A.W.W. [ MANGA/MANHWA ]

pronounced: mahn-gah and mahn-wah

Defined by UrbanDictionary.Com:

1.Japanese comic books/graphic novels. The word literally means "whimsical pictures" in Japanese. 2.There are 6-7 major types of manga, each having its own audience. Kodomo manga is for children. Shonen manga is for boys ages 12-18 , Shoujo manga is for gilrs age 12-18. Josei manga is for adult ladies above the age of 20, mainly working women. Seinen manga is for young men between the ages of 18 and 30, and Hentai manga is pornographic, adult manga. 3.Manhwa is comic/graphic novels produced in Korea by Korean artists/authors.

Examples:

Did you read the lastest manga by CLAMP?! It's so awesome!

The only manhwa I've read was Bride of the Water God.

To be honest, I've read a lot of manga including Sailor Moon and Cardcaptor Sakura. Yeah, I'm a nerd but I guess everyone has their own dark secrets...Most Americans think manga is cartoon porn. Sure, there is a specific genre just for that, but it is not every manga series out there. Many Japanese/Korean dramas and movies are directly taken from manga stories and are immensely popular.

K Pop Obsession: TeenTop's Supa Luv

TeenTop just came back with their new single, "To You" but I didn't really like it...It kinda sounds like, "Do you..." I actually am not a huge fan of these boys. They definately have the vocal and dance skills to really kill it, but I'm not too fond of their music/song themes. I also am not too fond of some of the members, they look a little "slimy?" So instead here is a TeenTop song I love better, "Supa Luv."

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

Overall Rating: ♥♥♥/5

K Drama - Oh! My Lady

Genre: Romance, Comedy
Episodes: 16
Network: SBS
Broadcasted: 2010-Mar-22 to 2010-May-11
Lead Actors: Chae Rim, Choi Siwon, Lee Hyun Woo, Park Han Byul

My Rating: ♥♥♥/5














Nothing too different than most Korean Romances...but it does have Choi Siwon from Super Junior in it...LOL. Not the biggest fan of SUJU (don't kill me ELFS!) or Siwon for that matter (please don't kill me) but I thought he was okay in it. I think there was a shower scene in it??? I can't remember but there are definitely scenes with him shirtless. The ex-husband is a douche-bag, I really hope most people aren't as cruel and heartless as he was in this drama...man...

I don't know what it is but there's just something so cute and attractive about a good-looking man with his daughter at the zoo!

Basic Synopsis:Thirty-five year old, Yoon Gae Hwa is a spunky and hardworking mother who recently divorced from her cheating husband. Working as a housekeeper can only get her by so much as she fights to get the custody of her little girl. After a couple of odd coincidences, she becomes the housekeeper and manager of the popular singer/actor Min Woo.

A.W.W. [ POCKY ]

pronounced: pok-ki

Defined by Wikipedia:

1.a Japanese snack food produced by the Ezaki Glico Company of Japan. Pocky was first sold in 1966, and consists of a biscuit stick coated with chocolate. It was named after the Japanese onomatopoetic word for the sound Pocky makes when bitten, pokkin (ポッキン).

Examples:

Please buy me some Pocky when you go to the Asian grocery store.

Let's share a Pocky kiss!

Pocky is my favorite! I love it! Chocolate is the best! You can also get strawberry, vanilla and special ones with almond crunches. Word of advice, even though US grocery stores now carry Pocky in the "Ethnic Foods" sections, it's really expensive and it shouldn't be! Go to your nearest Asian grocery store and you can get the regular sized boxes for $0.99 or less! Don't be paying $1.99 for a box of Pocky. Pocky is worldwide! In Europe, it was renamed to Mikado. In Malaysia it was changed to Rocky and in South Korea there is a similar product called Pepero.

K Pop Obsession: JJ Project's Bounce

Not too much I'm interested in this week...here is something a little more unusual for me. I've never heard of them, but I guess they are signed on with JYP. This weeks obsession is the silly and "bouncy" JJ Project's "Bounce."

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

Overall Rating: ♥♥♥.5/5

Panda Dogs

And now...panda dogs for your pleasure.

A.W.W. [ ONIGIRI ]

pronounced: oh-nee-gi-ri

Defined by Wikipedia:

1.Also known as omusubi (お結び; おむすび?) or rice ball, is a Japanese food made from white rice formed into triangular or oval shapes and often wrapped in nori (seaweed). Traditionally, an onigiri is filled with pickled ume (umeboshi), salted salmon, katsuobushi, kombu, tarako, or any other salty or sour ingredient as a natural preservative. 2.In Korean, it is called "jumeok bap" (Hangul: 주먹밥) or "samgak gimbap" (Hangul: 삼각김밥), literally "fist-rice" or "triangle-seaweed-rice," respectively.

Examples:

Mom! Did you pack some onigiri in my lunch box?

I spent all night trying to make cute onigiri, but I suck!

Never had it, want to make it, seen it some really cute bento boxes. Give it to me! I guess, I'll have to try and make some! Yay! Really cute ones have faces on them made with seaweed and the shapes are perfect. I'm not sure if I have to skill to make them so nice. ^-^;

K Pop Obsession: Infinite's The Chaser

Omg! Omg! OMG! My favorite boy group has comeback! Sooooo awesome!!!! "The Chaser" has a very different sound than what is currently popular in the k-pop scene and I love it! It suits their image perfectly...and the music video is not too bad either! I love you Infinte!

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

Overall Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥/5

K Drama - What's Up, Fox?

Alternate Names:Hey Fox, What do you want to do?
Genre: Romance, Comedy
Episodes: 16
Network: MBC
Broadcasted: 2006-Sep-20 to 2006-Nov-09
Lead Actors: Ko Hyun Jung, Kim Eun Joo, Chun Jung Myung, Son Hyu Joo

My Rating: ♥♥♥/5













I saw this a long time ago, the lead actress Ko Hyun Jung (The Great Queen Seonduck) is not someone who I think is particularly amazing, she's beautiful but I think she looks way better in historical dramas. When I saw her in "The Great Queen Seonduck" I thought, "she looks very familiar...where have I seen her?!" And I'm just realizing now, it was from this drama! In "Queen Seonduck", Ko Hyun Jung plays the clever villian, Misil...in "What's Up, Fox?" she plays a writer for a men's porn magazine?! So drastic!

This drama toys with the older woman, younger man relationship. But what makes it realistic is, the actors really look like the age they are portraying. There is a lot more persecution and hardships for this couple. One moment the female leads mother is loving this guy who is like a young son to her the next, she's hitting him and kicking him out when she finds out he's dating her older daughter?! It's like WTF?!

Basic Synopsis:Single, 33 year-old Go Byeong Hee works as a reporter for a sex magazine. She wants more romance and a more respectable life, but isn't sure how to get it. Twenty four year-old Park Chul Su, mechanic and world traveler, is the younger brother of Byeong Hee's best friend. He's a free spirit and not concerned with what the world thinks. One night the two old family friends get drunk and wake up in bed together. Go Byeong Hee wants to forget it ever happened, especially since a good marriage prospect has just made an appearance. Unfortunately for her, Chul Su has other ideas....

(Oh yes, and in Korea women who are troublesome/man-hungry etc. are compared to foxes while men are compared to wolves).

A.W.W. [ MAHJONG ]

pronounced: mah-chong

Defined by Wikipedia:

1.Mahjong is a game that originated in China, commonly played by four players (with some three-player variations found in Korea and Japan). 2.Similar to the Western card game rummy, mahjong is a game of skill, strategy and calculation and involves a certain degree of chance.



Examples:

Did you know Grandma is a Mahjong champion in China?!

Can we please play Mahjong instead of Poker, please???

When I come across Mahjong, I always think of a bunch of old people playing at a table, drinking until wee hours of the night. Or..or of Chinese comedy movies. I actually have a Mahjong set I received as a Christmas present and I have yet to crack it open and learn! I will! I swear I will learn to play!

Quick/Basic Rules:

The game is played with a set of 136 tiles based on Chinese characters and symbols. In most variations, each player begins by receiving thirteen tiles. In turns, players draw and discard tiles until they complete a legal hand using the fourteenth drawn tile to form four groups (melds) and a pair (head). There are fairly standard rules about how a piece is drawn, stolen from another player and thus melded. The use of simples (numbered tiles) and honours (winds and dragons), the kinds of melds, and the order of dealing and play. However there are many regional variations in the rules; in addition, the scoring system and the minimum hand necessary to win varies significantly based on the local rules being used.

K Pop Obsession: B.A.P's Power

Nothing really new in the K-Pop world this week, well...nothing that was really exciting, so I'm making sure to bring up B.A.P's latest MV "Power." It's already been 100+ days since their debut and they are still going strong! This music video is just as good as "Warrior." I still love "Warrior" more than "Power" but who doesn't like interplanetary travel???

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

Overall Rating: ♥♥♥♥/5

Badass Kid

Ultimate LOLZ.

K Drama - My Princess

Alternate Names:I Love My Princess
Genre: Romance, Comedy
Episodes: 16
Network: MBC
Broadcasted: 2011-Jan-05 to 2011-Feb-24
Lead Actors: Song Seung Hun, Kim Tae Hee, Park Ye Jin, Ryu Soo Young

My Rating: ♥♥♥/5













This is yet another drama that uses the idea of Constitutional Monarchy in South Korea. A lot of the same themes of "rags to riches" and "sacrifice for the greater good" are beaten to death. Yes, if you become a princess you sacrifice freedom and love so you can devote yourself to representing and helping you country. I'm kinda tired of these similar dramas.

The ending is very "meh" but I don't know how you would really end it. The lead actress Kim Tae Hee (IRIS) looks very similar to Secret's maknae "Blank head" Han Sunhwa.

Basic Synopsis:Lee Seol is one of two adopted daughters of a single mother who comes to find out she's actually the princess of Korea! She think she hits the jackpot with fabulous eats and a huge closet. But being a princess is not what it's cracked up to be with endless studying and crooked politics.

A.W.W. [ KAWAII ]

pronounced: kah-wah-ee

Defined by UrbanDictionary.Com:

1. An adjective in Japanese meaning "pretty, cute, lovely, charming, dear, darling, pet" It's stem is two kanji meaning "can love". It is commonly used by anime and manga fans.

Examples:

Oh you look so kawaii!

My cat is so kawaii.



I use this work all the time! Even now...especially with my little bro! We run around yelling kawaii! Kawaii! Kawaii! About girls, pets and cute things in general.

K Pop Obsession: TaeTiSeo's Twinkle

Another obsessive week has come and there are so many to choose from! Seriously, just two weeks ago there was literally, nothing. I mean it, NOTHING! Now there's so many it's not fair I have to choose one. So if I have to then this week it's gonna be Girl's Generation's subunit TaeTiSeo's "Twinkle." The group is made up of leader Taeyeon, Tiffany, and Seohyun and the song came out better than I thought it would. It has a really nice, rich, roaring 20's sound to it that is echoed by the voices of the girls. Good job ladies!

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

Overall Rating: ♥♥♥♥/5

Fruit Children Do a Little Dance

Today I found this lovely little gem. It's little girls dressed up as fruit, dancing in a supermarket. I think it's some sort of music video??? Or possibly some sort of footage used for a commercial??? I have no idea, it's very cute though. And their expressions are so kawaiiiiiiiii! Very talented dancers.