If there is one thing I dislike about a handful of Filipino soaps, it is that everything must end like the fairytales we read as kids: happily ever after. Memories of Bali is one of those K-dramas that really made an impact on me, basically because it was frank, dark and sometimes cruel.

As with most love stories, the characters get tangled up in a complicated web of relationships. In the beginning of the drama (set in Bali, Indonesia), Erika Lee (played by Ha Ji Won) is a tourist guide who chances upon couple Ryan Kang (played by So Ji Sup) and Nina Choi (played by Park Ye Jin), and rich guy Paolo Jung (played by Jo In Sung). Ryan and Nina's relationship were shaky at that point, because Nina's family wouldn't want a "common" person like Ryan to marry her, much less have a relationship with her.

One thing led to another, and the clueless foursome become involved in each others' lives even when they return to Seoul, Korea. Erika and Ryan become neighbors, Erika borrows money from Paolo when she gets swindled by a certain Mr. Cho, and Nina and Paolo become an item as their parents arrange their marriage.

I wasn't really able to tune in to Memories of Bali's first few episodes, so they are kind of a blur to me. My interest in the series came in when I saw the episode where Erika got employed in Paolo's company, and she invites Paolo to dinner as her way of saying thanks. As soon as Erika got a hold of the restaurant's menu, the expensive dishes killed her appetite. And while Paolo ordered a lot of food, Erika chose to order clam chowder.

Paolo was surprised at Erika's choice of food, but she said it was all she wanted to eat. But as soon as Paolo mentioned that dinner was on him, Erika called the waiter back and ordered some more food.

It was really funny, the way that scene was constructed. It was simple, but it made me laugh. Ever since then, I tried not to miss a single episode of Memories of Bali, and I even looked for its synopsis on the internet.

Two or three weeks before the finale aired over ABS-CBN, I had read the full synopsis of the drama. My initial reaction: I was floored. I don't know exactly why, but there is something in tragic endings that hit me and stay with me forever. My mom, who was as hooked into the show as I am, reacted violently when I told her the drama was going to end tragically. She said she didn't want to watch it anymore (but she did, by the way) since she already know how it will end.

For me, it wasn't the ending that mattered but how it was going to be executed on screen. I wanted to feel the tragedy of it all, and I wasn't a bit disappointed when I finally got to see how it ended. Yes, in the clutches of insane jealousy and passion, Paolo was able to pull the trigger and render Ryan and Erika's last breaths as they share the same bed in a beautiful hotel back in Bali. However, if he had come minutes earlier, he would've heard Erika's confession of her deepest, truest love which she awarded to Paolo, even if she tried to supress it.

Paolo must've lost his mind when Erika told him she loved him before she breathed her last, and in his desperation, he limply walked to the beach and ended his life as the sun set in the horizon. (This shot was magnificently set, in my opinion. Lovely!)

Again, as I saw those two consecutive scenes, my skin broke into goosebumps. I was floored yet again, and immediately I noted that Memories of Bali is my second favorite K-drama next to Sweet 18. I loved the cinematography of the "death scene" when the camera which was focused on Ryan and Erika (lying in bed) slowly tracked to the right and revealed that there was another person in the room, standing over them, holding a gun. I'm sure those K-drama addicts loved that shot too. It honestly made me scream.

But of course, aside from the cinematography, another factor that led to this drama's success is the superb acting of the whole cast, which also stemmed from the brilliant script.

Jo In Sung's portrayal of a rich, somewhat rude but controlled company heir was a sight to behold. He was appaling one minute and lovable in the next, and his intensity as an actor really shone through. I loved it when he cried for Erika but would suppress it the best way he can because he didn't want anyone to hear, especially his father. I loved it when he told Erika (a bit too late) that he was going to fight against his family for her. And I loved it when he cried, holding Erika's lifeless hand. In Sung oppa really fit the bill. He deserved that Best Actor award he got from Baek Sang.

I've already seen Ha Ji Won in two different roles in the KR movies Love so Divine and 100 Days with Mr. Arrogant, and it is safe to say that her role in Memories of Bali was really a big leap. What I liked about her character as Erika was that she was genuinely confused with her feelings for Paolo and Ryan, which was in turn, confusing for a viewer like me. If she hadn't expressed her feelings clearly at the end of the drama, you wouldn't really know whom she picked. And in that way, I found her effective.

When Memories of Bali was just beginning, we at home tended to give So Ji Sup a nickname: Garfield. It was because his eyelids were always drooping, and he looked sleepy all the time. I would always laugh at his character because he would say his lines with a poker face, and I was thinking, "When would he ever smile in this drama?" However, his lack of facial expression proved instrumental to this drama, because, as it was with Ha Ji Won's character, he misled the viewers to his character's true intentions. He preserved the mystery of his character so well that until the very end you would wonder if he really had schemed everything.

All in all, I loved Memories of Bali because it was honest and real, and because it shows us that love, no matter what kind it is, can really motivate people of any age, class and social standing to do even the insane and the unthinkable.

GOODIE: Here's a Memories of Bali wallie from SBS Korea website. I love this picture... and I want you Memories of Bali fans to have it too, if you don't have it yet! :) (Just click the image to download. Thankies!)

jolographed by @12:51 AM

On another quest

jolographed by @11:34 PM

* Tuesday, June 07, 2005 *

Madagas-Crazy!!!

I went to watch Dreamworks' latest animated movie, Madagascar a few hours earlier with my little sister Jill, and boy did we LOVE it! (Oo nga pala, as a sidenote: Maganda ang mga sinehan sa Market, Market. Really clean, and relatively cheap at Php75.00-90.00) Really, the only expectations I had when I went into the moviehouse was to laugh and get entertained, and the film did not fail to meet those expectations.

Madagascar tells the story of four zoo animals, born and bred in captivity, who one day find themselves in the wild and discover how it is to live in their natural habitat. On his tenth birthday, Marty (the zebra, voiced by Chris Rock) wished to be able to go to the wild, but his friends Alex (the lion, voiced by Ben Stiller), Gloria (the hippopotamus, voiced by Jada Pinkett-Smith) and Melman (the giraffe, voiced by David Schwimmer) are horrified by this idea and try to make him wish otherwise.

One thing led to another, and soon, they found themselves in Madagascar, where they are welcomed by cute little party-loving lemurs whose king refer to them as the New York Giants (watch the movie to find out why). The four friends go through their share of mishaps and misunderstandings, but eventually, they realize that wherever they may be, the most important thing would always be their friendship.

I was laughing all throughout the movie. Call me mababaw, but that's just how I am. Special mention to the scenes where the psychotic penguins appear ("Cute and cuddly, boys! Cute and cuddly!"), and also the disco partying lemurs scene ("I like to move it, move it! I like to MOVE IT!").

My most favorite sequence though was the "What a Wonderful World" sequence, where Alex the Lion isolates himself from his friends for fear that he will hurt them with his natural instincts, while Marty, Gloria and Melman trek Madagascar alone and discover the cruel truth of nature: some get to eat, while some get eaten. It was funny, yet quite heartbreaking because it is the first time that their blinders have been removed from their eyes and they were shocked at the revelation of the world beyond what they grew up in.

I highly recommend this movie to anyone who wants a good laugh, and to those who LOVE animals and nature. Dreamworks really did a great job on this one!!!

Jolographic Rating (out of five): Five big Holy Kettle Corn (the best-tasting popcorn ever!) bags

jolographed by @12:40 AM

* Sunday, June 05, 2005 *

Hay...

Grabe. Enjoy ang show ni Mike last Thursday night! Kahit ngarag at nanginginig pa ang mga tuhod at kalamnan ko kagabi before, during and after the show, masaya ako dahil nairaos namin ang show at mukhang nasiyahan naman ang lahat ng dumalo.

I really loved it when the people joined in singing some of the songs Mike sang. Feeling ko hindi lang basta show ang naganap kundi isang full-fledged concert! Kaya congratulations din siyempre kay Mike for a job well done! Next time, Araneta na ito! Yeyz! Hahaha!

Sa lahat ng nanood ng show ni Mike sa The Library last Thursday night, I would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart... para sa inyong suporta at pagmamahal kay Mike... super thanks! Na-touch ako kagabi sa dami ng taong dumating. Nakakatuwa kayong lahat! Thank you! God bless your hearts! :)

Pinahiram na naman ako ni Mitzi ng isang set ng "epektus" (tawag namin sa mga Korean/Chinese and what-have-you VCDs and CD) nung Thursday kaya naman mega Lovers in Paris sound tripping ako ngayon. I really love Neo Hana Man (Track 3) and Romantic Love (Track 5), plus y ung instrumental ng Neo Hana Man (Track 16)... nakakabasag ng puso. HAYLABIT!!!

Thanks to Mitzi para sa epektus! Iba ka, mare!

FINALLY!!!

I finally saw my Baby John kanina sa ABS when I visited the Goin' Bulilit taping! Well, I didn't get to talk to him kasi sobrang nadyahe ako, pero it was so nice to finally see him in person. Awww... how cute my Baby. Hehehe. Talagang kinarir ang pagiging "ina."

Sana next time makabigay ako sa inyo ng ebidensiya na talagang nakita ko siya. Baka hindi kayo maniwala eh. Haaayyy... basta. BASTA!!! Ang saya kasi nakita ko na siya in person, and he looks like a very nice kid. Hindi ko lang alam kung inaantok siya kanina or pagod kasi he seems quiet, just observing the people around him. Pero basta... okay na talaga sa akin na nakita ko siya.

Let me borrow a song from the Meteor Garden 2 soundtrack to convey my feelings. *Happy! Shalala... it's so nice to be happy! Shalala!*

I just updated my fan fic with Chapter Two!!! Please visit My Cloudy Eyed Girl! Thankies!

jolographed by @1:07 AM

* Wednesday, June 01, 2005 *

An invitation...

Hey guys! I just finished writing my first Lee Dong Gun fan fiction, and I want to share it with my fellow Lee Dong Gun lovers! The fan fic is entitled "My Cloudy Eyed Girl" and has 29 chapters. I will be posting the chapters in installments, and the first chapter is already up!



Go to the My Cloudy Eyed Girl blogsite and read the first chapter! Enjoy!!!

*Sigh* I'm writing again! Thank God!

jolographed by @12:45 PM