I Dream About Magic Bees & SISTAR

Yesterday night, I had one of the best dreams I ever had in a while. I don't usually remember my dreams but this one was a biggie. It was one of those dreams that takes everything out of you when you wake up. Because dreams translate better into pictures than in words, I'm going to try to recollect my epic dream in a series of pictures.

In my dream, a magic bee dove down from the heavens to whisk me up into The City Above The Clouds.

The magic bee, whose name was Stinger, told me that there was a gathering of the most beautiful and most talented of all the KPOP artists up in The City Above The Clouds, and that he was bringing me there to witness all the awesomeness for myself. I could only nod because it wasn't every day that you could talk to a magic flying bee the size of a Hummer.

It was at this point of the conversation that I almost blacked out, because I saw the beautiful Hyorin appearing in front of my eyes. Behind her, Bora, Soyou and Dasom winked sexily at me.

And so I got a picture with SISTAR. In my dream, of course.

That's the entirety of my dream, and just as I promised a magic talking bee, I wrote it all down here in my blog.


The whole dream came about because I was thinking too much about the Resorts World Genting KPOP Dream Concert happening on the 23th and 24th of May. Not only does it boast some of the hottest KPOP acts, like G.Na, 4Minute, Brown Eyed Girls and BToB, my personal favorite girl group after Girls Generation, SISTAR, will also be performing. And if I can watch them live, my dream would have come true. Literally.

Find out more about the RWGenting KPOP Dream Concert Live in Malaysia 2013 in this link here: http://www.rwgenting.com/en/entertainment/2013/kpopdreams/index.htm


Since I also promised Stinger that I would mention him, I'm going to have to keep that promise. Stinger is a brand new ride in Genting Theme Park, a hydromatic roller coaster 6,118 feet above sea level.

Yes, it's just as insane as it sounds. Bee very afraid. You can get more info about the Stinger in this link here: http://www.rwgenting.com/en/themepark/rides/outdoor/stinger/index.htm

Fingers crossed for a dream come true.

Cheerios!

The Best Running Man Episodes For...

Every once in a while, I like to rewatch some of the older Running Man episodes just because I particularly loved something in those episodes. We've all been there, whether it was an especially funny moment or brilliant cast interaction, or maybe just Kwang-soo smashing raw eggs on his face. I admit, I'm a sadist because I enjoy watching the poor Prince of Asia getting the worst of his luck.

There are so many gems in Running Man, and it's easy to forget some of these special moments, especially when you have Kwang-soo getting up to more and more unforgettable antics in the newer episodes. The cast members are creating plenty of memorable and hilarious moments for all the fans to enjoy, but one should never forget the past episodes as well.

Of course, Running Man has its own unique forms of comedy, and plenty of notable moments. Here are a few episodes which I felt exemplifies these moments perfectly. These are the BEST episodes to watch if you're looking for:

Monday Couple moments
Ep 144: Children's Day Special

I've already detailed all my favorite Monday Couple moments in the past here and here but episode 144 just blew my mind wide open. Not only did the Monday Couple moments NOT seemed to be forced or contrived, both Ji-hyo and Gary seemed like an actual real life couple.

From the singing, and the darkened tunnels *wink wink nudge nudge* to the Pepero game, and their very natural closeness...I was just smiling all the way through the episode. It may just be the inner shipper speaking but WOW! Are they dating? Like for reals? *fingers crossed*

Lee Kwang-soo moment
Ep. 34: Water Spitting & Ep. 143: Superpower Karaoke (TIE)

I honestly cannot decide between the two of these episodes. Lee Kwang-soo, as the Icon of Betrayal and Bad Luck, has had a lot of hilarious moments throughout 145 episodes. But nothing beats his raw egg fiasco in episode 143 and the bravery (suicidal insanity?) of spitting water into Commander Kim Jong-kook's face. For me, these are the best Kwang-soo gags ever.

Overseas special
Ep. 134: Vietnam Special

Screaming crowds? Check. Packed streets? Check. Kwang-soo hailed as the new Prince of Asia. Check and double check. This episode was fantastic because it proved to everyone that Running Man was indeed a force to be reckoned with in Asia (no surprises there). Coupled with the bustling street views of Hanoi and some pretty crazy missions with the locals, this was one of the best oversea specials Running Man has done.

Member-guest interaction
Ep 96-97: Park Ji-sung

On his first appearance, Captain Park hit the ground Running (geddit?). From the moment he appeared on that raised platform, no one could have imagined that a football player would be so charismatic and funny. His easygoing and casual interaction with the rest of the cast members was almost as though he had been a part of the show for a long time.

There was little to no awkwardness and he fit in like a glove. Why is he not a regular yet?

Pop culture references
Ep. 60: Tru-Gary Show

First off, SPOILERS AHEAD (although if you were reading this post, you should already have watched the episode). So the Tru-Gary Show is based loosely on the Jim Carrey film, The Truman Show. Gary tries to be a spy and trick other members, but everyone else knows it and must continue the facade until the end of shooting. But that's not all the pop culture references you can find in that episode. There's also the ending, which was a brilliant reenactment of the final scenes of The Usual Suspects.

This is the Running Man producers at their pop culture finest.


Nametag ripping
Ep 145: Running Man vs Law of the Jungle

Last week's episode really, really, really gave me chills. Never had I seen such a competitive nametag ripping game in all of Running Man. It was a tight game, with plenty of outs. There wasn't any coalition or betrayals that plagued most of the nametag ripping games in the past. It was just an all out fight to be the best. The Law of the Jungle team were probably unaware (or forgot) that they had to try to make it funny for the audience, but the end result was one of the most thrilling nametag ripping games in the history of Running Man. Edge of the seat stuff.

Themed Race
Ep. 130: Back to 1938

There was everything in this episode: time travel, reincarnation, betrayals, great 1 on 1 battels, Monday Couple moments, a brilliant puzzle, Suk-jin ripping off Jong-kook's nametag...you name it. It's one of the best themed episodes that the Running Man producers have ever come up with, and stands perfectly against the previous two Running Man Survivor Series.

And if an episode is good when compared to the fantastic Superpower episode, you know that it's definitely worth watching.

Emotional moment
Ep. 41: Joong-ki Leaves

Episode 41 was an emotional roller coaster for many Running Man fans. After all the laughs and watching HaHa's house being ransacked, the news broke that it was to be Flower Boy Song Joong-ki's final episode as a Running Man member. His tears, prompting a similar response from his best 'same aged friend' Kwang-soo, led to many, many tear-stained faces.

To date, this is Running Man's most poignant and emotionally driven 5 minutes ever. Now, where's my tissue box?

Commander Gary Appearance
Ep. 28: vs. Kim Byung-man

Since the beginning, Gary has always been known as Peaceful Gary, a nicknamed derived from his laidback attitude. But when the going gets tough, Gary gets going. He's the dark horse of the members, and while he may seem plenty weak during the earlier episodes, he's getting stronger and stronger by the day, giving him a new nickname "Sudden Commander Gary". The first, and most likely the best, example of Commander Gary's appearance is the One Chance against Kim Byung-man. His all-kill, hitting all the cherry tomatoes with nunchucks, floored even the Master himself. Gary's true colors as a Commander has shone bright and true until now.

Superpowers
Ep 96: Superpower Football

I love football and I love Running Man when they played superpower football. Flying HaHa, Gary holding a bag of balls and IU's Uncle Fan power was among the things I laughed the hardest at. Definitely worth watching just to see how well the Running Man members used their superpowers against Park Ji-sung.

Which are your best Running Man episodes for any of the above mentioned moments? We all have our differences, I'm sure. Leave a comment below!

Cheerios!

Heineken's Electrifying Green Room Experience

This is a Nuffnang sponsored post. Yay!
I remember 2 years back when I went to my first ever Heineken Green Room and brought my dad along. Yes, he is cool like that. But I particularly remember my first Green Room experience because I was still very much a kid back then and my dad was making fun of my relative lack of both the vigor to enjoy the music and my extremely low alcohol tolerance. 

This was 2 years back. So I'm determined to prove to my dad that for this year's Heineken Green Room, I'm not going to be all kiddy. I'm going to enjoy myself to the max. I guess it's been made easier because of the lineup for this year's edition.

Held at KL Live on the 15th of June, Heineken is determined to blow your mind with their lineup for Green Room. Bringing you some of the latest leading edge music and visual arts, and headlined by acts such as The Drums...

...and Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs (TEED)...

and other amazing performances from local acts like Twilight Actiongirl, The Deer Society & Darren Ashley, you can be sure that this year's Green Room will be electrifying. 

 Darren Ashley.

 Twilight Action Girl.

Deer Society.

Add in a bottle or two (or three) of ice cold Heineken and you've got the formula for a perfect night out.

Don't believe me? Check out this Spotify playlist of what you can expect. Listen to it, come back and thank me. You're welcome in advance.

Excited to catch all the acts live at Heineken Green Room? You can get your tickets at presale at only RM88 at all Rock Corner outlets in Malaysia from 10 May – 14 June 2013, or you can also log on to  www.myticket.my from 10 May – 7 June 2013 to get your passes to this awesome musical mashup.

If you're reading this from your iPhone on the 15th of June, NO WORRIES! You can still go for the Green Room experience. Tickets are sold at the door for RM108 from 5pm onwards. Yes, it's slightly more expensive but hey, you're also late. So...yeah.

Should you need more information on this year's Heineken Green Room, feel free to check out their Facebook event page here: https://www.facebook.com/events/142274965959221/?context=create. You can also follow all the awesomeness of Heineken at either their Facebook page (www.facebook.com/Heineken), website (www.heineken.com/my) or Twitter (@Heineken_MY).

Do note that the Heineken Green Room is only open to those who are 18 years old and above. If you're underage, too bad. *grins*

Cheerios!

ONE Asia MMA Summit 2013: The Recap

2 weeks ago, I wrote a fairly hurried post before I was whisked away on a whirlwind trip. For those of you who don't know, I was invited down to the land of the Merlion to attend the ONE Asia MMA Summit 2013. Held in the prestigious Marina Bay Sands, the 3 day event was a gathering of some of the biggest names in the MMA world. I hadn't been down to Singapore in a while, and to be able take a short break in the middle of a busy semester seemed to be the perfect decision. Sure I came back to a lot of pending work (which explains why this post is 2 weeks late), but the trip was worth it. I regret nothing.

When I got the invitation to attend the ONE Asia MMA Summit, I was pretty surprised. If you scroll through my blog, you'll quickly realize that I have never, ever mentioned MMA (or mixed martial arts) anywhere at all. But I quickly realized that The Summit was a gathering for the 'game changers'; or the partners, sponsors, media companies associated with the ONE FC network. The fantastic thing about this Summit was the many media-related keynote speeches from representatives of Youtube, TuneTalk and special guests like Rich Franklin and Robert and Phoebe Lee, siblings of the legendary Bruce Lee among others.

Victor Cui, CEO of ONE Fighting Championship

Yeah, it is a pretty big deal. And I'm glad I got to be a part of it.

And with me being fairly new to the MMA world (ie: thinking an arm bar was literally a guy using his arm as a bar), The Summit provided me an opportunity to get to know more about the sport, and to be able to listen to keynotes speeches and panels from speakers from The New York Times, Youtube/Google, FOX International, Proto Malaysia and many more. I found the Summit very interesting because of all these speakers were in some ways related to what I am currently studying in university. So, classes skipped = no problem.

 John Vamvakatis, Head of Sport at Youtube, delivering his keynote address.

Mark Cooke, MD of Proto Malaysia and Datuk Razlan Razali, CEO of Sepang International Circuit as panel speakers. Moderated by the awesome Steve Dawson.

One of the more interesting speeches was from Rich Franklin, who bore an uncanny resemblance to actor Jim Carrey. He is a real life example of the Kevin James vehicle, Here Comes The Boom, as he began his career as a teacher before switching over to being a UFC fighter. His life story was one which really had elements of a Hollywood film, from a teacher to being a UFC champion, and his striking (no pun intended) similarity to Jim Carrey was an added plus point to an incredible story.

Rich Franklin regaling us with his life story of how he became an MMA fighter.

Doesn't he look remarkably like Jim Carrey though? Almost 100% similar. 

Of course, the highlight of the Summit (for me at least) was the appearance of Bruce Lee's siblings, Robert and Phoebe.

Robert Lee delivering his keynote.

If you have watched the film Bruce Lee, My Brother, starring Aarif Rahman as the titular character, you'll also know a bit more about his siblings. It was fantastic to be able to see them in real life, knowing that they spent their childhood with one of the greatest martial artists who ever lived. Their keynote address detailed the life of Bruce Lee when he was young, not the rib cracking, lithe fight machine that he is in films. I especially enjoyed Phoebe Lee's recounting of her brother's antics; remembering it fondly and regaling us with story after story of the legend, despite her limited grasp of English.

And what is a Summit without some friends? Fellow bloggers, Choulyin, Henry "CleverMunkey", Tony, Iris, Ben, Hui Min, Elwyn, Joanna, Marilyn and Evelyn + her hubby made this a more awesome trip than it already was.

Getting lost in Singapore was a really good experience, and who knew that their 7-Elevens there sold microwaveable chicken rice? Yes, it was one of the many jakun moments I had while in Singapore.

WALAO LOOK AT THE MARINA BAY SANDS WALAO SO NICE!

If you're all the way down here but haven't read a single word above, well, here's a sum-up video of the entire Singapore trip that Joanna (www.josarine.com) shot and compiled.



A big, big thank you to ONE FC for hosting us at the Summit. I learned a lot from the speakers and had a fantastic time overall. Another ONE Asia MMA Summit post will be up soon, with more focus on Robert and Phoebe Lee's speeches. So, look out for that soon.

You can also find more pictures on the blog's Facebook page: http://facebook.com/sarcasmpuhleeze.

Cheerios!