Bought an iMac yesterday. It’s hot. Hooray for widescreen HD monitors! Of course, now there’s a ton of empty space on my desk (which was kinda small to begin with). Hopefully designing stuff would be a lot more efficient now. I still love my HP desktop, but every time I loaded Photoshop it would lag like crazy. My brother was complaining about always getting my second-hand computers. Kid, don’t be complaining. You have your own laptop and when you had your first second-hand computer, I was still traveling back and forth to the library at that age. Besides, you didn’t have to pay a cent. :p Anyway, there’s a lot of design work to do. Logotypes, fliers, pamphlets. Fun fun. Gotta abuse the font book later. Unfortunately, I forgot to save all my bookmarks from the other computer so…if you guys have any good design/inspirational sites to recommend, post the links below!
Here are some recent fliers I recently made:
“The Greatness of a Hero” Drama Review
Title: 盛世仁傑 // The Greatness of a Hero
Episodes: 20
Year Released: February 2009
Review:
As far as TVB dramas go, I must say I really liked this one. I didn’t feel it was draggy at all. Okay, maybe a bit during the unnecessary side stories with Ting Yuk (Sunny Chan)’s friend and between the two wives of the prince. But overall, it was done really well. It was amazing how with all the evil schemes Ngai Wong (Wayne Lai) came up with, there was no loophole until the very end when his plots were unraveled. Dik Yun Geet (Kent Cheng) really valued the importance of evidence. True, without it, there will only be more trouble. But as long as you can sway the Empress’s heart…
Anyway, I was really saddened by all the deaths near the end. And they were deaths of some really courageous characters! Bernice and Sunny were so, so adorable together, too. I don’t know much about Leila Tong and Stephen Wong. They looked kind of awkward together (although a very good-looking couple). I really liked the relationship between Yuen Yee (Leila Tong) and the Empress, though. It was like a mother-daughter love. Even Dik Yun Geet and Cho Yuet (Sonjia Kwok) had surprisingly good chemistry.
I thought Ngai Wong would’ve killed his brother/partner-in-crime way in the beginning since it seemed like the latter was a competitor for the Empress’s position. Karma definitely did not work out perfectly in this series. A lot of innocent people were killed or simply screwed over. In a way, it resonates better than a happily-ever-after ending. But…Bernice and Sunny! 
For those who like crime and detective series, this is great. It’s also scandalous and it’s an ancient drama, so that’s more points in my book. Fortunatel, the people who speak the most in this series are pretty good actors so there aren’t too many cringeworthy moments. I must say, though, one of my favorite parts in this series is actually very, very corny, when Ting Yuk becomes the sworn brother of an emperor from another kingdom. Anyway, I highly recommend this drama (but the climax at the end of the series might sound confusing to those of you not too familiar with old Chinese).
The trouble with JYPE and Jaebeom
Despite my best efforts to ignore all the controversy between JYPE, Jay, and Hottests, it feels like it’s finally time to vent after their recent press conference with the fans. For those of you who do not know, it has been announced that Jay will not be returning to 2PM. Ever. No chance. Zilch. Of course, fans who have been led on these past couple of months, anticipating his comeback, are furious, and understandably so. Supposedly Jay personally did something so serious that it does not warrant forgiveness from his company, and the other 6 members have agreed to release him permanently. Details as to what he did back in the summer of the Again&Again promotions have not been disclosed, but many are already spreading rumors about all the possibilities from substance abuse to impregnating some girl.
Well, here is my take on this issue. I’m still curious about what Jay did. It must be worse than a DUI or drug abuse, because celebrities who have done that were eventually forgiven or at the very least tolerated. We can’t blame the other members for feeling betrayed. I think they were just as stressed out about this as all the fans were. And when you think about it, if Jay really did do something so seriously offensive, wouldn’t the members who knew him personally be even more hurt by this?
I was anticipating his return, too, but I think this might be the best course of action if what transpired could really tarnish Jay’s reputation. In a very sad way, it’s kind of like remembering someone after their death (in this case, 2pm’s death). Wouldn’t you rather keep the good memories instead of holding a grudge against them? I’m sure many fans will be forgiving, but think about the damage the truth can do to him when released to the public. First we thought of Jay as some kind of martyr of wronged celebrities in the kpop world. What will we think of him now? Even if the fans are willing to embrace him with open arms, what about others in the industry Jay would have to see on a regular basis? Can he bear the shame of seeing these people if they know what he did?
Instead of demanding the truth to be revealed, maybe it’s best to just remember the joy 2pm (as a septet) brought to their fans instead of having it run the risk of defamation, in which case Jay may never have the chance to return to the industry.
The sea’s a blanket of virgin dreams
Seducing me
With false beliefs.
From afar,
Billowing crests,
Ascending chords
And I’m filled with dread.
Unruly tides
On unknowing shores
– Vile, perverse -
But it asks for more.
Denial is but a brim of tears,
A wayward sailor,
A ship’s remains,
Pining hearts and thinning lungs
Deluged
In a watery grave.
Translation: 年初一，黑色情人节，遭男友暴打——何去何从？
Here is another translation of a popular thread on Tianya, this time concerning a more serious issue on domestic violence. China has a very different take on domestic abuse compared to America. Many times, men would publicly beat women (even if they are pregnant), especially in cases of infidelity. While it is not extremely common in the way that you see it all the time, often it does go unpunished. Even when bystanders witness domestic abuse (doesn’t have to be restricted to the home), they don’t usually intervene. That’s someone else’s business.
I don’t know if you can argue that America has a stronger sense of altruism than the Chinese. Each country has its own perspectives of human rights. In fact, in the case below, passersby actually do somewhat “step in,” but you’ll notice that it’s rather a passive form of intervention (mainly spectating). The comments here show a strong disapproval of the man’s actions. But I wonder, what would they have done if they were to witness it in person? When does it stop being a private matter and start becoming a moral hazard to society? Who will report this abuse if the girl cannot bring herself to do it?
I’m not saying that everyone here is a hypocrite for not reporting the guy. Understandably, a lot of people would not do anything about it since they haven’t seen the whole picture. It does show that although most people will not try to stop the guy from hitting the girl, this is not to say that domestic violence is accepted. But from what I perceive, at least in the eyes of the police, it is not considered as serious a crime as, say, attacking or even insulting a public official.