K-Pop Obsession: JS&Hyuna's Trouble Maker

This will be the first k-pop obsession that doesn't have a music video yet! Scratch that, the video just came out the next day! I have been really excited about the mini-album, Trouble Maker, released by 4minute's Hyunah and B2st's Hyunseung. The tracks are all very different but they are all very well done. I thought the video was well done and sexy...great theme, great style and awesome vocals. The only thing I didn't get was the ending??? Eh? Fire? Why wasn't there more shooting? What a weird ending...



Visual Concept: ♥♥♥♥/5 Video Concept: ♥♥♥♥/5 Singing Talent: ♥♥♥♥/5 Music/Sound: ♥♥♥♥/5 Dancing: ♥♥♥♥/5 English Usage: ♥♥♥/5

Overall Rating: ♥♥♥♥/5

PONPONPON

So a while back I came across this music video by Japanese artist Kyary Pamyu Pamyu. The song is called "PonPonPon" and it is the weirdest thing I have ever seen! Freaks me out.

K-Pop Obession: BEG's Hot Shot

Happy Thanksgiving and goodluck Black Friday. This week's k-pop obsession is Brown Eyed Girls "Hot Shot." I just love BEG, they always have different and unique music compared to all the other girl groups. This beat is very sassy and gets you doing the rumba!



Visual Concept: ♥♥♥♥/5 Video Concept: ♥♥♥♥♥/5 Singing Talent: ♥♥♥♥/5 Music/Sound: ♥♥♥♥/5 Dancing: N/A English Usage: ♥♥♥.5/5

Overall Rating: ♥♥♥♥/5

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to all you Americans in the United States! Not only must we give thanks to all we have we must also remember how our ancestors took advantage of the American Indians for land and greed (LOL). Anyways on this day of thanks, I'll like to inform those of Korean Thanksgiving.

Korean Thanksgiving or Chuseok (추석) is the most celebrated holiday in South Korea. It's usually celebrated in the months of September or October (so you probably missed it). For three days, many people travel back to their hometowns to visit their familys and the graves of their ancestors. Of course, the traditions vary depending on religions, but there is usually at least one family feast. Some traditional foods include songpyun, a half-moon rice cake stuffed with any number of ingredients and steamed on a bed of pine needles.

East Asian folklore often mentions the Moon or Jade Rabbit. The rabbit is often associated during Chuseok and is often depicted pounding a mortar and pestle on the moon. In the picture at the top, you can see two rabbits on the moon making traditional rice cakes while young girls dressed in traditional Hanbok dance around in what is known as the Ganggangsullae Dance.

Korea Vogue and Wonder Girl's

With the girls recent comeback with "Be My Baby" they recently released these Alice in Wonderland themed pictures for Korea Vogue. Gorgeous images girls!

Katy Perry & BigBang

Katy Perry appears on MTV Korea with BigBang! She tells fans to make sure to buy their album because it's very good and that they're cute! ^-^ I love how G-Dragon is like "Woohoo Katy Perry!"

Drama - Mary Stayed Out All Night

Alternate Names: Marry Me, Mary!
Genre: Romance, Comedy
Episodes: 16
Network: KBS2
Broadcasted: 2010-Nov-08 to 2010-Dec-28
Lead Actors: Moon Geun Young, Jang Geun Suk, Kim Jae Wook, Kim Kyo Jin

My Rating: ♥♥♥/5















KIM JAE WOOK! KIM JAE WOOK! SARANGHAE!!!

*COUGH**COUGH*

First things, first. Sorry for not posting this on Drama Sunday, today I actually have the urge to write and research a bit. So so sorry! (I actually said that with a stereotypical Asian accent). Last week I was talking about Coffee Prince and how I love the Korean/Japanese actor Kim Jae Wook. Yay! In Mary Stayed out all Night, he actually gets a leading role! Yay! Yay! Yay! As one of the leading lady's love interest. Playing his rival, is the famous Jang Geun Suk (He's Beautiful etc.) who, although I find to be a good actor and musician, has a very weird smile that I don't feel is at all attractive. Jang Geun Suk is always playing the role of a singer/musician in dramas...I really want to see him break out of the mold and into something else. I have yet to see him in his latest movie, You're my Pet...I think it will be funny.

Once again, nice guys never get the girl. T^T Only the moody, meanie heads with jealously issues. And like any other Korean drama there are so many twists and complications that it's hard to explain to anyone who isn't a fanatic about Korean dramas. I am impressed with the lead character, Mae Ri. She's unusual in the fact that she doesn't follow the stereotypical jealous/clueless girl. She's actually intelligent, speaks her mind, and is understanding of all the people she interacts with. I can't say the same with all the other characters, but it is none-the-less interesting.

Basic Synopsis: Wi Mae Ri is the daughter of a father who has to constantly run around to escape from his debtors. When he runs into an old friend who promises to erase his debts only if Mae Ri marries his son, Jung In. To escape her fate, Mae Ri pretends to marry indie singer, Moo Kyul, who she first met by hitting with her car. Chaos ensues and Mae Ri is forced to split her time between the two men for a hundred days and choose who she wants to marry.

W Korea - Yoon Eun Hye & TOP

So no fan club today, I really wanted to post something a little different. Recently, I've been ranting about actress Yoon Eun Hye a lot. In almost every post this week I have somehow mentioned her. So now, in honor of W Korea's October issue, here is a look at a hot and sexy photo shoot in New York with BigBang's TOP and Yoon Eun Hye. Sexy, sexy! ^^

K-Pop Obsession: Miss A's Good Girl Bad Girl

Hello ya'll, this weeks post is none other than Miss A's "Good Girl, Bad Girl." This was actually stuck in my head a couple weeks ago but I decided to feature it today. Miss A is comprised of four members who are a little more unique to the girl group plethora. Maybe it's because there are only four members, but it's really refreshing. They have a kind of singing style that makes you swing your hips sassily. Like in all their music videos, be ready for some hip shaking and butts.



Visual Concept: ♥♥♥/5 Video Concept: ♥♥♥/5 Singing Talent: ♥♥♥♥/5 Music/Sound: ♥♥♥♥/5 Dancing: ♥♥♥♥/5 English Usage: ♥♥♥.5/5

Overall Rating: ♥♥♥.5/5

YesStyle.Com Models: Men's Edition!!!

So I've been meaning to do this for a while...Instead of Let's Learn Korean, we are going to do a feature on the male models of YesStyle.Com. Now, many many North Americans would not really get this idea of the Korean "Flower Boy". They're very feminine (gender bender) and fashionable, a metrosexual, if you will. Mistaking a man for a woman or a woman for man is very common. Get one thing straight, beauty and handsome-ness(?) is very different from North American and Asian standards...just keep that in mind. Some of the models below might leave you scratching your head but that's only because we live in the USA. Lol.

He really rocks hair in his eyes and a fur hood.	Sassy hip pose.
Reminds me of Jo Kwon of 2AM!!!	This is the outfit I wore today! He's rocking the murse.
Futuristic glasses with zippers.	Hi yah cutsey nerd. >.<
I tried harem pants once... disastrous.	This makes me go huh? I don't know...

Happy Belated Pepero Day!

Happy Pepero day! I'm sorry I'm late, it was on November 11th (11.11.11), but I was busy making wishes and...working. So for those of you who don't know Pepero day is basically Korean Valentine's day. Pepero is the Korean brand of Japanese Pocky, it's yum yum! I hope everyone made their wishes and got some chocolate!

Drama - Coffee Prince

Alternate Names: The First Shop of Coffee Prince
Genre: Romance, Comedy
Episodes: 17
Network: MBC
Broadcasted: 2007-Jul-02 to 2007-Aug-27
Lead Actors: Yoon Eun Hye, Gong Yoo, Lee Sun Gyun, Chae Jung Ahn

My Rating: ♥♥♥♥/5







Coffee Prince! Coffee Prince! Coffee Prince! I love Coffee Prince! I think I've already said this in previous drama posts but I love watching anything with actress Yoon Eun Hye. I just think she is good whether it is as a girl, boy, good, evil, sexy, cute anything! I just love her and as far as gender bender drama actresses I think she is far better than Park Shin Hye.

The drama follows the basic poor woman, rich man with gender bender spin to it, but I tend to love girly things like that. It also has actor Kim Jae Wook, who I think is super dreamy... And get this, in the drama he also speaks Japanese, makes waffles and wears black nail polish. I swear to god he is the reason why I started wearing black nail polish (I know what drama I'm going to do next weeeeeekkkk!!!). Oh yeah and because it is Yoon Eun Hye, the kissing/do it scenes are soooo much better, she is actually one of the few actresses who actually kiss back. Way to go! Love ya gal!

Basic Synopsis: Go Eun Chan, a Tae Kwon Do instructor, gives up her feminine image and lives her life with multiple jobs trying to pay off the debts of her family. Choi Han Gyul is a rich grandson of a huge food company who is forced to go on dates because of his grandmother. Han Gyul mistakes Eun Chan as a man and pays her to play his gay lover to fend off the blind dates. Han Gyul is then forced to take over a coffee shop going under and turn it into a profitable business. Eun Chan ends up with a job at the coffee shop but must keep her gender a secret. Romantic scenarios start to make everyone in the shop question his sexuality.

There's no trailer video for you guys this week because there is no good ones!!! Let me know if you have one.

Old Chinese People Cover Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance"

Dude, thanks to a video someone posted on my friend Ricky's FB I was able to laugh my guts out. Not only was I confused but truly impressed with what these people decided to pull on Chinese national television. Awwwwwwesooooooooome.



It's sung mostly in Mandarin, but with a Hunanese dialect? It turns out Gaga in Hunanese also means "Grandma" so now this is making a little more sense to me? Check out a rough translation below:

LAO LAI QIAO GAGA - "Old Folks Going Gaga"

Oh, oh oh.... beloved son...
Oh, oh, oh... 'go Gaga' & perform a song...

Lalala... 'go Gaga'
Lala...lalala
We're performing, don't [pass it off as unimportant]
(x2)

Your working days are too many, you hardly ever come home
At the other end of the phone, you're always busy with no end in sight
Busy with no end
Busy, busy, busy without end.

Your old folks pass their days learning and finding ways to amuse themselves
Cut back on the little details, but HOLD on to those grand occasions
Have to HOLD on,
Hold, hold, hold, have to HOLD on.

Beloved son, watch the singing on TV
Your father and mother didn't make any mistakes, did they?

Tonight, HOLD on as you see Mum & Dad within a second GO GAGA!

If you're satisfied, please stand up and applaud
Don't make us too nervous
If you're happy, sing along with us
Give us our moment on stage (?)

Lalala... 'go Gaga'
Lala...lalala
We're performing, don't [pass it off as unimportant]
(x2)

Hey, hey! The joy of being OLD!
'Gaga' can show you something: I'm so happy!
(x2)

Translation by Michanica

<= And OMG, you can also buy a t-shirt with that lady on it. Check out her particular performance on the vid at 3:20. The shirt is $20.99 and comes in men's and women's sizes. I wouldn't buy it, but I think it's really hilarious. GO HERE TO BUY. Hahahahahaha!

K-Pop Obsession - IU's The Story I Didn't Know

For this week, I've decided to go with a more mellow and emotional song/music video. It is solo artist IU's "The Story I Didn't Know." IU is a super talented singer/actress who debuted in 2008 at the tender age of 15. She can play the guitar, has worked with many artists/musicians in the industry, and has even composed some of her own songs. Not bad for an 18?

The song is about a young girl who is admitted into a mental ward after she loses her father. In the hospital she believes he visits her everyday, but in reality no one does. It's a very very sad song, but I've always been a sucker for clear, sweet voices paired with piano accompaniment. Right off the bat this music video caused a sort of scandal over the nature of IU and the "ghost-father" relationship. Many question if this father-daughter relationship is more of a Lolita one.

Opening Translation:
Doctor: Do you still have a lot of dreams these days? Perhaps you have anything that is uncomfortable?
IU: Well these days my body feels a bit strange. It's like it's not my own body... Doctor, isn't the weather strange today?
Doctor: By strange weather what do you mean?
IU: Hmm. Yes.. On these kind of days, I just feel like someone will come to look for me...

Ending Translation: Doctor: After a while you will return, right?
IU: He'll come. Everyone knows him as a father. But that person isn't a father.



Visual Concept: ♥♥♥♥/5 Video Concept: ♥♥/5 Singing Talent: ♥♥♥♥♥/5 Music/Sound: ♥♥♥♥/5 Dancing: N/A English Usage: N/A

Overall Rating: ♥♥♥♥/5

Adorable Baby Video!!! I dieeeeeee!

If I'm feeling down or blue, for whatever reason, I always seem to run into this video and it makes me smile!!!! This is baby Park Ye Rin at six months old. She is the sole reason why anyone would want children...period. Enjoy and have a great day! >.<

Drama - Heartstrings

Alternate Names: You've Fallen for Me / Festival
Genre: Romance, Music
Episodes: 15
Network: MBC
Broadcasted: 2011-Jun-29 to 2011-Aug-18
Lead Actors: Jung Yong Hwa, Park Shin Hye, So Yi Hyun, Song Chan Ui

My Rating: ♥♥♥/5













It's Sunday and that means we're already back to the drama of the week! This weeks edition features MBC's Heartstrings. This drama aired August 2011 and had a fairly popular rating. For me one of the biggest draws was that two characters were played by members of CNBlue!!! Yay! Love love love CNBlue and Yonghwa (Male Lead) and Minyuk (Supporting) are my favorites!

Even with the CNBlue members I still gave this drama a 3/5 because I found something to be a little lacking. I don't know what it is with Korean dramas but there is always this excessive amount of suffering; for the characters and viewers! Why must everyone suffer so much before it gets better?! Agh! The chemistry between the lead characters, Younghwa and Park Shin Hye, was really awkward to me. I know in real life they are like, best friends, so it must've been weird to have kissing scenes with your friend. In general, I think Korean drama kisses are strange and uncomfortable. The girl is always has her eyes open and their lips never move...weird...

I liked how they integrated Yonghwa's singing/playing talents and Park Shin Hye's singing and dancing into the drama. I also found the style of wardrobe to be very unique and cool.

Basic Synopsis: On a university campus, two very opposite people manage to run into each other. One, Lee Shin is passionately studying modern music and playing as the lead guitarist in his band "The Stupid" while Lee Kyu Won diligently practices traditional music on her gayageum. Lee Shin is cold and distant while Kyu Won is energetic and outgoing, yet somehow they seem to be smitten with each other as they work through the complications of the university's anniversary musical.

EATs: Mirror of Korean, MN

Today is my birthday! So I am blogging about what I want (not that I already do and yes I am blogging on my birthday)! Since I can blog whateva I want there is not going to be an edition of Join the Club, instead this post is about foooooooooooodddddd. In Minnesota, there are a couple authentic Korean restuarants. My friend Sarah and I want to try all of them, but so far we've only tried one and that is Mirror of Korea on Snelling in St. Paul. We LOVE this place. The atmosphere is nice, the prices are decent and most importantly, the food is NOM NOM NOM! The best strategy is to go with 3+ people and order a whole bunch of food and eat family style! I particulary missed my friend Lauren, who is over in England having fun, and wished she could've been here today to help us eat all the delicious food. Miss yooooou!!!! Today it was just us, but it was delicious... Spicey chicken, pepper beef with rice and green tea icecream for dessert! Yum!


{ MIRROR OF KOREAN }

Dine In and Take Out Available
Address: 761 Snelling Ave. N. St.Paul, MN 55104 Phone: 651.647.9004
Hours: Monday – 11:00am ~ 9:30pm Tuesday – Closed Wednesday – 11:00am ~ 9:30pm Thursday – 11:00am ~ 9:30pm Friday – 11:00am ~ 9:30pm Saturday – 12:00pm ~ 9:30pm Sunday – 12:00pm ~ 9:00pm

K-Pop Obsession: Infinite's Paradise

This weeks obsession is another song from Infinite!!! I don't know what it is, but I just really like that group. Like in "Be Mine" you have all the members singing and pining around one girl...and they're like...ghosts...They don't dance in the video (which is a shame), but hey! Everyone needs a breather! They're just such great dancers and can really hit those high notes.

Speaking of high notes, in the song they really hit them just right. Sure the song is reminiscent of the 80's but meh. You kinda forget after watching them do their hip-thrusting dance. I have no idea how they do that but it seems to work for them (must be the long legs). As for the English, they only seem to say Paradise, and it was decent.



Hip-Thrusting Live:


Visual Concept: ♥♥/5 Video Concept: ♥♥♥.5/5 Singing Talent: ♥♥♥♥/5 Music/Sound: ♥♥♥♥/5 Dancing: ♥♥♥♥♥/5 English Usage: ♥♥♥♥/5

Overall Rating: ♥♥♥♥/5