Hooray for Tukrong Klengdong!

My husband and I have enjoyed the same TV show only twice in our ten year marriage.

1) Spartacus: Blood and Sand- Season one of the sex-filled cable series about gladiators earned two swords up from me in 2011.

 

2) Sasuke- This Japanese TV show features athletes taking on ridiculously challenging physical obstacle courses requiring strength, agility, balance, and strategy.

Now we watch another show together; American Ninja Warrior!  On American Ninja Warrior, Americans maneuver through a series of Sasuke obstacles trying to qualify to compete in Las Vegas. If they are victorious in Vegas, the next stop is Yokohama.  In the U.S., rock climbers, free-runners and gymnasts seem to be most successful at clearing the stages.  In Japan, fisherman like Nagano Makoto take the cake.

The other night on American Ninja Warrior we watched Tukrong "TK" Klengdong persevere at Miami's finals.  We cheered TK with gusto because he's Asian American, he's our height at 5'4", he smacked his nose but he kept on going, and he hugged Jenn Brown during his post-course interview.  Plus his trainer cried with emotion, which was sweet.  I hope TK continues to kick ass all the way to Midoriyama in Japan.

American Ninja Warrior airs on NBC on Monday nights at 8 pm.

Why mess with awesomeness?

File this post under "Handsome Men Who Looked Awesome Before Their Plastic Surgery, and Probably Didn't Need to Go Under the Knife in the First Place."

1) Japanese SMAP member (and prolific drama star) Takuya Kimura (39) was the epitome of cute before his double eyelid procedure and nose job.  This old school photo of Kimura 君 warms my heart!

2)  Red Cliff, House of Flying Daggers, and 神様、もう少しだけ actor Takeshi Kaneshiro (39) has had surgery on his eyelids. Maybe if the Taiwanese-Japanese star were coming onto the scene today instead of the 1990s he'd keep his original eyelids like Korean thespian Yoo Ah In.

Photos via Freewebs and Hey-Ai

Claire Danes has a new nose, a busy job, and a loft for sale

My girlfriend swears she saw actress Claire Danes while hiking in Itasca State Park a few summers ago.  She claims Danes passed by and asked her for the time.  Because my friend had no proof of their encounter everyone likes to give her a hard time about her story.

I wonder if she saw Claire with her original, distinctive nose or Claire with her new, narrower nose, which veers into Jennifer Grey territory.  Claire's new look is pleasing to the eye, but it makes her seem like a generic blonde.  Before her plastic surgery overhaul she had a look that was hers alone. These days Danes is on the cover of Harper's Bazaar in Russia, is selling her New York loft for $6 million, and stars as a CIA officer in the critically acclaimed cable series Homeland.

Photos via About.com, Go4Celebrity, Daily Makeover, Movies Pad

Evolution of a Thai heartthrob

Charlie Trairat ชาลี ไตรรัตน์ is known to horror fans as the young loner in a haunted boarding school in the Thai flick Dorm (2006). Foreign film buffs may also recognize him from his breakout role in the 2003 Thai comedy Fan Chan. Much like Korean actor Yoo Seung-ho, Trairat (age 19) successfully made the big leap from wide-eyed youngster to teen heartthrob in his country.

Charlie skillfully and convincingly carried an entire film on his thirteen year-old shoulders in 2006.

Following Fan Chan and Dorm, Charlie morphed into a regular teen with shaggy hair (who looked like pro skater Sean Malto).

In 2009, Trairat starred in Five Junctions (aka Phobia 2) and channeled a bit of Edison Chen's style. But let's face it; Charlie looked cuter and less sleazy.  Around this time Ajumma noticed he sported a more defined nose.

In the words of RuPaul, you better work! Trairat occasionally models high end fashions.

Charlie, you've come a long way, baby.  Kudos to your ever changing look and style.  Love your ladybug shirt, your new nose, and your full eyebrows.  Here's to your new role as a heartthrob.  May it be well-deserved and long lasting.

Photos via iheartlakorns, listal, Soompi, Tumblr, AsianFuse, Pinoy Exchange, MyDramaList

Asian women in short hair

Rie Miyazawa via Plain Face Angel

Via haircutshairstyles.com

Park Shin Hye via Park Shin Hye

Moon Geun Young via Shen Yue Pop

Ha Ji Won via Passion for Korean Wave

Wong Faye via Perfect People

Kang Hye-Jeong (with her original nose, hooray) via Korea Portal

Short hair!  Love it.  Done it.  Unfortunately I don't have feminine eyes or a lovely face shape to pull it off.  I look like a boy with short hair--a homely boy.  But I still admire the freedom and freshness that comes with a short cut.

Yoo Ah In: Still cute, just different

Who was the handsome bow-tied lad on the red carpet at the 2011 Busan International Film Festival? It's none other than actor Yoo Ah In, though it's hard to tell because his face is slowly transforming. Gone are his youthful cheeks and distinctive nose.

Yoo used to remind me of Nonstop star Kim Young Joon, these days he's more like suave Rick Yune. Thank goodness the twenty-six year old Yoo has kept his original eyeslids, big ears and lips. He's a good looking guy and still looks Korean, but I prefer Yoo's old face. As I've said this a million times, big noses give people character.

Photos via f*ck yeah! Yoo Ah In

New nose for Jamie Chung

Jamie Chung may not currently reside on Hollywood's A-List, but she's at the top of the Hardest Working Actresses list. Girlfriend's everywhere; Hangover 2, Sucker Punch, Sorority Row. She doesn't seem to be picky in her roles, which to me translates as not taking herself too seriously. Aja! I've noticed Jamie now appears slightly different than during her MTV Real World San Diego days. It turns out she's had plastic surgery on her nose. The bridge has been raised and her tip narrowed. That's impressive work by her surgeon. Jamie still looks Asian, though less Korean. That part makes me a little sad. Anyway, go on Jamie with your new nose! Give those blonde actresses a run for their money.

Moon Geun Young's plastic surgery

Korea's "little sister" Moon Geun Young is sporting a new nose and homegirl ain't playing!  I used to wonder how the actress would transition into adult roles with her bulbous nose and prominent ears.  These traits give her unique character, but aren't common among Korea's femme fetales. 

Moon Geun Young's tip and nostrils have been remarkably reduced and reshaped but still look natural and fit the proportions of her face.  Moon Geun Young's surgeon did a nice job. If there's a sad part, it's that she no longer looks like the girl in Tale of Two Sisters or Autumn in my Heart. 

Basic House pics from allkpop

Embrace Daewon's round face

Let me pat the back of whoever decided to give pro skateboarder Daewon Song his own Tech Deck doll.  It's not everyday that you see a Korean American doll on store shelves.  Designers got Daewon's cap and nose right, but they missed the mark on his distinctive round face.  Plus the doll's eyes are too big.  There, I said it. 

Daewon's doll looks more like Daniel Henney to me.

Winona's nose over three decades

Jennifer Grey must ask herself how Winona Ryder could shave so much off her nose and still remain so recognizable.

Song Hye-Gyo's plastic surgery

Her new look, above. Her original look, below.

Song Hye-Gyo, one of Korea's prettiest actresses, is headed down the road of no return. The twenty-nine year-old television and movie star, famous for her high cheekbones, delicate features, and oval face, looks subtley different in her Fall 2010 photo campaign for clothing company Roem. I'd guess that Hye-Gyo's surgeon injected fat into her cheeks for a more youthful appearance and botox into her forehead and around her mouth. I sense that the tip of her nose is slightly plumped, too. Of course Song Hye-Gyo's still beautiful, but I hope she stops now while she's ahead. It's probably tough going with so many young, attractive actresses waiting in the wings.  See Song Hye-Gyo and her new face in Roem's Fall 2010 photoshoot, here.

Chen and Gaga

Channel NewsAsia reports Hong Kong actor Edison Chen recently met up with Lady Gaga to discuss a collaboration within the Asian market. Chen and Gaga have apparently known each other for years and regard one another as a creative force. Chen is best known for his Hong Kong movie roles, streetwear clothing line, and 2008 photo sex scandal which led to his self imposed exile to Canada. Lady Gaga is most recognized for her catchy dance songs, big nose, and awkward fashions. I must admit the two make a striking duo.

Let's talk about Leonardo

Pointless observation: Leonardo DiCaprio has had a nose job, if not two. For years I though his face looked different from his This Boy's Life days, but couldn't quite place what was different. I personally liked his old nose better. It gave him character, balance, and voluputous-ness.

Back in the day, before the guarded interviews and lingerie model girlfriends, DiCaprio made the perfect Holden Caufield.

More plastic surgery spotting at Ajumma's Pad

No love for big noses: Jun Ji-Hyun and Zhang Ziyi

I can't get used to Korean actress Ji-Hyun Jun's new nose. Before her plastic surgery in 2008, Ji-Hyun's face had lovely proportion and a softness to it. Her new nose is too small for her face and makes her borderline unrecognizable. Perhaps Ji-Hyun's trying to move away from sassy, girl-next-door roles into vampier ones.

Zhang Ziyi is another Asian actress with a major nose job. While Zhang's new nose is proportional, her voluptuous, earthy appeal was thrown out the window when she went under the surgeon's knife.

Vacation time: Let's read!

I confess that the eye-popping cover is what drew me to 1001 Cranes by Naomi Hirahara. Standing in a Little Tokyo bookstore, I halted for a quick second when I realized 1001 Cranes is teen fiction. I generally dislike teen fiction. Even as a teenager, I felt like authors talked down to readers with flat stories and overly simplistic characters. But as I skimmed 1001 Cranes, I saw that Angie, the story's protagonist, isn't always nice, her parents aren't perfect, and her boyfriend-to-be is a cigarette-smoking skateboarder.

I duck by head towards his arm. His skin is nice and tan, like a perfectly roasted marshmallow. I gingerly take the bottom of his sleeve and lightly brush the tip of my nose with it. His sleeve smells like burnt leaves and sweat. I like the scent.

"Thanks," I say, and I mean it. Not just anyone would let a perfect stranger wipe her nose on his clothes. "Now what am I going to do?"

He gets up and offers his hand to me. He helps me stand and says, "I'm Tony, by the way."

Ajumma (who hates Bella, Edward and everything about Twilight) hopes Hirahara pens a sequal to 1001 Cranes.

Iris Chang, author of The Rape of Nanking, was a brilliant journalist who ended her own life in 2004. Chang's friend and fellow writer, Paula Kamen, examines the Chinese American author's personality and ambitions while delving into the question of why Chang (who previously did not suffer from severe depression) killed herself.

My sassy girl gets a nose job

Korean actress Jun Ji-Hyun, star of blockbuster the film My Sassy Girl, has gone borderline Jennifer Grey with recent plastic surgery. An unintentional side effect of Jun's nose job featuring a narrower bridge and tip is that her round face now looks wider. Whoops! Hate when that happens. Jun Ji-Hyun's first American film Blood: The Last Vampire is due in theaters in the fall.

Meet Jeero

Jeero wants to hang out with you. Why? He needs you. Jeero thinks life is so complicated, so he needs you to comfort him. Wage and Babo ask him so many questions, and he isn't sure what makes them think he has any of the answers. Maybe they think his red nose means he's Jeero the wise. Well he's not! What time is it? Jeero has no idea. How do you get from here to there? Don't ask…Jeero doesn't know! Jeero just wants to sit on the couch with you and eat some snacks. Is that too much to ask? Jeero doesn't know, but he does know that you know it’s time for you to cancel your plans and hang out with the Uglydolls.

Ajumma once had a friend named Jeero. Jeero didn't think life was all that complicated as long as he could snag as many free lunches from work as possible and the tape on his glasses held his lenses together. What time is it? Jeero could tell you-literally and methaphorically. And if he didn't know, he'd brush you off in the bluntest form of Japanese possible. How do you get from here to there? Take his friend's car, which Jeero continually parked in tow-away zones to the point that cops put a warrant out for his friend's arrest. What do you mean the car is gone? Whoops! Just hop on the back of his 10-speed, cancel all your plans, and hang out for the rest of the day with Jeero .

T-shirts of the week!

Ajumma has a love-hate relationship with vintage t-shirts and
t-shirts with witty sayings on them. Here are some funny ones that might make you snort through your nose:

I need a t-shirt that says, "Stick shift drivers make better lovers."

It's amazing what a nose job can do...

Patrick Dempsey is living out a real-life fairy tale! The star of the #1 box office movie "Enchanted" and TV series "Grey's Anatomy" has officially made the transition from ugly duckling to Prince Charming. You'll remember Dempsey as nerdy, yet spunky Ronald in the 1987 flick, "Can't Buy Me Love," in which he paid the school's head cheerleader to act as his girlfriend in hopes of breaking into the popular crowd. Dempsey was funny and heartbreaking as Ronald, but was a hard sell as a leading man. His career fizzled after the movie's release when 21 year old Patrick married his agent, who was 26 years his senior.

Flash forward 20 years to Dempsey stepping out with a new nose and a new wife, and you've got a leading role in "Grey's Anatomy" and People Magazine as the #2 Sexiest Man Alive. (For the record, I miss his old nose. It gave him character, which is apparently is a deficit in Hollywood.) Not a day must go by when Dempsey doesn't pinch himself to make sure he's not dreaming.