It's been almost 9 months into this Running Mondays column, and to many, this post may seem to come pretty late. If you've been a constant reader of all the Running Mondays posts up to this point, you should know that this column is primarily written for those with a tad bit more experience with the hit variety show, and most of the articles will sail over the average newcomer's heads.

So, because of this, I've concluded that I would like to begin from the basics and to try winning over fans for Running Man. As a huge fan, it brings me no greater pleasure than to see more and more people tuning in to the show and getting addicted to it like I did a year and a half ago. A fantastic show like Running Man should be able to attract everyone, and here are 15 reasons why you should be watching Running Man (if you aren't already)

#13 It's funny



Make no mistake. The foremost reason Running Man is one of the top variety shows in the world is because the show is hilarious. Almost every single element in the show will get you in fits of giggles and plain out bellows of laughter. Don't believe me? Try it for yourself.

#12 Nametag ripping



Running Man is the first variety show to implement the nametag ripping game, and subsequent nametag ripping as a way of elimination. While it may seem quite simple at first watch, you'll soon discover that nametag ripping has its own thrills, and your hand may even itch to try ripping off someone's nametag as well. #truestory

#11 World renowned guests



Jackie Chan, Big Bang, BoA, Patrice Evra, Park Ji-sung, SNSD (Girls Generation) and many more world stars count among the celebrities who have competed with the Running Man members throughout the course of its run. With so many big names appearing, Running Man also doubles as a star watching variety show.

#10 Sequels



There are a lot of things which keep people coming back to the show, and sequels are one of them. Running Man employs the use of sequels throughout the show to keep the viewers wanting more. Notable sequels are the Yoomes Bond episodes (ep. 38, 91, 140), the Running Man Hunter trilogy (ep. 52 + 53, 69, 118) and the upcoming Avengers sequel following episode 150.

#9 Interesting games



Running Man has a lot of games, some of which are absolutely hilarious. Creatively thought out and carefully organized to fit the Running Man criteria of balancing funny/victory, these games form the crux of every episode. While the games are primarily played to decide a winner, the Running Man members keep it as funny as they possibly can. Winning is not everything, but the spirit of variety must prevail in the end.

#8 Different locales 



Running Man boasts an impressive display of different locations, from museums to discovery centers and even the City Hall, crisscrossing famous landmarks all around South Korea. It's also a widely traveled variety show, having also done overseas special episodes in Bangkok, Beijing, Hong Kong, Macau, Shanghai and Vietnam to the joy of their legions of fans. It's like a travelogue, with a lot of laughs.

#7 The members



The Running Man members; Yoo Jae-suk, Ji Suk-jin, HaHa, Kim Jong-kook, Gary, Lee Kwang-soo and Song Ji-hyo are near irreplaceable at this point. They are equally well loved throughout the world, and a loss of a single member (even though it is dismissed as mere rumors) may result in a lot of wailing and gnashing of teeth. If there's any reason for you to watch the show, it's for the members and their antics. Each member has a uniquely developed character that loyal followers have come to love through the entirety of the episodes. It's not too late to start now.

#6 Stress destroyer



Laughter defeats stress. Running Man causes laughter. You watch Running Man. Therefore, you defeat stress. Simple and straightforward.

#5 Different concepts



Running Man is one of the shows which employ a variety of concepts throughout. Boasting episodes which include gems like the Tru-Gary Show, a Prison Break-like Yoomes Bond special, the Superpower and Reincarnation episodes, to the more recent Avengers episode, there is literally nothing stopping the Running Man showrunners from coming up with more and more ideas for new episodes week after week.

#4 The relationships



Aside from the members' personal characters on the show, they also developed relationships which have endeared them to fans. The Monday Couple is a perfect example of this, but the other like the SpartAce, Easy Brother, Betrayal Club etc have also etched their place in Running Man history. Not only that, the Running Man members have been seen to be extremely close to one another off camera as well, proving that their 3 year relationship has blossomed from awkward strangers to something akin to family.

#3 Lee Kwang-soo



While he was a shy and mild mannered person when he first debuted on Running Man, the Giraffe has since taken on many roles; from the betrayer to the Icon of Misfortune. It works out fine for all of us viewers because Kwang-soo's variety spirit is getting stronger by the episodes, and that can only mean a lot of laughs.



#2 The dedicated staff



Running Man has got to have the most dedicated staff in variety shows, what with the amount of work that they go through week in, week out to bring the best episodes to your television (or laptops). From the PDs to the cameramen, the sound guys to the writers and possibly the most dedicated team of editors, they never fail to keep viewers entertained. It's a lot of hard work to produce a show with the same quality and standard week after week but that's the awesomeness of the Running Man staff.

#1 Shattered celebrity images



When watching the show, nothing is as it seems. Even the most serious of actors will suddenly show off their true variety spirit, and that means the most hilarious and natural side of celebrities will come forth. Song Ji-hyo and Han Hyo-joo, both top notch actresses in their own right, threw away that image and turned into a hilarious shadow of their actress selves. You'll never see them the same way again.

I hope that this is enough reason for you to go watch Running Man (if you haven't already begun) or that it has strengthened your love for the show as a whole. Leave a comment below for a future Running Mondays post you would like to read.

Cheerios!

Sometimes in my mundane of often uneventful life, I tend to get smothered by the relative lack of things to do. In fact, this uncomfortable smothering has led to me doing things I don't usually do. Last, last week was one such example, when I was pushed into a role of a mad scientist by the good people at Nuffnang Tastebuddies and NBrew, the liquid nitrogen gelato specialists. You know things just got real when both start with the letter N (N² is nitrogen gas, I Googled that), so BOOM! Scienced!

Today, I sat down with a few of my closest friends from high school for a yum cha session. This yum cha session was long overdue, and it wasn't an easy task to gather all of us together. Work commitments and their own growing circle of acquaintances had eaten up much of their time but we finally managed to gather, sit down comfortably and just chat the night away. Just like the old days.

I've encountered some pretty terrifying things in my lifetime. As a result, I'm pretty much scared to do almost anything alone, or even at all. Horror movies are the bane of my existence, and the only time I've finished sitting through an entire horror movie was when I fainted in shock. True story.

Because it's the 7th month of the Lunar Calendar, I thought I'd list out some of the scariest situations I've had to face in the 23 years of my existence. Note: Not all of these situations have to do with paranormal encounters, lest you avoid me for being a magnet for "dirty" things.

#7 Going up?

In Malaysia, driving on the roads is something akin to wrapping yourself in a skintight aluminium suit; you're uncomfortably trapped in an enclosed space for hours, with a huge chance of being killed by almost anything. Most Malaysian drivers are notoriously famous for being idiots on the road, with a skyrocketing rate of

This is not a post about other drivers on the road. This is a post about you, the driver. As we drive, we tend to exhibit some traits which are only found while inside a moving vehicle. This is a post about those traits. Don't kid yourself. You're in one of these categories.

#5 The Parent

The Parent is inside every one of us, sitting and biding its time to appear. The Parent occurs when you find yourself correcting the driving skills of everyone around you. You mumble and complain, you mumble some more and chatter, chatter, chatter away. To yourself. In your car. Y'know, like how parents always do. Don't worry. It happens to even the most zen of all drivers.

#4 The Paternal Blamer

You've probably yelled this at least once in your driving life; 'YOUR GRANDFATHER OWN THE ROAD MEH?'. This happens a lot especially when pedestrians and/or drivers hog up the entire road and sniff roses while an increasingly angry line of people get pissed off behind them. Yes, you may not know the grandfather of the snail in front of you, but this phrase still pops out of your mouth. It's awesome.

#3 The Perceptually Angry

The Perceptually Angry are always angry. At everything. Period.

#2 The Poetic

The Romantic poets used opium and alcohol to dull their senses and get sucked into a world of poetry, but 2 hour long traffic jams are equally as effective. While stuck in traffic jams, one's mind tends to wander, and sometimes, some of the best poetry are written while in the driver's seat. Here's one: "Roses are red, violets are blue. You cut me off, so &*%$ you!"

#1 The Perpetrator

The Perpetrator is the darkness lurking in every driver's heart. Whenever you see an opening to cut someone off, or to weave in and out of traffic, or even to dickishly take the emergency lane, that's when you become The Perpetrator. The Darth Vader to everyone else's Luke Skywalker, the Joker to everyone's Batman. You're a dick, that's what I'm saying.

Or, y'know, if you didn't bother to read any of the above, you can just watch this video instead. Whatever floats your boat, friend.

 

Cheerios!

The Minion craze has taken Malaysia by storm. If you don't know what a Minion is, or why it's taken Malaysia by storm, I suggest you poke your head out of your hobbit hole and head on down to the nearest 'magic station' to get a Facebook account. It's true. People (grown adults mind you!) are lining up in McDonald's just to get the cute little yellow buggers, and it's only a matter of time before someone finally snaps and starts a fight over the Minions. That'll officially be the stupidest thing people have fought over since you punched your brother for playing with the Ultraman toy too long.

Last week, something life changing happened to me. Although to be fair, I'm using the term 'life changing' as loosely as Justin Bieber's pants. I was actually approached for a role in a short video, but was later rejected because and I quote 'I don't look mature enough.' Now, the life changing thing which happened to me is not rejection. No, that happens to me almost every time I approach a girl so I wouldn't say it changed my life in any way. What really shook me to the core was that this is the first time in my life that someone did not take me seriously because I don't look matured enough.