Jo Hyun Jae

Today is the big day!  The Korea Festival 2010 “Big Thanks in Thailand” charity auction begins today at the Esplanade Cineplex in Bangkok (Nov.30 – Dec.5.)   What follows is a promotional clip of this event.

This news and photos are supplied by our friend Sky who, along with other Thai fans, will of course be on hand to bid for JHJ’s favourite personal items which will kick off the festival, together with those donated by TVXQ, Super Junior, and Girls Generation.  (Ed: Please note that JHJ is the only actor among the 3 top K-POP groups.)  The auction begins at 6:35 p.m.

Some of the JHJ items will be auctioned today.  There will be another auction on Dec.3.

UPDATE !! รายละเอียดวันประมูลของสุดพิเศษค่ะ 1 วัน, 

Korea Festival 2010 “Big Thanks in Thailand”

ที่จะมีในวันที่ 30 พฤศจิกายน – 5 ธันวาคม 2553 ณ Esplanade Cineplex งามวงศ์วาน-แคราย

ซึ่งมีข่าวดีมาบอกว่า ในวันที่ 30 พฤศจิกายนนี้ เราจะทำการประมูล ของรักของหวงของศิลปินชื่อดัง
ดังนี้
- TVXQ
- Super Junior
- Girls Generation
- Cho Hyun Jae

ขอบอกว่าแฟนคลับห้ามพลาดเด็ดขาดนะคะ งานนี้ !!

อย่าลืมนะคะ วันที่ 30 พฤศจิกายนนี้

A super Japanese fan arinarin identified this JHJ cap 

130 Korean actors and singers have donated their favourite personal items to be auctioned in aid of Thai flood victims.  The proceeds are expected to reach 1 million Thai Baht.

(For more details, please see our Nov.25 post “JHJ participates in Thai charity auction” under Category: JHJ news.)

(Credit: www.happykorea.com; www.thaitv3.com; http://club.brokore.com/sodonyo; www.johyunjae.hk. Thanks!)

Jo Hyun-Jae’s Thai fans made this MV in 2009, a year after his visit to Thailand.  Their love and longing are so evident.  We love you just the way you are, they say.  Don’t we all! 

(Credit: Video from http://www.johyunjaefans.net.  Thanks!)

 Here are more photos of the 2010 Japan Fan Meeting DVD.

The DVD comes with a photo album of the Japan Fan Meeting.  (At least those who ordered the DVD at the fan meetings received the photo album.  We’re not sure about later orders placed through the Official Japan Fan Club website.)  Below is the book cover and a video showing flipping of pages.

There are more — 6 autographed photos of JHJ (which they call Post Cards)!

(Credit: Param of http://cafe.daum.net/hyunjaelove; http://jo-hyunjae.com; www.johyunjae.hk.  Thanks!)

Jo Hyun-Jae has inspired our Contributing Editor prissymom to try her hand at poetry.

I have been busy for the past few weeks with personal stuff so that it took me a day and a half before I saw JHJ’s cover photo for his 2011 calendar.  But when I saw it, I couldn’t stop myself from squealing with delight!  My husband, who was upstairs at that time, had to rush downstairs to check what made me squeal so loud.  And when I showed him the reason, he just shook his head and looked at me like I was some demented woman.  

Looking at JHJ’s 2011 calendar cover photo reminds me of a popular nursery rhyme titled “What are little boys made of?”  The poem is attributed to the English poet Robert Southey (1774-1843).  Here are the lyrics of the popular rhyme:

What are little boys made of?

What are little boys made of?
What are little boys made of?
Frogs and snails
And puppy-dogs’ tails,
That’s what little boys are made of.

What are little girls made of?
What are little girls made of?
Sugar and spice
And all that’s nice,
That’s what little girls are made of.

JHJ’s cover photo for his 2011 calendar reminds me of the time when I was young and learning this nursery rhyme with my classmates (all girls).  It was a time of innocence, untouched by loss and sorrow, a time when everything around me was nice and good and beautiful.  It is truly amazing that a picture of a 30-year-old man would move me to remember those innocent childhood memories.  It even moved me enough to try my hand at writing a poem of my own.

What is Jo Hyun Jae made of?

What is Jo Hyun Jae made of?
What is Jo Hyun Jae made of?
Beautiful smiles, and sparkling,
Innocent eyes.
That’s what Jo Hyun Jae is made of.

What does Jo Hyun Jae remind me of?
What does Jo Hyun Jae remind me of?
Sugar and spice
And everything nice
That’s what Jo Hyun Jae reminds me of.

Please excuse my amateurish attempt at writing poetry.  It’s just that I am a very happy JHJ fan right now  – there’s a spring in my steps, a lilt in my voice, a smile on my face, and a cheerful tingling in my heart.  I see the future, JHJ’s future, in hopeful and bright tones.  It is truly amazing what one JHJ picture can do to lift JHJ’s fans’ spirits.

(Credit: Photo designed by prissymom.  Thanks!)

More of the same but with a couple of additional photos.

Above – the DVD cover, the inside, and the back cover respectively

Below – extracts from the DVD

Nothing we haven’t seen before, but still happy to see JHJ again (since the man is still keeping himself under wraps.)  We’re tired of fending off queries from JHJ fans asking what he is doing.  We don’t know!  Nobody knows!  JHJ official websites are not telling.  We’re just grasping at straws and working ourselves up.  The first criterion of a JHJ fan is to have the patience of Job.

This is just something to keep JHJ fans happy while our DVD is on its way to us.  As soon as we’ve got it, we’ll share more with you.

(Credit: EVERjohyunjaeJAPAN; EVERjohyunjae.co.kr; http://jo-hyunjae.com; www.johyunjae.hk.  Thanks!)

2010.07.06

No JHJ sightings this morning, even though the Thai fans were vigilantly waiting in the Baiyoke Sky Hotel.  The word was JHJ had too much to drink last night and had a hangover.  The drinking continued after they returned from MK Restaurant.  Everybody must have been feeling good after the fan meeting, so they got high.  And this morning JHJ could not get up.  The Thai fans were whispering this to us, and at first they made us swear to keep this secret.  But what’s the big deal?  This is normal behaviour for a young man.  Who has not been drunk and suffered from a hangover?  Finally they gave us permission to mention this.  If you’ve always thought that JHJ is too uptight and inhibited, well, this makes him more human, more manly.

JHJ stayed in his room all day until dinner.  They went to a Korean restaurant which has since closed.   His flight was at night — he flew back to Nagoya and onto Seoul, arriving on the early morning of the next day.  Many of his Thai fans were at the airport to see JHJ off — some even in the Restricted Area.  (Nothing is impossible in Thailand, remember?)  T proudly told us she was the first to greet JHJ on his arrival on June 29 and also the last to see him off on July 6, both times shaking his hand.  T, you’re really something!

JHJ’s departure from Bangkok Airport on July 6, 2008

Postscript

I learnt a valuable lesson on star-chasing from the Thai fans on my trip.  They have all obtained JHJ’s autograph and shaken his hand every time they saw him in Bangkok or Pattaya.  But how did they manage? (given JHJ’s handlers’penchant for driving fans off with “No photos! No photos!”)

Take J who is a lady if ever there was one.  She said she just went up to JHJ at the airport restricted area (where she worked), handed him two photos and said: “Please sign.” and he obliged very politely.  Something J said hit a chord: “This may be my only chance to get his autograph, so I have to seize the opportunity.”  Yes, who knows when we can see JHJ again?

(Left) J’s JHJ autographs; (Right) her 3 JHJ T-shirts – yes, she’s got all 3 T-shirts that JHJ wore on his Thai trip (on arrival, at the Baiyoke Sky, and at the jasmine tree site.)  Photos courtesy of J – Thanks!

But it is T who wins hands down for audacity and resourcefulness.  Every time she saw JHJ (and that is every day), she went up to him and extended her hand (which he was of course too polite not to take.)  And she asked for his autograph — just like that.  “But aren’t you put off by his handlers ‘No photos! No photos!’?” I asked.  “No!” she replied without thinking.  “No photograph does not mean no autograph.” Who can beat such logic?

So now we know.  B said: “Next time we see JHJ again, don’t stop me from asking for his autograph.”  You go ahead.  I’m shy and retiring, and JHJ obviously does not like physical contact with strangers.  And I resent being told off by his handlers who do not seem to understand that fans are an actor’s bread and butter.  Of course it is different if I’m young and pretty like the Thai fans.  As it is, this ajuma is content to look at JHJ from a distance.

The Thai fans are a cheerful and fun-loving lot — we laughed our heads off when they’re relating their exploits.  They wear their hearts on their sleeves — they are genuine, sincere, warm, considerate, friendly, and utterly devoted to JHJ.  No wonder JHJ could feel so relaxed in Thailand.  More than one Japanese fan have remarked that JHJ seemed to enjoy himself in Thailand more than in Japan.  Of course in Japan it was all work, whereas in Thailand it was business-cum-pleasure.  The Japanese ladies are more reserved; the Thai fans are spontaneous and spirited.  JHJ is by temperament shy and inhibited, so I think it is a pleasant change for him to let his hair down for a little while.  After all, his Thai trip was a working vacation.

I would like to thank once again all our Thai friends for making our trip an enjoyable and memorable one, especially S, J, K, T and everybody who came to the jasmine tree picnic and to lunch (even the airport!) afterwards.  Seeing you is the next best thing to seeing JHJ in person.  Let us remain united behind JHJ, fighting!  Until the next time we meet…..

(THE END)

(Credit: JHJ photos from Thai fan sites — see names on photos. Thanks!)

This MV was originally set to a Chinese song.  KK, at our request, changed it to the Johnny Mathis oldie “A Certain Smile” for wulijohhyunjae.  Our readers probably won’t relate to a Chinese song, but most of you may be too young to know this song (Please see lyrics after MV.)  This “certain smile, certain face” really make our hearts sing and haunt our hearts.

KK is suffering from a shoulder/arm injury, but she is inspired by that one new JHJ photo to create this MV, although she has to resort to using old photos.  We are most grateful — a BIG “Thank You” to KK!

A Certain Smile

A certain smile, a certain face
Can lead an unsuspecting heart
On a merry chase
A fleeting glance can say
So many lovely things
Suddenly you know why my heart sings

You love awhile and when love goes
You try to hide the tears inside
With a cheerful pose
But in the hush of night
Exactly like a bitter sweet refrain
Comes that certain smile
To haunt your heart again

(Repeat)

(Credit: MV by KK of johyunjae.hk. Many thanks!)

The JHJ Official Japan Fan Club (OJFC)  has just extended the deadline for the purchase of the JHJ 2011 calendar to November 30. 

To all those fans who have asked us to get the calendar for them — we’re going to try to get it from the OJFC and not wait for the KOW (which so far has not announced any details.)  Price: 2,310 yen (plus postage and handling.)  If there is any discrepancy in price with the KOW, we cannot be held responsible.

The OJFC announcement comes with the photo below.  We don’t know whether this is one of the photos in the calendar or not.  In any case, this is the second new photo of JHJ in a long time, and you can see his shoes more clearly than his face.

(Credit: http://jo-hyunjae.com.  Thanks!)

Some lucky fans in Japan have already received the 2010 Japan Fan Meeting DVD and the photo album.  They are supposed to be released on Dec.1, well, this time, they* are actually early!  (* Frau International)

When we have received ours, we will share more details with you.

Three photos are included

JHJ’s autograph

(Credit: usabell of http://club.brokore.com/sodonyo; DVD cover photo from amazon.Japan.  Thanks!)

2010.07.05

This was the morning of the Green Campaign — the jasmine tree planting ceremony.  It must be so refreshing for JHJ to be doing something outdoors.  The trees were to be planted at a park about half an hour’s drive from the Baiyoke Sky Hotel.  (Please see our Nov.15 post “JHJ’s jasmine tree” under Category: JHJ fan meetings/Trips as JHJ fan”.)  

The highlight of JHJ’s Thailand trip, the fan meeting, was in the afternoon.  The venue was the SF Cinema at Central World.  The following photos show the route that JHJ took to the cinema.

Here are some photos and a video of the fan meeting.

After the successful completion of the fan meeting, JHJ and everybody involved (KTCC and Korean staff) went to a celebration dinner at the MK Restaurant.  MK is a chain restaurant in Bangkok, but this one is different — housed in a renovated old building, very classy, very elegant, as you can see from the following photos.

That’s the table where JHJ and he party sat on Jul.5, 2008

JHJ and his manager Mr. Lee (2nd from left) and the KTCC boss (left) and his wife (right).  We took a photo exactly like this but decided it’s best not to show our ajuma faces. 

This is the restaurant we went to at 4 p.m. to have dinner before the Siam Niramit Show on Nov.12.  MK specialises in hot pot: JHJ had shabu-shabu (beef) but we chose seafood.  According to informed sources, JHJ was very relaxed and relieved the job was done.  He drank a lot and had a hangover the next morning.  Everybody had a good time that night and heartily celebrated the successful completion of JHJ’s business-cum-pleasure trip to Thailand.

(TO BE CONTINUED)

(Credit: Photos and video of Thai fan meeting from Thai fan sites – see names. Thanks! Other photos by wulijohyunjae.)