Review of "Monet Inside" by Claude Monet (Exhibition)

While I wouldn't say I am a fan of Claude Monet or very familiar with his works, I was tempted to check out "Monet Inside" as it is positioned as an "immersive experience" to know more about the artist and his creations. This seemed to suggest that the exhibition will be somewhat different from the usual exhibition style of just walking through gallery halls filled with the works. 

Besides, it was held at Parkview Square - a very artistic-looking building with its huge Dali sculptures in the compound and an Instagram-worthy Atlas Bar on the first floor so this would be a great opportunity to check out the building for the first time. That itself could be considered as another exhibition of its own.

For those who are contemplating to visit this exhibition, do take advantage of the 50% off offer which will be valid till 18 October. You can get an adult ticket for as low as $12.50 if you are a local.

What was good

Indeed, being able to see Monet's works "come to life" through the 360 degrees large screen and the floor in the main room was a very different experience compared to seeing the paintings on a gallery wall. Through the 35-min long video which was divided into 5 sections about the key phases in Monet's life, you get an in-depth and somewhat personal peek into his life through the narration of his longtime friend. I also liked the music that accompanied the showcase of Monet's paintings as it accentuated the presentation as a whole.

The other "wow" factor was the merchandise section. Honestly speaking, most of the merchandise sections I had come across at various exhibitions either had an underwhelming range of products or they were simply too overpriced that I couldn't fathom spending that kind of money. However, despite my lack of anticipation for this section at first, there was a dizzying range of items on sale here - ranging from the usual stuff like postcards, replicas of the paintings, the exhibition catalogue and notebooks to the less common things like fabric perfume, handheld mirrors, scarfs, dolls, postal stamps, jewellery, iPhone cases, mobile phone accessories and beach towels. 

While it was tempting to buy more than needed, I settled for buying some clear photo cards of two paintings I like which were actually the right size to use as bookmarks.  I felt that most of the items were quite reasonably priced. I would have wanted to get the notebook if not for the fact that the paper was a tad too thin - not so suitable for drawing and painting, I would say.

Just one small "grouse" though - the world doesn't revolve around iPhones only. While I understand that it's not possible to have mobile phone cases for all brands, it always annoys me when such accessories and cases are only for iPhones. There is no room for consideration at all when I encounter such products for a single brand like this because I can't use them anyway.

The staff at the exhibition were very polite and friendly - probably because they could see that I was new to this venue and unsure where to start. Not to say that staff at other venues were not good but most of them tend to keep out of the way especially in the galleries so that they won't interrupt or affect the experience of the visitors. Having the staff proactively come over to offer assistance or additional information on the exhibition was not something I experienced that often - both locally and overseas. This exhibition is organised by Groundseesaw which is said to be a major exhibition platform from Korea and this is their first international project. Maybe that's why the style of the exhibition felt somewhat different from the ones I visited before in our local museums.

What was less than ideal

First of all, I have to say, your experience here might be different from mine depending on when you visit. I was there on a weekday afternoon and the fact that you needed to secure an hourly slot for your tickets would mean that there would be some form of crowd control especially during weekends. The reason for the hourly slot should be because of the fact that the main exhibition video runs for a good 35 minutes and visitors can supposedly take photos nearer to the screen in the 15 minutes when the highlights are being shown. As such, since the video doesn't get looped indefinitely at random timings, it is necessary for people to come in groups at the start of the hour rather than as and when they like because you wouldn't want to see "latecomers" spoil your viewing experience as they walk in and out of the hall. In fact, before the video is shown, there are some reminders such as switching off the sound of your phones and not moving around during the screening so as to maintain the viewing experience for all.

Despite the best of intentions, I have to say that the environment wasn't that conducive. As you can see, the seats are actually cushioned benches on a staircase. There is no backing for you to sit comfortably unless you move deep into the staircase and use the upper level as your back support. That can only be done assuming that no one is sitting behind you. I can just imagine - if there are crowds on a weekend, that might be impossible. In fact, I ended up with a bad backache and shoulder ache because of this seating arrangement for more than 30 so this physical discomfort really marred my experience. I just couldn't wait to get up and leave the hall and skipped the highlights video.

Since the screen was so wide, I also found myself have to turn my neck very often just to "get the full picture". Perhaps it might be better to sit on a higher level to reduce the need to do so but those who want pictures without having those in front of you appearing in your shots might have to consider sitting on the first level instead.

While the exhibition was positioned as one which is inclusive i.e. there is no age limit, this works against those who want to watch the video with no disruptions. Adults are told not to move around during the screening but it is understandable that young kids will find it hard to sit still for such a long time especially if they cannot understand the narration or find the video boring. If kids are so young and it is difficult to prevent them from disrupting the viewing experience of others, it might be worth reconsidering bringing them along. From the Google reviews on this exhibition so far, it seems like this issue is a big bugbear among those who gave lower ratings. 

In my case, even though I was there on a weekday, it just so happened that I had the "good luck" of  encountering kids who couldn't sit still and were moving around in front of the screen. And the kids I saw were definitely at primary school age but the parents simply let them be. I could be more understanding if they were much younger and harder to control. Imagine your viewing experience being interrupted with the presence of "moving shadows" and noises made by children - that only added to my frustration on top of my physical discomfort.

I also wonder about the cost-to-performance ratio of this exhibition. Honestly speaking, if not for the 50% off, I would have felt that the deliverables from this exhibition were too little as compared to the price to be paid. The highlight being the video in the main hall plus the smaller halls with replicas of the original paintings and some panels about Monet's life simply aren't enough to justify the price tag. As such, I would have wanted more content if I was asked to pay the full price.

Conclusion

While the concept and delivery method of the exhibition's content was somewhat new and interesting, the range of content and execution could be improved. In a bid to promote inclusivity, ensuring that the content is age-appropriate and that the factors that could affect the experience should be mitigated as much as possible are important topics to consider. Great range of exhibition merchandise here so just checking out the store took longer and was more fun than expected.

Thoughts about "Culinary Class Wars" / "흑백요리사: 요리 계급 전쟁" (Korean)

SPOILER ALERT! - Please refrain from reading this if you haven't watched the show and wish to avoid spoilers, thank you.

Finally, the dust has settled.

To put it simply, I would use the Chinese expression "虎头蛇尾" which means "a brilliant start but sloppy ending" to sum up this show. I wonder if this has become a signature trait of Netflix Korea's reality shows of late because the recent titles I watched all had this issue. While they mostly started very promisingly and were engaging for most of the run, the finales somehow turned out to be very underwhelming or came across as really half-hearted as if they wanted to wrap things up quickly. Not sure if it's the editing or the finales were that boring but it was sad to see things end in this manner. And this was disregarding whether the person I was rooting for won in the end.

Unfortunately, "Culinary Class Wars" was yet another example of this undesirable pattern.

I wasn't expecting much when I started watching the show. In fact, I waited for a number of episodes to be released before I began watching since I wasn't in a big hurry to check this out as soon as it was released. From the start, the show looked super impressive due to the scale and quality of the set, the interesting competition system of pitting well-known and established chefs (White Spoons) against those who may have skills but aren't as popular or well-known yet (Black Spoons) and the dizzying showcase of various creative and delicious-looking dishes created by the contestants. The twists and turns in each round were also good entertainment from the perspective of the viewers. I do think that there were some parts which probably were considered controversial (more on that later) but I saw that as a premeditated move by the production crew since it was essential to stir up reactions from viewers rather than for them to be indifferent to what went on in the show.

While I can't say that I know all of the White Spoons, some of them had appeared on TV shows while some were winners in past cooking contests I had watched before so there was a certain degree of familiarity to begin with. I was actually more surprised that some of these veterans would want to come on a show like this because there was the risk of being embarrassed if they were eliminated in the early stages and more so if defeated by the Black Spoons. However, some of the White Spoons who got eliminated early displayed great grace when accepting their defeats and were very encouraging towards the younger and less experienced Black Spoons. That was a great sight to behold because of the mutual respect shown for one another. On the other hand, I have to admit that I didn't know any of the Black Spoons. While it was quite easy to see that the final winner would have to be a Black Spoon for maximum dramatic effect - the underdog overcomes the more powerful senior, it was a bit dampening to see how it happened in the finale. As for the judges, while I am pretty familiar with Baek Jong-won because I had watched a number of his shows to date, I didn't know who Ahn Sung-jae was until this show. 

The earlier rounds of the competition and the semi-finals turned out to be way more engaging to watch than the final which didn't even last for an episode on its own. I am sure that I wasn't alone in feeling that the semi-finals felt more like the final. Other Korean cooking competition shows which I saw in the past would have either multiple rounds to decide the victor or at least asked for a set meal with multiple dishes but this show asked for one dish only? And what's with the theme of the dish bearing your name? Isn't that somewhat similar in style to the dish that was of great meaning in the chef's life in the first round of the semi final? And could there have been an increase in difficulty by setting out specific conditions, restricting the type of main ingredients to be used or at least a theme to adhere to? The Endless Hell challenge was actually more difficult than this final, I must say.

While I was never a supporter of Edward Lee from the start, he slowly won me over with his classy performances, out-of-the-box creativity, respect for opponents - both peers and juniors, humility and willingness to learn from others. Even in the face of a taunt right in the face which felt totally unnecessary (downright distasteful even from the viewpoint of creating a talking point or drama for the final) and disrespectful by the eventual winner Napoli Matfia i.e. Kwon Seung-joon, Lee still maintained his grace by not retorting and smiling during that exchange. I don't know what was the significance in highlighting that Lee was most likely still suffering from jet lag due to the flight from US to Korea and that he had gone through the torturous Endless Hell semi-final the day before. If you are good, you can just mention that you will put in your best effort to win and you think you can win because of your skills. By insinuating that your rival wouldn't be able to perform as well due to the conditions against him, I don't know what he was trying to achieve by saying that. So if Lee had won despite the odds, wouldn't that have reflected badly on him who watched the Endless Hell round with ease and supposedly was in a better physical and mental condition? 

There should have been a better way to show self confidence without putting people down in that manner. If this kind of behaviour was just an once-off thing, one can argue that the editing did a disservice to Kwon for the sake of creating an "antagonist" character to court controversy. If one wants to justify that he had his reasons for doing that, I can understand that he had this "underdog wants to beat the favourites" resolve from the start because of the "slight" he felt when the White Spoons were given privileges from the start as a reflection of their "superiority" over the Black Spoons. However, if his choice of words since the start was consistent in style all along, I am skeptical about the explanation that he didn't mean what he said. 

This is merely my opinion though but people who are truly good at what they do actually do not go around trumpeting their skills and strengths because others can see that for themselves. In fact, when you go searching for reviews and comments online about the show after the final, it's easy to see who won the hearts of the viewers despite the outcome. While Kwon did apologise for his behaviour in the last two episodes by saying that he was trying to cover up his nervousness and lack of confidence against a formidable opponent, I still feel that there could have been better ways to achieve the intended effect of showing confidence without being rude and offensive.

There were some interesting topics which came up during the course of this show so I'll share my thoughts on them below:

Class classification and discrimination

The idea of putting the chefs in two categories could have courted controversy if people felt that it was blatant discrimination against the Black Spoons. However, I think that it's a honest reflection of how society is like in real life, whether you agree or like it. Much as we aspire to have a world where there's no discrimination or class differences, the reality is that there is still a hierarchy in all aspects of society, be it in social or work settings. Rather than pretend that this doesn't exist, it's better to show it as it is. Just as how a Michelin 3-star chef is looked upon as the ultimate goal for chefs and epitome of greatness in the fine dining world, you can't deny that those with a 3-star are seen as more superior when compared to a 2-star, 1-star or someone with no star. Whether we agree with this order of things or how people are appraised will be a separate issue to think about. Especially when it comes to food, we all have our own standards and criteria. What works for others may not work for you.

The White Spoons were classified as such because they earned their dues thanks to years of hard work, experience, skills, popularity and name/brand awareness. On the other hand, the show didn't say or imply that the Black Spoons were inferior - it was just that they may be experts in their respective specialisations but have yet to make a name for themselves or are comparatively less experienced than the White Spoons. As such, the advantages which the White Spoons enjoyed at first were reasonable to a certain extent although it might have rubbed some Black Spoons in the wrong way. Conversely, I think that the way the competition started did strengthen the competitive streak in the Black Spoons to prove that they were as good, if not better than the White Spoons.

In case you are unaware, the word "black" actually sounds similar to "dirt" in Korean. The spoon class theory i.e. sujeo gyegeumnon (수저 계급론) is an idea that first surfaced in 2015 where "individuals in a country can be classified into different socioeconomic classes based on the assets and income level of their parents, and as a consequence, one's success in life depends entirely on being born into a wealthy family" (definition from Wikipedia). Based on this theory, the highest level would be diamond, while the lowest level is dirt. In this ranking, there is no black spoon though so it has been speculated that the colour "black" was chosen to contrast against white which is the typical colour worn by chefs and also meant to refer to dirt since they sound similar in Korean. Of course, it is obvious that the Black Spoons definitely aren't at the dirt level since they were selected to be part of the 80 to participate in the first round. That alone would be a reflection of their abilities.

Fairness - Actual vs. Perceived

I was concerned about the second round which was officially the first time when the top 20 Black Spoons faced the White Spoons - wouldn't the judges be affected and be mindful of offending these White Spoons especially those very senior ones? As such, it was a surprise to see that they were really blindfolded - effectively a blind test - since they could not see who was against who nor were they allowed to see how the contestants cooked. Seeing the judges' shock when they eliminated a few veterans in this manner unwittingly seemed to suggest that they really didn't know whose dishes they were tasting and the decisions were made truly based on taste only. Although I think that this was a pretty good control measure on the whole, there was a controversy about one contestant serving a dish which was from the judge Ahn Sung-jae's restaurant Mosu when he worked there in the past. If that was indeed true, it would have been a giveaway of his identity so there should have been a rule banning such dishes from being used in that round.

I thought that the fairness of the competition got a bit iffy towards the end because the goalposts seemed to have shifted here and there and the judging criteria was not fully made known to the contestants. In the early rounds, Baek Jong-won made it very clear that his focus was on taste while Ahn Sung-jae was concerned with the overall execution, intended message of the dish and whether the intention of the chef matched the final product. As such, while viewers couldn't taste the dishes for themselves, their comments and decisions still seemed pretty logical and believable.

However, there seemed to be some back-and-fro in the later stages when the focus was either not specified or consistent - was taste, creativity, the wow factor or adherence to the theme the most important thing for a particular round? For the Endless Hell semi-final, I felt that it was logical to think that the dish must incorporate tofu as the main ingredient so adherence to this requirement would have been a must. In that sense, Choi Hyun-seok's elimination would be understandable because tofu played a supporting role in his dish. Towards the end though, Triple Star lost because he didn't have as much variety as Edward Lee even though the judges did comment that he had the best tasting dishes. So...is taste ultimately more important than creativity or the other way round? And since contestants did not know the hierarchy of criteria which the two judges had decided between themselves, would it have been fairer if the contestants went into this round with full knowledge on what they should do? Having some ground rules and being transparent and consistent in the judging criteria would make the competition less controversial.

Likewise, for the round where the team match took place and the White Spoons' seafood team hogged the ingredients, if there was a rule stating beforehand that you could only take what you need or that you had to decide on the menu first before grabbing the ingredients, that could have prevented the situation which happened. While people may not agree fully with Choi Hyun-seok's strategy at first from a "moral" standpoint, you can't deny that he managed to for being able to find a way to seize an advantage over the other team while not breaking any pre-specified rules.

As for the round where the teams had to operate restaurants to serve the mukbang influencers, Choi's strategy may have been unrealistic in real life and a very risky gamble for that particular round but I think he was spot-on in identifying the best strategy to take advantage of the unusual circumstances. While it would have been fairer to consider net profit after taking out the cost of the ingredients, I think that it would not have made much of a difference in the final ranking considering the huge difference in total revenue between the first and second-placed teams. Perhaps if the influencers were given a smaller budget to begin with, it might have made the round go in a more unpredictable manner because they would have to make more critical and carefully considered decisions when ordering.

With regard to the twist that ended up disadvantaging the fourth team, it could have been great drama for the show if they had survived the round despite the odds. However, I found it to be a great pity that the three chefs did not capitalise on the intelligence they got while they were in their original teams, chose to stick to their signature dishes and did not jack up the prices a bit more. And since they were already one person less than the other teams, it was more difficult for them to adjust accordingly to the evolving situation and keep up the pace when serving. Given that they also did not have the benefit of time on their side, it was natural for them to do what they did but I wonder about the what ifs - if they had done some fanciful dishes, had one more member to level the playing field or the twist to the round was announced earlier, things might have turned out very differently.

Intention vs. outcome

Last but not least, as many of the contestants mentioned in their interviews, they were on this show to promote Korean cuisine to the world even though some had reservations and initially rejected the offers. If this show was indeed pitched to these contestants in this manner, shouldn't there have been a rule requiring the use of Korean local produce, signature ingredients or at least one course in a set meal to be Korean food especially in the finale? Since Edward Lee did showcase Korean ingredients in his dish for the final, should this have given him an advantage over Napoli Matfia's dish which hardly had anything Korean in it? Then again, the show's title didn't give any indication that this show was about Korean food or intended to showcase Korean cuisine unlike another cooking contest which was titled "Korean Food War" so it's hard to fault this show for not achieving what was supposedly promised or intended. Perhaps the positioning of this show should be clearer if there are going to be sequels in future.

Thoughts about "No Way Out: The Roulette" / "노 웨이 아웃: 더 룰렛" (Korean)

I had some mixed feelings towards this drama before I watched it so I was undecided on whether to give this a shot.

I came to know about this drama because of the news that Lee Sun-kyun quit before the filming started due to the drug case allegations surrounding him last year. After Lee quit, this then led to Cho Jin-woong stepping in to fill the lead role. As such, considering what happened to the late Lee due to that case, it was conflicting for me to be reminded about the what-ifs assuming Lee had taken up the lead role and I didn't want to keep comparing him and Cho despite the fact that I also like Cho as an actor.

Then, I saw the No Way Out episode on "Chattering with Nah".

It was such a fun episode to watch because of the cast especially some of them were already acquainted with PD Na or had worked with him in variety shows. What also came across very strongly was how much they loved working on this drama and praised one another for their breakthrough performances. To be honest, this promotion was very effective, at least for me because it convinced me to reconsider watching this drama. And besides, it was just 8 episodes so the hurdle to entry was significantly lesser than watching a full 16 episodes.

What was very special about this story was that none of the 8 key characters can be said to be "white" i.e. good. They are all "grey" with some being of a darker shade closer to black.  In a way, this is reflective of reality where nobody can claim to be perfect and there are always conflicting sides in everyone - just that of differing degrees and types. As such, this actually made the characters a lot more believable and realistic. The downside to this though was that their behaviours may be a lot more difficult to understand and empathise with since it can be really extreme. Plus, the violence and gore can be a bit hard to stomach towards the end.

And true to its title, some of these characters really had "no way out" (or so it seems) thus giving birth to the desperation that drove them to do what they did. For example, the stigma that stuck with being the son of a serial rapist and killer even though the son did nothing wrong - how could you ever shed that label stuck on you if the cause of that stigma was still around to create havoc? Or how can you battle that greed for a quick solution to your financial problems even though you are supposed to be righteous? When faced with having to stick to your morals vs. chucking aside your values in order to survive, what would you choose then? Seeing how these characters had to make a choice which may not be acceptable based on mainstream "correct" values, you also start thinking if you can still do the right thing when you see no way out of the situation like them.

However, the quality of the episodes was not so ideal with some moving along fast enough and being so engaging to watch that the airtime passed by so quickly but others were just passable. In particular, I felt that the ending was somewhat sloppy and the pastor's story could have been expanded a bit more. I wanted to see how he managed to execute his perfect revenge but that's probably not going to happen unless there's a sequel. In addition, the Mask Man's style and image bring back memories of "Squid Game" so I would have preferred a bit more originality in that sense in order to reduce or remove that kind of implied association (intended or not) with that Netflix series.

And regarding the ending, my take on it is that you can see it in two ways - either a sequel is coming or it reflects the fact that "no way out" situations will never go away. Even if the story seems like it had a resolution, it actually is no more than a passing point and the struggles in life will still continue.

As for the cast, Yoo and Lee's characters stood out the most with their portrayals of hardcore villains. Yoo's character was such a tough nut to crack - simply refused to die despite the multiple attempts to kill him and the craziness in his warped mind really riled me up at times. Lee on the other hand, had a very strong comedic image due to his variety shows so it was such a mind-blowing experience to see him play this mad guy which filled me with so much disgust and made me wince at the same time. On the other hand, while Cho's performance as the police officer who succumbed to a moment of greed was good as usual, his image this time kept bringing back memories of his character in "Signal" to me for some strange reason. Greg Hsu's character Mr. Smile was somewhat lacking in the charisma part for me - I think the character needs more polished sleekness to match the assassin image better. Yum Jung-ah's selfish politician role was very different from her usual image but the story did not explain properly what happened to her in the end - makes no sense that the police wouldn't do anything to her for being associated with what happened at the villa.

To sum it up, the story's concept was brilliant. The acting was really good with some of the actors delivering jaw-dropping performances. However, the execution wasn't that consistent so that was a huge pity which could have made a difference in evaluating this drama.

Thoughts about "Jinny's Kitchen 1 - Bacalar, Mexico" and "Jinny's Kitchen 2 - Reykjavik, Iceland"

At long last, I finally got to watch "Jinny's Kitchen". 

As both seasons were not shown on tvN outside of South Korea and could only be watched on Amazon Prime Video, it wasn't until I got a free trial of Prime recently that I managed to watch both seasons at one go. The programme is positioned as a spin-off of "Youn's Kitchen" with Lee Seo-jin being the boss this time and setting up shop with his employees Jung Yu-mi, Park Seo-joon, Choi Woo-shik, Kim Tae-hyung / V from BTS (Season 1) and Go Min-si (Season 2) in far-flung locations in a bid to promote K-cuisine to the world. The way I understand it, the reason for going to places so far from South Korea and outside of Asia should be an attempt to ensure that the customers who visited the restaurants were not actually fans seeking to see the cast members but those who may not be familiar with the cast and/or Korean food in general. Otherwise, this would turn into another fan meeting rather than achieve the programme's intended purpose. 

This time, Season 1 went to Bacalar in Mexico while Season 2 went to Reykjavik in Iceland. While Bacalar was a brand new location for PD Na's team, Reykjavik was already featured in the third season of "Youth Over Flowers" close to 10 years ago in 2015. Personally, I was more thrilled about the revisit to Reykjavik since I developed a liking for Iceland after watching "Youth Over Flowers". Besides, I hardly knew nothing about Bacalar and didn't know what to expect. However, it was a tad disappointing to find out that the cast had worked so much and so hard in Season 2 due to the popularity of their restaurant that there were hardly any scenes showcasing Reykjavik beyond the sights featured before. It appeared that the cast seemed to have lesser off hours in Reykjavik compared to when they were in Bacalar. Or so it appears due to the editing of the shows. 

And from Season 2, it somehow reflects the dilemma of "you are the victim of your own success". Probably thanks to the fact that Season 1 was shown internationally through Prime rather than via tvN and TVing, a lot more people have come to know about the programme. As such, it was obvious that there were quite a lot of customers who were "in the know" in Season 2 so the raw and spontaneous reactions in Season 1 were somewhat lacking in the sequel. It certainly wasn't as fun to watch as compared to seeing how people belatedly realised that the people serving them at this pop-up restaurant were actually famous actors such as how Woo-shik was repeatedly recognised in Bacalar as the guy who appeared in "Parasite" or Tae-hyung who was identified as the guy in BTS. And because there were so many people lining up in Reykjavik, I felt bad for the cast who really looked so overworked.

Compared to the somewhat laidback and slow vibes from "Youn's Kitchen" and "Youn's Stay" (another spin-off from the series), the energy level and pace of "Jinny's Kitchen" were definitely a notch up especially since the cast members' average age has gone down quite a bit, thanks to younger staff like Kim and Go. And since there were no elderly cast members this time, it seemed like this provided the perfect excuse for the cast to be pushed to the limit in terms of the working hours and energy spent - for better or worse. While this brought about some comedic relief at times as you saw how much the cast members worked in running their restaurants, it also made me wonder if this was too punishing for them both on the physical and mental fronts. I didn't feel comfortable seeing them looking so drained especially in Season 2 when they faced large crowds from Day 1 and wondered if this deviated too much from the feel-good and relaxed vibe in the original series.

With the change in leadership in "Jinny's Kitchen", the group dynamics also underwent a significant change from "toe-ing the line" and being on their best behaviour most of the time to "taking liberties with the boss at times" which was funny to watch. I really liked watching their teamwork and interactions especially since most of the team members had worked with one another for years in the earlier installments of the series or have pre-existing friendships outside the shows. As for the newbies, they were both lively and added a lot of energy to the show in their own ways. It will be worth checking out how things change when Tae-hyung returns from military service and if he and Min-si both join the next season.

While I would say that I enjoyed both seasons albeit in varying degrees, there was something which really annoyed me. I understand that there is a need to do PPL since sponsors need their screentime and the production needs money to fund, doing a hardsell by making the cast "talk" about these products so blatantly is rather off-putting. Lingering shots on the product which shows the brand name clearly are absolutely fine and acceptable. However, doing a CM out of nowhere in the show really spoils the momentum and comes across as absolutely unconvincing. For one, I do take supplements containing lutein as well for eyecare but I certainly don't think that my eyesight will suddenly "become clear" right after popping such a supplement.

My biggest wish for the next season is that the cast will get a better worklife balance. While waiting for customers like what they did in Bacalar can be sad and painful to watch, I think that it does give the cast a brief respite from the touch schedule and some time to interact with one another. Secondly, more footage on their off hours would be fun to watch as well. And last but not least, please make the PPL not so obvious and annoying to watch because it can be so off-putting.

Thoughts about "Art of the Brick" by Nathan Sawaya (2024 edition)

11 years ago, I went for the "Art of the Brick" exhibition by Nathan Sawaya held at ArtScience Museum and wrote about my experience back then. 

Now in 2024, I went back to the same exhibition, said to be upgraded and now held at a different venue i.e. Singapore Expo Hall 8B. While there were some works which appeared in the 2013 edition, there were quite a number of new works which I had never seen before.

It always fascinates me as to how these small Lego bricks can be transformed into such amazing works which just goes to show that creativity has no boundaries. It was definitely an inspiring experience to see how things like daily life objects or well-known paintings can be represented in a different manner through these Lego blocks. Given that I hardly had the opportunity to play with Lego as a kid, it does seem a bit of a challenge for me to get into this now as an adult since I think I'm not too good at following diagrams to build stuff like this. Even small Nanoblocks models were tough for me when it was quite the craze sometime back.

At the entrance of the exhibition, there was a short video featuring Sawaya about his journey with Lego bricks since childhood, becoming a lawyer since he didn't know that studying art was an option for him in university before immersing himself into his lifelong passion creating artworks with Lego. While not everyone can manage to follow their passion and make it into a career, his experience is definitely encouragement and a real life example of "it's never too late to chase your dream".

With the change in venue, there are a few things that you may wish to take note of:

- Hall 8B is quite a distance from the MRT station so if you are taking the train, note that this hall is not part of the main Expo building and it's connected by the sheltered walkway. If you are taking a taxi or private hire, you can probably choose the drop-off point outside the hall to save on the walking which can be quite uncomfortable on a hot day.

- There is another exhibition featuring bubble-themed art sharing the same hall where there is loud music playing. As such, I found it a bit noisy and distracting as compared to when it was very quiet at the ArtScience Museum. 

- Some of the exhibits were placed on mirrors or stands with reflective glass so you can get some really nice pictures by incorporating the actual exhibit and the reflection together.

- Note that the ticket prices quoted on the website do not include the booking fee of $2.90 which is imposed regardless of whether you are buying it online or on the spot. I didn't like the fact that the organiser wasn't forthcoming about this charge because it was only when I got to the payment page that this was mentioned. Even at the on-site ticketing counter, the list of charges do not mention this. While I understood that there would be surcharges for ticketing systems, considering that a Wednesday ticket for an adult was $19.90, a booking fee of $2.90 works out to about 15% of the ticket price. This is a pretty high percentage, I would say because concert tickets costing several hundred dollars has a ticketing fee usually not more than $5. 

- It is advisable to get tickets online first for designated timeslots since there is crowd control supposedly during peak periods so that the viewing experience won't be affected. Tickets on weekends are definitely the priciest while on weekdays, it will be cheapest on Wednesday which I suppose should be the day with the least number of visitors. The exhibition is closed on Tuesdays. Tickets can only be paid for using cards.

- There is a cafe at the end of the exhibition area but there wasn't a place to sit down and enjoy the refreshments unless you sat at the the area for visitors to colour their drawings and scan onto the big screen. I suppose there would be a long queue on peak days since the wait was already quite significant on a weekday.

- The post-exhibition merchandise area was a bit underwhelming. Other than the exhibition catalogue ($25 for a very heavy hardcover book), the rest of the stuff were Lego sets. Perhaps it might be cheaper and you will get a wider range of designs if you buy your Lego outside?

While I was a bit skeptical about the claim that there were more than 150 works on display and there were some things which I was not too happy about especially the ticketing, I was quite satisfied with the exhibition on the whole. Despite having seen some of the works more than a decade ago, there were still some new surprises in this year's edition. As such, even if you had been to the previous exhibition before, the 2024 edition should still be interesting to such visitors. For first-timers, this should be quite an eye-opening experience.

Here are a selection of the works that I liked from the 2024 edition so I hope that you'll find your favourites there as well!

Compare & Contrast - EXchange (환승연애) vs. Love Transit (ラブ トランジット)

Having watched all three seasons of EXchange, I wasn't that keen on checking on Love Transit which is its Japanese version especially since I had no access to Amazon Prime Video until recently. However, having heard some good reviews around me about the Japanese version, I decided to give this a shot.

Well...it's hard to beat the one who came first and this applies both to the programmes and the couples who participated in these shows.

EXchange burst onto the scene with a refreshing yet controversial concept of putting ex-couples into the same house and expecting them to make a choice between reconciling with their exes or forming a new couple with someone else after a period of time. The catch was that, you would have to form new relationships under the "watchful" eye of your ex and that you had to grapple with the same developing in front of you. Moreover, for newly-separated couples or those who parted on bad terms, it would be an extra challenge to deal with those raw feelings, lingering emotions of love, making comparisons between how your ex used to treat you and how he/she is treating someone new and you comparing your new beau with your ex all the time.

When the same concept is replicated in another country with different cultural norms, it is natural to expect that the remake is not going to be a carbon copy of the original. That part was within my expectations. However, I think that the differences between both versions stem more from the execution of the concept. For me, my opinion was based on who delivered a more comprehensive and engaging piece of work.

Time plays a key role in making and breaking relationships

First of all, the length of the two versions differed by a lot. EXchange started off with 15 episodes in Season 1 followed by 20 episodes in Season 2 and 19 episodes in Season 3. Each episode's running time varied but running time was usually 60 to 90 minutes with some episodes stretching all the way to 2 hours. On the other hand, Love Transit had about half or even less than half of the episodes (8 in Season 1 and 7 in Season 2) and the episodes were usually less than an hour.

Given the difference in running time, this would mean that the Korean version had a lot more space and time to tell the stories of the participants. As such, this was a key reason for EXchange's success because viewers could see their own experiences in these participants and in turn, feel more engaged and involved as if they were watching their own stories. This was also obvious from the reactions of the panelists - the Korean ones were clearly more absorbed in the narrative and even shed tears when things got too sad and emotional while the Japanese ones felt like observers who commented on the situation without getting too involved emotionally.

On the other hand, the Japanese version was trying to squeeze a lot of things within the limited time they had so the story didn't flow so well due to the choppy editing. One big issue which I had with the Japanese version was how fragmented and incomplete the stories of the ex-couples were presented. Often, this is the highlight of the show as it displayed the sweetness of a couple in love during the early stage of their romance before it gradually moved into the realm of sadness and bitterness as the relationship headed for doom. The Japanese version did not give a comprehensive look into this process which made it hard for viewers to feel engaged and identify with the issues which may also happen to themselves in real life. In addition, the narrative was somewhat skewed and misleading at some points e.g. one of the female participants in Love Transit was said to have cheated on her ex but under what circumstances and why did that happen - there wasn't a clear explanation which could help viewers to see if she deserved that kind of treatment from her ex or if her ex was totally without blame for the situation.

The rules of the Korean version were probably not as strictly reinforced as in the Japanese version. While there was a requirement for participants to have dinner together every night, the Korean version had some house rules like designated pairs to be on cleaning and cooking duty which provided opportunities for the participants to mix around and have some 1-1 time through such activities. And since the participants in Love Transit were staying in a luxurious service apartment (although they said that it's a hotel), there was actually no cleaning and hardly any cooking needed. That was a pity though because the Japanese participants could have more opportunities to bond if put under the same conditions.

And due to the choice of lodgings i.e. a house with people sharing rooms vs. everyone staying in their own rooms, that also eliminated a potential source of drama and conflict among the participants. In EXchange, it was common to have someone's ex and new love interest become buddies or besties because they were roommates. And when that happened, it was a frequent occurrence for the ex to see upfront how their former lover flirt or approach someone new right in front of them. However, with the Japanese participants being "confined" to their personal spaces, you don't get that kind of spontaneity in interactions with people being more free to approach others by popping over to another room.

While I'm not exactly sure how much time the participants spent together in the shared lodgings, the timeline of the Korean versions did seem much longer perhaps due to the airtime difference. One observation that I have after watching both shows is - time investment does go a long way in building relationships. Those who spent a lot more time with their new love interests tend to build up a stronger bond as they had the time to find out more about each other and develop their relationships. Often, participants who were often "absent" from the shared house due to work commitments or other reasons and those who were introduced late to the game (EXchange) tend to lose out in this regard. It seemed to be the case as well in Love Transit as those newer pairings which seemed quite solid had a lot of interaction time with each other, thanks to them going on multiple dates.

On the other hand, the length of an ex relationship and how much time had passed since the breakup were important factors in determining the outcomes of the shows. Given the short period of time which the participants had in Love Transit and that most of the couples broke up not that far back in time, it probably didn't come as a surprise that all except one of the successful pairings in both seasons were ex couples reconciling and the only new couple still broke up about a year after the show. 

On the other hand, EXchange had a pretty wide range of couples with long and short relationships and some having even parted more than a decade ago so there was a mix of different types of stories and circumstances to watch - more entertaining in this sense. While not all the new couples in EXchange are still together (only one pair is still dating now), the ex couples who did make up or those who made up after the show ended seem to be going strong. What this probably suggests is that, the longer the ex relationship, the harder it is to let go. And if the relationship ended long ago, it is probably easier to move on since feelings would have changed and any hurt emotions could have healed better with time.

Lax execution + No privacy = the outcome was decided from the start?

As I mentioned above, both versions weren't carbon copies of each other despite the identical premises. The key differentiator was the execution of the concept. For example, not all rules were strictly enforced in the Japanese version. The participants in both versions weren't supposed to show obviously who their exes were but it was such a dead giveaway from the start that I wonder if the show's producers and crew did nothing to stop or remind the participants not to do so. To make things worse, the Japanese version gave away the game very early in the season by showing the ex couples' videos from Ep 1 so this took away a key enjoyment factor in the show - guessing who is who's ex. 

While there was a lot of privacy for the participants in Love Transit in terms of them having their own rooms, the same can't be said for the interactions in the main shared spaces. I thought that having the participants ask one another out or ask to speak in private under the watchful eye of everyone was such a bad idea. There was hardly any discretion or privacy so as to speak. And as some of the participants did mention in the show, it felt as if they were cheating by approaching their new love interests in front of their exes even though this was something they should be doing in the show.

On the other hand, the shared houses in EXchange offered opportunities for the participants to have private chats without other people's knowledge and away from the mindful gaze from their exes. Even on the scheduled dates, they did not go out or come home at the same time so other people would not know who went out with who until much later in the show. In a way, this helped to nurture the new relationships without having the ex relationships being a stumbling block in the process and alleviate the stress felt by those who wanted to know new people before making their decisions. In Love Transit though, who went out with who was public knowledge and that was so difficult to watch because it was awkward even from the perspective of a bystander.

At the same time, I thought that Love Transit did not offer a fair opportunity for all participants to mix around before they made a more informed choice. It was boring to see the same few pairings go out repeatedly while some others kept staying at home because they had no dates. On the other hand, EXchange had some dates which set conditions like you have to go out with someone who you had never gone out with before that allowed people to mix around. Even if they ended up going out with someone who they had no chemistry or romantic feelings for, it was sometimes enjoyable to watch and good for the participants as well since some of them became good friends and supporters of each other by lending a listening ear to their troubles. 

Given these limitations, it was probably not a surprise that Love Transit's final pairings were mainly exes while EXchange did have a few new pairings. If the remake was done in similar conditions with the original, perhaps the outcome could have been quite different. For participants in Love Transit, it was clear that exes who wanted to get their former lovers back had a much higher successful rate, thanks to conditions working in their favour.

While I would say that I preferred watching EXchange as compared to Love Transit, one key thing to note was that EXchange's long airtime was also an issue when it got too draggy at times. For example, the Jeju arc in Season 1 was quite painful to watch for me because it was so slow and emotional. And some participants being stuck in their emotions and lots of crying might get on your nerves as well especially if you aren't the type who likes seeing such scenes. If you prefer a more speedy approach to this concept, Love Transit might be more suitable for you. 

Thoughts about ARASHI's 25th Anniversary project

At long last, the word is out about ARASHI's upcoming 25th anniversary in November this year.

BUT...I have to admit that it's somewhat disappointing.

As a longtime fan, I was expecting more. Perhaps some new content or something which had never been released before if a new concert tour or TV appearance is not going to happen in the near future? On the other hand, it was almost a given that nothing special could possibly happen on the anniversary date given that Ohno looks like he's still not done with his "extended summer vacation" and that Matsujun will be away in London for his play in November. As such, I was more of the opinion that the date would pass by "quietly".

After all, ARASHI is incomplete if anyone is absent. 

Thus, when I saw the news two days ago that ARASHI was doing something for their 25th anniversary, I was hopeful. However, after reading the details of the announcement, it made me wonder about a few things.

Too much rehashing of the old stuff

Frankly speaking, I am not sure why they are releasing their old concert DVDs in Blu-ray format. I can't speak for others but I would assume most ARASHI fans would have bought these concert DVDs in the past although perhaps not everything in the list. Unless you own a Blu-ray player, you are missing some titles from this list and/or there are some premiums or freebies to be given with these "new" releases, chances are that fans would not bite the bait this time. 

Likewise, I wonder about the screening of the 5x10 concert in cinemas and the re-release of the 5x20 album in Dolby Atmos on streaming platforms. Are these really what the fans want?

While new concerts or appearances by the ARASHI of today might not be possible at this stage, perhaps it might be worth considering tapping on previously un-released content like compilation of selected episodes from their past variety shows or behind-the-scenes footage from their concerts or group activities (those not seen in the Netflix documentary). At least, there's something "new" to look forward to.

Is it enough to keep the fanclub membership base from eroding further?

Following ARASHI's hiatus, their fanclub is still in operation which was estimated to have as many as 3 million members at its peak. Although the group did mention before they were pondering about whether it was right to keep the fanclub running when they were not active as a group, the decision was made to continue as a result of fans' feedback. Most of the fanclub members are said to have kept paying the JPY 4,000 annual fee to maintain their memberships with the hope that ARASHI will be back one day and they can continue enjoying perks like having a higher chance of being able to purchase the concert tickets. Then again, as the wait for ARASHI's return dragged longer with no clear end in sight, it would have been natural that some people would drop out of the fanclub over the years. 

If you look at the various initiatives under the 25th anniversary project, the only things where fanclub members get exclusive access and priority are the 5x10 screenings and the purchase of the picture book respectively. However, will it be enough to stop the outflow of people not renewing their fanclub memberships? Will it entice people who left the fanclub to come back for these? And will it get anyone new to join for the sake of getting these things? 

While I do appreciate that at least something is being done, how people feel about this can be quite varied. These initiatives may seem like an effort to continue ARASHI's outreach and connection to the fanbase but honestly speaking, I think that it is high time to give a more definite answer on the group's future direction. For me at least, it's not as if I will stop supporting ARASHI members even if the hiatus is permanent and they never return as a group. And since I'm not a paying fanclub member, it doesn't bother me over whether the fanclub continues or not. However, the people who are still paying annual fees may want to make a more informed decision on whether to continue especially since there have been complaints that the membership perks are no longer as worthwhile as before. After all, you are looking at a huge sum of money that goes to the agency every year thanks to this fanclub.

Are these really what ARASHI wanted to give to the fans or a plot by the agency to earn money from the fans?

This is just my personal opinion but the direction of this 25th anniversary project feels somewhat off compared to what ARASHI was doing from the time they announced their upcoming hiatus to the last day of their group activities. I remember being surprised and pleased by the initiatives back then which really felt like they wanted to do things which would make the fans happy even if these did not bring in big bucks. This time round, I can't help but feel that the agency really wants to milk money from the fans. Looking around at comments online, I'm definitely not alone in feeling this way.

The fishy thing is, I don't seem to see any reference to this 25th anniversary project from the ARASHI members themselves on their social media accounts. Is there a reason why? Or are they not fully convinced of the effectiveness or value of this project to the fans so that's why they aren't "promoting" it? Which leads me to guess that ARASHI's intentions might not be in sync with what the agency wants so there seems to be a disconnect somehow.

While I do not wish ill on the progress or outcome of this project, I for one would not be dishing out any money this time and will probably celebrate the occasion in my own way come 3 November.

【法证先锋6 幸存者的救赎】观后感想 ~ 勉强是没有幸福的 / Review of "Forensic Heroes 6" (HK drama)

终于播完了。

看到第六季，得到的结论是：勉强是没有幸福的。

【法证先锋】系列因为第一和第二季的成功，多年下来出了好多季的续集，一直都有一季不如一季的批评。我个人是挺喜欢第三季的黎耀祥和张可颐的搭配，故事节奏又挺快的，案件也有一定的挑战性，人物之间的感情戏也不至于拖拉。后来的第四和第五季却令人颇为失望，小丑梗用了这么多年却仍然没有答案，情侣们的CP感太欠缺，所以很难让人投入剧情。怎么都没想到，第六集竟然还“创新低”，真是惨不忍睹。

主角跟配角之间的模糊界限，喧宾夺主的hard sell

黄宗泽，袁伟豪跟蔡洁明明是主角，一开始的戏份就少的可怜。反而是戴祖仪，林正峰和阮嘉敏出场的次数跟时间多到让人误会他们才是主角。一集内就看到他们三人多次在咖啡厅跟洗衣店讨论案情，但内容实在有够空洞无聊。一直到了剧集后期，真正的三位主角才有几场在高档酒吧的聊天场面。很明显看得出，配角们应该是电视台现在要力捧的新一代演员，所以才会有这么明显的“hard sell”。可是如果做过了头又没有实质上可以让他们爆红或被观众喜欢的理由，这种被人“硬塞”的感觉其实是不会达不到预期的效果，反而会令人对他们反感。也就是因为看不下去，我到了中后期都会快转跳过这些场面。

内容与剧名不符，草草了事又不合理的剧情

明明是聚焦法证人员的戏，真正看到他们在工作或协助破案的场面少之又少。以前的系列经常都有法证，法医和警方开会讨论案情的戏，这一季却好像各自为政又没有什么交流似的。连法医在做解剖时身边也没有助理了，取而代之的是跟AI对话。这似乎是想呼应人与人之间的疏离，做什么都以来科技和人工智慧的现行趋势。

说到案情更是令人摇头，开始的阶段所看到的那些案件总是不知何时开始，又无声无息的结束，破案的过程似乎又没什么让法证发挥的空间，所以有点像是警方为主轴的戏。虽然后面的案件有比较详细的描述，发展和处理方式又有太多不合理之处。例如叫法证人员到下水道工作却没有戴护具防范污染和有毒气体，警方破门入屋发现疑犯死亡后却在没戴手套的情况下乱摸屋里的物品。让人最不能理解的是，法医竟然可以接触或解剖明明曾经被指控杀死的人的尸体，这难道不需要避嫌和防止利益冲突呢？

还有一点让人很出戏的是，明明全组同事都在用粤语谈话，突然丢出一句又一句的中文。这真的有点刻意，也影响了对话的流畅度。

关于感情戏的部分，让人看得很痛苦的是井浩然和吴书婷那一段。其实不知道编剧是不是不太喜欢井浩然这个角色，上一季让他经历一段虐心的恋情，这次又来一个就算想爱又无法克服心理障碍的对象。问题在于这对的感觉一开始就很别扭和勉强，所以实在不太想看到他们被硬凑在一起。

前面的问题未解决，又抛出新谜团？

之前提到的小丑梗虽然在每一季都有出现，到上一季仍没有一个很完整的解释和结论。结果这一季居然没有对这一点提出任何新的东西，却在结尾蹦出一个新的隐形杀人凶手（其实看得出是谁）利用一个诅咒和举发恶人的手机应用程序来替天行道。

这。。。真的让人很无语。那玩了五季的小丑梗是没有意义的吗？

老实说，其实在看完头几集时就已经很想弃剧，支撑到最后纯粹是想知道宝英失踪案的结果。虽然犯人跟动机实在是太好猜了，这条线居然有办法从第一集硬拉到最后一集，结果还草草了事，实在大失所望。不合理之处又多不胜数，被囚禁在地下室一年，如果墙壁没装隔音材质，难道在人来人往的旅馆内没人会听到宝英的呼救或发出的声响吗？若地下室又没设置洗手间，宝英难道一整年都没上厕所和洗澡换衣服？当犯人必须送三餐给她时，进进出出时怎么可能不会惹人起疑呢？

虽然我对这一季很不满意，但感觉问题主要还是在剧情和呈现方式上，演员们其实并非表现的这么差。只不过故事很不OK时，演员们要“逆流而上”把危机转为契机就会难如登天。硬是继续做下去是否是对的，只能等待时间去证明了。

如果第七季会像这一季一样的让人火大，我想是时候跟这个【法证】系列“分手”了。

Review of "The Influencer" (Korean) - The fun was outside the competition?

Trust Netflix to come up with this competition-reality show featuring influencers.

Prior to the release, I was intrigued by how the show could pick the so-called "best" influencer among 77 competitors on different social media platforms and providing different content in various ways through an offline show. Under the assumption that the results of the show could only be disclosed months later due to post-production, it was not possible to have real-time voting and for the influencers to tap on their existing followers/membership base so I didn't know exactly how the selection and judging criteria would be. It is debatable as to whether the format of the show and whether the rounds were fair to every influencer and I honestly did not care about who won the title in the end since I knew none of them except Jang Keun-seok who is a celebrity/artist in the first place. Although I must say, I felt that the winner deserved to have the prize money taken away for being a bragging blabbermouth despite the confidentiality clause.

The show was boring to me from the start because the first episode took so much time to introduce these influencers to the extent that it was becoming repetitive. While the influencers gushed about their fellow competitors from time to time whenever someone considered "big" in their circle appeared, that enthusiasm was somewhat lost on me because I didn't know who they were. If the viewers are those who follow the influencers closely or are aware of who are the bigwigs in the Korean influencer scene, maybe the introduction section wouldn't come across as so lengthy and yawn-inducing though. 

Of course, things got better as the game progressed but I did wonder if some of the rounds were fair especially when the influencers were paired up and some were ousted because of their partners' being too fixated on doing what they thought was best or their incompetence. Ultimately, the influencer should be responsible for their personal performance since they are on their own in the online arena. Makes no sense to me if they were kicked out because of another person's mistake. In addition, to have the competition's outcome being decided in a controlled and offline environment also gave me doubts on whether it was fair after all. The Internet is an entirely different ball game after all compared to the real world.

Rather than discussing the game rounds in detail or which influencer played their game well, I felt that there was more interesting stuff which I observed outside the main event i.e. the competition. Perhaps some food for thought for all while viewing this show?

1) The perception of status based on perceived effort

It appears that in the influencer world, people who are active on certain platforms are considered to be of a higher class compared to others and this is seemingly tied to the type of content they produce. It was clear from the show that the TikTokers while boasting of huge follower numbers because of the global reach of the platform itself, weren't seen so favourably by their peers compared to people who had smaller numbers but were on platforms like YouTube. The way I understand it was that it is more difficult to get people to become subscribers on YouTube vs. becoming a follower on TikTok and that TikTokers produce short-form videos as compared to YouTube where the video length is much longer generally. As such, it is natural to assume that because the video is longer, more effort is needed to plan, film and edit the YouTube videos as compared to a TikTok video which may be as short as less than a minute. 

As I am not a TikTok user, I do not really understand the dynamics of that platform or what is considered popular there. However, as a YouTube user, I only subscribe to channels when I really like the content, the content producer and would like to keep going back to watch new videos from that channel. As such, pressing that subscribe button on YouTube probably requires a more deliberate and conscious effort on the user's part (at least for me) compared to just liking or following an user account such as one on Instagram or X or Facebook. As for the effort part, I do agree that the long form videos require a lot of time and work but if the TikToker consistently churns out short form videos, say on a daily basis, then that can be seen as hard work as well - just that it's more spread out and may not be as apparent.

2) Monetisation vs. advertisement revenue - direct vs. indirect support

Some social media platforms allow influencers to earn money through monetisation functions like receiving tips or rewards while others offer advertisement revenue based on views. From the show, some influencers seem to think that even though they have lower follower numbers, the fact that they earned more through monetisation which is a direct form of support shown from their followers is a reflection of their superiority vs. those who have huge follower numbers but maybe not an equally big amount of advertisement revenue to reflect their fanbase. 

I do use X and Facebook to get the word out whenever I update my blogs so these are essentially for PR purposes rather than for earning money or gaining a huge follower base. And since I do not have a huge follower base to begin with, I have no idea how and how much people can earn through these platforms. While I do see why those influencers who make huge money through monetisation functions see themselves as being more superior because they have a seemingly more engaged and fervent fan base who is willing to pay, we also cannot ignore the fact that some of these functions require payment so that the fans can gain access to extra stuff. 

On the other hand, advertisement revenue doesn't look so passive or indirect as it seems - you actually have to click and view a video or post or be made to sit through a full ad before accessing the desired content at times. I would think that there is nothing that suggests that one avenue is better than the other - it's just different ways of showing support.

3) Followers vs. engagement - which is more meaningful?

The game started off with ranking the influencers based on their follower count which can be seen as unfair because the social media platforms have different "hurdles" to cross, be it perceived or actual, when it comes to users choosing whether to follow an account. As I noted above, becoming a YouTube channel subscriber certainly means a more conscious and obvious show of interest on my part compared to doing the same for an Instagram or X account. While follower count may be important to influencers because this can affect the kind of money they can command for commercial tie-ups, I feel that engagement may be a more meaningful metric but the criteria to assess this across platforms is even more challenging to do. As such, it is understandable that the show chooses to use follower count as a starting point to rank people despite the potential controversy about the nature and reach of these different social media platforms.

4) Getting attention in the right way - substance or minimal effort as long as you win?

I can't say for others but in my case, I follow social media accounts of non-celebrities primarily because I like the content. However, this competition has also showed that there are some influencers who capitalise on their physical/sexual charm or their gift of the gab or by being unconventional to stand out from the crowd and become successful - nothing wrong with that as long as the market demands it. The interesting thing you can observe from this show is, humans can be very contradictory when it comes to alternative definitions of being worthy of success.

While users may like someone who flaunts her nice figure (those male influencers who were fawning over the female influencers dressed sexily), when it comes to that person becoming your competitor, some influencers "look down" on these people by saying that they are just "selling their bodies" for eyeballs and have no substance to speak of. Likewise, for contestants who were just saying controversial things, being critical of everything or saying things which others don't dare to, shouting or putting on an act to fish for attention, that didn't seem to sit well with some influencers even though they admitted that this was indeed effective in getting people's interest.

For the round when people were supposed to upload a thumbnail post to attract attention in a short period of time, some influencers were taking the "sneaky way out" by producing photos with minimal effort just to hog the centre spot. Would you then say that these people did not deserve to win because their actions defeated the purpose of the contest or would you conclude that as long as they got the attention they wanted, it did not matter if the content had no substance so as to speak?

And it is worth noting the change in sentiment towards Jang Keun-seok's participation in this contest right from the start. While people were in awe of him when he first arrived, some influencers soon felt that it was unfair for him to join because he was already famous before he became an influencer. The truth was that, he was already active on past editions of online platforms before social media and influencers became buzzwords so he can be considered as an experienced predecessor in this kind of online engagement. And honestly speaking, he wasn't as popular as compared to his heyday when he joined this competition. As such, you can say that he was riding on the coat-tails of his past fame but the extent of this advantage could be quite limited. Besides, things were evened out because he was on a comparatively more challenging platform i.e. YouTube and was still relatively new to this influencer thing thus his follower count wasn't that high yet. From what happened, it reflects the fact that when people see others competing with them but do not feel that they have the substance or they actually have a perceived unfair advantage or headstart, the latter is generally not viewed too favourably.

While the show itself had some flaws and may not satisfy everyone with the way the competition was conducted or the outcome, I thought that it was still valuable in terms of offering some interesting observations on human behaviour on the sidelines. Perhaps if you adjust your expectations accordingly, it might still be palatable after all.

Review of "Fumi wa yaritashi" by Nakatani Miki (book)

A long time ago, I first saw Nakatani Miki in the drama "Keizoku" where she played the somewhat eccentric and very smart Shibata Jun. Back then, I found that she was quite unlike the Japanese actresses who I had seen so far. I really enjoyed watching that drama which I attributed to the story as well as her brilliant chemistry with Watabe Atsuro. Subsequently, I came across more of her works and in no time, she became one of my all-time favourite actresses.

It is a bit difficult to pinpoint exactly what I like about her but I guess her elegant and learned image along with her versatile acting is a huge draw factor. However, this was the very first time I came across her written works despite the fact that she has already published a number of books to date. In fact, buying this book was not planned as I came across this on the shelves by chance and was curious about the content which is a compilation of her essays in "Shosetsu Gento" published between 2016 and 2023.

To begin with, the title "Fumi wa yaritashi" is part of a Japanese proverb "文はやりたし書く手は持たぬ" (Fumi wa yaritashi Kakute wa motanu" which means lamenting one's lack of written skills when trying to write a love letter but cannot ask someone to help with this task. As such, you can probably interpret this to mean that Nakatani had a lot of thoughts that she wanted to convey but didn't feel that her writing was good enough to do this well. 

I personally felt that her writing was smooth and easy to read in contrary to what the title suggested. Moreover, it was very interesting to know her thoughts about various topics, insights about her acting work, her personal life before and after getting married as well as the differences and titbits about living in Japan and Austria especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Even for topics such as the Ukraine war or her views about the stringent COVID measures in Japan vs. what she went through in Austria at the height of the pandemic, it was a surprise to see her being very candid about these things because most celebrities in Japan would try to steer clear of making their views known in case of courting unnecessary controversy or having their views misinterpreted.

If I have to pick out one thing in this book which I didn't enjoy that much, it would have to be the essays about classical music which were a tad challenging for me. While I do enjoy listening to classical music at times, I don't consider myself as an expert and often, I don't even know or remember the titles and composers unless the title is very short or it's a favourite piece of mine which I am very familiar with. As such, when such titles and the names of the composers kept popping up in her essays about classical music, I found myself "switching off" a bit and skipping some parts because I didn't even know which piece she was referring to. Nonetheless, her passion and knowledge about classical music was definitely unmistakable through her words so I think those who are in the know on this genre would enjoy reading about these parts.

For those who like Nakatani or would just like to know more about her, this book will be a good starting point for you to do so through her own words. Not only will you know about the behind-the-scenes preparations and hard work she had to do as an actress, you get to see how she lived outside the limelight as well. There is no lack of moments that will make you chuckle at times so her witty humour is bound to make the reading experience more enjoyable than you can imagine.

Review of "Wonderland" (movie) - Hardly a wonderful journey and leading to nowhere

One thing that really irks me is being "lured" into watching a drama or movie on the basis of the cast lineup but finding out that I have wasted my time because the story turns out to be such a letdown. Unfortunately, "Wonderland" is one more title I can add to my list of works that fit this definition.

To be honest, I wasn't keen on checking this out when I first read news of its production. Out of the 5 leads, I was only interested in Jung Yu-mi and Choi Woo-shik and wanted to see how they would act together after seeing so much of their siblings' bond in the Korean variety shows they did. It was only when Netflix started pushing this in their recommendations and the plot seemed interesting and novel enough so I decided to give it a shot. I didn't start off with having sky-high expectations in the first place and yet still felt quite disappointed.

The concept itself could be said to be quite in tune with the current enthusiasm over AI and how it has an impact on our lives in various aspects. Using generative AI to produce images and videos of the people who had passed away or actually still alive but in an unconscious state so that the living could still engage with the supposed dead - there is actually a lot of room for discussion as to whether it is ethical and good for those who are still living. The story simply dishes out this cutting edge technology but how it was used by the characters in this movie without explaining properly who created this for what reason and to be used for what purpose as well as what is the ultimate outcome that this choice leads to. And to make things worse, it seems like the fundamental rules and operating logic of this technology aren't clear-cut and standardised. While I can imagine that the dead can choose to use this so that their living family members can still engage with them if they miss the departed, what then is the goal for this arrangement? And how do they end things - is it decided by the living unilaterally or the departed whose "consciousness" exists in Wonderland? And what happens when the arrangement ends? The data is deleted or still stored somewhere? And why would the consciousness of a dead person involve yet another dead person? And can the Wonderland staff decide on their own what is good or bad for the client and put an end to the arrangement without their consent?

Likewise, this technology is restricted to family or people are related by marriage, it would look logical from a legal aspect but how about an unmarried couple like who Suzy and Park Bo-gum played? It was never explained properly how Tae-joo got injured and why Jeong-in was so bent on keeping him "alive" in a fictitious world other than the flashback scenes which suggested that they were very much in love. However, what are the safeguards and controls to stop someone from abusing the system? Could someone just go to the company and ask for this service without making sure that it's not some jilted lover or stalker wanting to live out their fantasies through Wonderland?

I can do with a bit of guesswork through clues or indirect revelations in stories instead of having everything spelled out. However, I wonder how many people actually realised who Gong Yoo's character was until they did a search online. I for one couldn't find anything in the movie which indicated who he was (other than he seemed like a stranger with a romantic vibe) so I was flabbergasted to find out - how did the director expect the viewers to know for sure? And why was the Wonderland staff able to contact him to go and save another dead person in her fictional world? I would expect to find out and know everything about the story through the movie itself but if I have to fill in the blanks through Wikipedia or Google after watching, it totally defeats the purpose of watching the movie in the first place. This is somewhat similar to watching a drama and they tell you that you have to watch the spin-off for the ending. Equally, if not even more annoying, I would say.

I don't have an issue with using the cast lineup as "bait" because interest needs to be generated for people to have the urge to check out the work. While the synopsis can be a clue into telling whether the work will be your cup of tea, the façade still has to be attractive enough since first impressions do matter. The worst thing that can happen is, the story is beyond salvage that not even a star-studded or capable cast can uplift it. 

In view of this reason, it is hard to critique the cast's performance because I felt that the lacklustre acting wasn't entirely their fault. The story itself did not make much sense in the first place with so many loopholes and lacked logic despite being a sci-fi fantasy. With a crippling script like this, I wonder if the cast did understand what the director or scriptwriter was trying to convey in the first place because the characters lacked much depth and emotions portrayed were superficial at best. This could jolly well turned out to be something which was more emotionally moving but alas, it was not meant to be.

Open-ended stories without everything laid bare are fine. Implied developments and settings are still acceptable. What feels like a journey to nowhere is something like this movie when you end up wondering - "and then, so what?". Perhaps it is more important to work on crafting the story to make some sense rather than banking on big names to save a sinking ship.