo app comes pre-loaded with five free eBooks and connect to the Kobo eBook store, which features more than two million titles including current best sellers, classics, and thousands of free titles. The eBook i bought only cost US$5.49/- which is cheaper than getting the book at the bookstores. I also saw alot of other interesting titles and can't wait to buy more eBooks online! I will definitely be buying Debbie Macomber's 10th book in the Cedar Cove series "1022 Evergreen Place" once its available on Kobo :> Heard that the book will be released in September 2010 and i'm looking forward to visiting Cedar Cove again and spending some time with my beloved characters there ;>

 More about "Orchard Valley Brides":

Norah Bloomfield is feeling a bit unneeded these days. Her father is recovering from his heart attack, and her sisters, Valerie and Stephanie, are busy planning their weddings. But then a cantankerous Texan named Rowdy Cassidy crashes his small plane in Orchard Valley. The same Rowdy Cassidy who'd been Valerie's boss . . . and who'd demanded she marry him. Now he's Norah's patient, and in all her nursing experience she's never encountered a more difficult man. Or a more irresistible one! Except . . . is he still in love with her sister?

When Norah's friend Sherry Waterman leaves Orchard Valley, Oregon, for Pepper, Texas, she's definitely not in the mood for Lone Star Lovin'. But if anyone can change her mind, it's Cody Bailman—a hardworking, good-looking rancher. Not only that, Cody has a twelve-year-old daughter who thinks Sherry's "just perfect for Dad"! 

(Source: http://www.debbiemacomber.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=nnp&pageID=307 )
(Source: http://www.kobobooks.com/)

Lunch @ BBQ Chicken Northpoint

Korean Drama - My Girlfriend Is A Gumiho

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I have been reading alot of good reviews online about this 16 episodes Korean fantasy drama which premiered on SBS on August 11. The ratings for the drama has also been quite positive. It has also become the most-watched show in China, according to the show's promoter IM Company on Thursday. IM announced in a press release that the first two episodes of the drama became the top show on China's PPS netTV [online TV streaming website] and on SOHU news. The drama was written by sisters Hong Jung-eun and Hong Mir-ran who previously wrote hit dramas like Fantastic Couple, My Girl, Hong Gil Dong and You're Beautiful and have a solid track record in the romantic-comedy genre.

I have always enjoyed watching the dramas written by the Hong sisters and was curious about their new drama and decided to watch an episode online at (http://www.dramacrazy.net/korean-drama/my-girlfriend-is-a-gumiho/).

It turns out to be an interesting and funny drama and i find the plot refreshing and Lee Seung-gi (Brilliant Legacy) and Shin Mina (A Love To Kill and Devil) look adorable in the drama. The beautiful Shin Mina plays a gumiho who has been asleep for the past 500 years, who is released when a seal is broken, and a romance ensues with a human played by Lee Seung-ki.

Cha Dae-wung, played by Lee Seung-gi, is a cowardly and extremely immature man who gets by life without any big dreams or ambitions besides his goal of becoming an action star. He accidentally wakes up the legendary gumiho, or the nine-tailed fox, that according to legends, lives on human flesh and livers and bewitches men with her beauty.

When Dae-wung finds out that she is a gumiho, he was forced to live with her and ends up doing crazy things to prevent the girl from eating his liver. As she has no name, he calls her Miho and surprisingly, Miho is nothing like the legendary character that appears in ghost stories. She is a cute and clueless girl who prefers hanwoo, homegrown cattle beef, and is searching for true love with a man who will love her despite her haunting condition. She is curious about everything around her after being trapped in the painting for 500 years and chooses to stick around Dae-wung as she has no knowledge of the outside world since her imprisonment. It is so comical seeing her always pestering Dae-wung to buy food for her. She is always saying to Dae-wung in the drama, "Buy me some meat! I really really want to eat meat. Buy me a cow, please?" and turns angry when Dae-wung doesn't comply with her complaints and will always end up threatening to eat his liver to get him to listen to her.

Dae-wung, not knowing what to do with the gorgeous "monster", helps her along her journey of soul searching and looking for love and discovers his true feelings for her. At the same time, Miho’s enemies appears causing an unexpected twist in their lives. Do watch the drama online and i'm sure you will also have fun watching it ;>

I also love this song "Fox Rain" from the drama, do listen to the song below :>

(Source: http://www.dramabeans.com )
(Source: http://www.hancinema.net/star-couple-seeks-to-lure-more-fans-with-new-soap-24611.html)
(Source: http://10.asiae.co.kr/Articles/new_view.htm?sec=ent2&a_id=2010081912324542363)
(Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzQ7fM_blGg&feature=player_embedded )
(Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIYgEKLV9eo&feature=player_embedded )
(Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8Bv10slv6I&feature=related)

I love My New Coffee Table From Muji :>

Instant Noodle With Hotdogs For Lunch

"Dong Yi" and "Giant" Fight For The No. 1 Spot On TV Charts

MBC's historical epic "Dong Yi - Jewel in the Crown" and SBS' "Giant" continued their fight to grab the crown for the No. 1 show in the country this week.

Figures from TNmS (Total National Multimedia Statstics) on Wednesday revealed that "Dong Yi," starring Han Hyo-joo and Ji Jin-hee, held onto the title as the most-watched television show in the country for the 19th straight week with ratings of 23.3 percent on August 16 and 24.8 percent the next day.

Coming in at the runner-up position was SBS' drama "Giant" bringing in ratings of 22.8 percent on Monday and 24 percent last night, keeping the race for the top spot for Monday and Tuesday nights tight.

Meanwhile, data from AGB Nielsen Media Research indicated that "Giant," about three siblings who were separated after losing their parents later come together to seek revenge for them, took its second consecutive win with ratings of 22.4 percent on August 16 and 24.9 percent on August 17.

MBC's drama "Dong Yi" maintained its position at No. 2 with viewership ratings of 22.7 percent on Monday and 21.6 percent the following day.

(Source: http://10.asiae.co.kr/Articles/new_view.htm?sec=ent2&a_id=2010081810083489573)

More "Dong Yi" Pictures found online:

(Source: http://www.imbc.com/broad/tv/drama/dongyi/)