The Housemaid

Starring Lee Jung-jae and Jeon Do-yeon. United State release: May 2010

Clones Vol. 20: John Legend & Joseph Gordon-Levitt

These two might not be exact clones, but they look like versions of each other to me. This comes down to the fact that John Legend and Joseph Gordon-Levitt share similarly shaped jaw lines and eyes. Plus the musician (who's recording with the Roots) and actor (head of his own online production company) both have undeniable baby faces.

Heaven is a place on Earth?

My idea of heaven is lounging poolside at my midcentury modern home, pet goats moseying on the hillside, while my Korean language tutor (who looks a lot like Daniel Henney) converses with me as he gathers leaves from the pool. Did I mention my language tutor is also my pool boy? At least part of my dream could be a reality for a cool $4,450,000. A renovated 1956 Richard Nuetra-designed home is currently for sale in Pacific Palisades, California. This house features four bedrooms, 2.5 baths, and over 3000 square feet...and a pool.

Besides amazing ocean views, the house includes walls of built-ins, three parking spaces, a fridge (which should have an ice maker that freezes ice cubes of gold for $4 million), and a washer. There's no dryer, apparently. The house sits in a gated community, which I find to be kind of a bummer. Curse you, rich people, for hogging all the best views!

Check out the listing for this lovely midcentury abode over at Take Sunset.

Jabba ♥'s boba

The Daily Pincushion

Ajumma's local curio Swag now sells handmade, felt pincushions by TheDaily Pincushion ! I bought this cushion as a housewarming gift to my sister-in-law who has mad skills with a needle and thread.

I'm tempted to collect them all. They remind me of Korean jewelry boxes.

The Daily Pincushion has a wonderful shop on Etsy that sells a variety of vivid patterns and colors.

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.

"Confession" trailer

Japanese movie alert! Confessions, based on a best-selling novel, is a revenge tragedy that tells the story of a junior high school teacher who plots revenge on her students after they murder her young daughter. Confessions is Japan's submission for this year's foreign film Oscar race.

Someone give Louisa Lim a thesaurus

With all the words in the English language, NPR's Louisa Lim had to go there. This morning while describing the western media's unprecedented access to North Korea's massive, elaborate celebrations unveiling Kim Jong-il's successor, Lim proclaimed,"Suddenly it seemed as if the Hermit Kingdom may have opened up a chink." My eyes widened. No she DIDN'T! Possibly more awkward is how the airwaves became silent the second after she said it, like her producer fell off his chair.

Listen to her story and her unfortunate, albeit not inaccurate, use of chink here.

Go baby, get that money!

Our goddaughter turned one-year old, this month. Happy birthday, Olivia chan!

She celebrated with her family members in Japan, where they followed the tradition of having the birthday girl step onto giant rice cakes. Another tradition is to strap a few pounds of mochi onto a one-year old's back and watch her walk around. I tell you, the Japanese know how to party.

The family presented Olivia with several items and waited for her to choose one. The object the birthday girl chooses is said to predict the career path she will follow. Like a smart child, Olivia chose the calculator. It's a good thing I wasn't there, because I would have been screaming to choose the money.

Grill 'Em All kills it

Grill 'Em All smacked up, flipped, and rubbed down the seemingly invincible Nom Nom team on the Great Food Truck Race, last night, winning the $50,000 grand prize. I personally cheered on the Nommers (as Grill Em All referred to them) until they passed up their Truck Stop challenge in Santa Fe and had a professional butcher slice their quarter cow in Fort Worth. The other teams (most of them equally clueless and armed only with tiny knives) butchered their meat themselves.

I'll say this, team Nom Nom is hard working and very cute. Plus every very episode left me wanting a banh mi sandwich.

Ajumma felt sad to see Spencer on the Go, the French truck team, eliminated in the finals. Considering they peddled snails and frog legs to the average joe on the street, they lasted a surprisingly long time. This might be due to their restauranteur savy and French accents. I enjoyed watching their silent member, Jesse, start a fire in seconds with his boy scout training, during the chuck wagon challenge.

Final note: Unlike Justin Willman of Cupcake Wars, chef Tyler Florence of the Great Food Truck Race makes a more dignified and non-obtrusive TV host.