It's the first week of March and the crazy, funny, and sexy is coming out strong as we countdown the best kdrama moments. Check out all the scenes that you have missed, and rewatch those that you love in this weeks Top 5 Kdrama Countdown!
Song of The Week - 2ne1 Come Back Home
I chose this song for several reasons. The first being that I know that my fellow Crazy Ahjumma Shannen is in love with it (which is actually the reason I even watched it in the first place). And second, it really gets stuck in your head and refuses to leave, so maybe by passing it on to all of you I will be able to stop hearing the chorus every time I close my eyes. With an amazing heavy slow beat, Come Back Home has some great vocals as well as rap sections. Add to that a very flashy MV about the dangers of technology addiction and you have a great combo. So check out 2ne1's video Come Back Home and tell me what you think in the comments.
#5 We are Finally Back to the Beginning.
It has only taken us 101 episodes to get back to the first scene of the drama. The scene that personally sucked me in and made this a must watch show for me. I love how when I originally watched this in episode 1 I just saw the power hungry sister that was greedy for the throne (and don't get me wrong, she is a totally greedy ruthless female). But a hundred episodes later we see the same scene and realize that she is not heartless per say as just plain crackers crazy. The girls mind has broken and there is no fixing it. In her insanity she stabs the only person who loves her and is forcing her sister to kill her to keep her from hurting the country. A powerful beginning and an even more powerful ending to one amazing story arc. I am already dreading the ending of this show and it is one of the few kdramas I wish could just go on and on.
She's A Little Bit Crazy Clip
#4 Bathroom Hijinks
OK I'll admit it, Bride of the Century is my new crack drama. I don't know how it does it but it took every cliche out of the kdrama book, smashed them together, and hooked me in. I love the cheesy OTP (One True Pairing) hijinks, I love the slightly weird B Lead romance with the brother and his sisters look a like, I really really really love the random fate (more like a ghost forcing fate) situations that our couple get into. And my favorite fated scene (so far) happens in episode four and it has won a slot as #4 on my top list.
Na Doo-Rim & Choi Kang-Joo enjoy (although neither would admit it) a dinner together after which Doo Rim tells Kang Joo to do the dishes. This of course has him snarling and spitting that he is not a person who does dishes. She pretty much tells him to suck it up and thrusts all the dirty pots into his hands. He retaliates by letting some of the sauce dribble onto her cream colored dress. To save the dress she goes into the bathroom, takes it off and is scrubbing it clean only to slip, crack her head on the tub, and end up unable to move, lying only in a towel on the floor. Of course our main guy comes crashing into her rescue only to be distracted by her lack of clothing. He calls 911 and brings some clothes for her to wear, and since she can't move his help is needed to get clothed. Doo Rim makes him turn off the light first and then the two awkwardly attempt to get clothes on her. I love that she is constantly yelling at him to not touch there. HEHEHE This drama has the best unsubtle skinship and every time something like this happens I just have a huge smile on my face.
Naked in A Bathroom Clip
#3 Mo Il Hwa is Back!
SQUEEEEEEEEEE that is me totally going into fangirl mode when the character Mo Il Hwa (Song Jae Rim- 2 Weeks, Moon That Embraces The Sun) came back on episode 16 of Inspiring Generation. I have been a fan of Song Jae Rim since back when he was the stoic bodyguard in The Moon That Embraces the Sun, but my love of him has grown to the point that I officially put him on my bias list after this drama. His psychotic smiles and gentleman thug character have won my heart and when he was not in several episodes I have to admit that I was despondent. But never fear since he is not only back, but back in a big way. In episode 16 we see our Hero Shin Jung Tae
& his boss, Jung Jae Hwa (Kim Sung Oh- When a Man Loves), take on a large amount of ruffians wanting to take over their club. The two fight the mob but slowly start to lose ground just when Mo Il Hwa shows up, saving the girls, kicking a significant amount of thug bootie, and flashing his creepy smile. Sigh... I am seriously in love and can't wait til next week when he and Shin Jung Tae are forced to go head to head.
Mo Il Hwa is Back Clip
#2 Kidnapped
Wow! God's Gift-14 Days shot out of the gate and smacked us over the head with a huge rock of intensity. Even now my heart races at the thought of all the suspense packed into a single episode. I am very excited to see where this drama takes us and am amazed at Lee Bo Young's acting. I really enjoyed her in My Daughter Seo Young and I Can Hear Your Voice, but this time she puts both of those characters to shame. My #2 moment comes at the end of episode 1 where Kim Soo-Hyun (Lee Bo Young) is working at her true crime TV show. They are doing a live broadcast about a serial killer who had recently gone on a killing spree. I guess so said serial killer took this broadcast personally since he calls in the tip line and on air tells everyone (in the creepiest mechanical voice ever) that he is bored so he is going to change the game. We then hear a little girls voice say mommy over the phone just as Kim Soo Hyun is told that her daughter is missing by her nanny. The scene gave me chills. Truly terrifying and the start to a very intense and interesting drama.
Serial Killer Broadcast Clip
#1 An Ice Cream Kiss
We have a first for my kdrama countdown. For the first time it has nothing to do with a kdrama but actually a drama from Thailand..... that is a remake of a kdrama. OK, so it is kdrama related in a roundabout way, but still! I just have to tell you how extremely happy I am that I gave the Thailand's remake of Full House a try. It is absolutely the best! It fixes all of the things that I disliked about the original Kversion. For example I felt that the main characters in the kversion did not have the best chemistry (sorry Rain fans). Their hateful fighting and harsh words took a lot away from the romance. Not to mention it suffered from bad pacing, and the last third of the drama dragged on forever. Luckily for us the Thai's were able to fix these problems and produce a version with absolutely adorable leads with oodles of chemistry and a script that has perfect pacing. I was enjoying it so much that I quickly dramathoned all 16 episodes last week and was able to get caught up to the currently airing episodes. So in celebration I am giving Full House and its super steamy Ice Cream Kiss the #1 spot on my countdown.
To set the scene for those of you who don't know the story. Mike D.Angelo (an idol) and Aom-am (a writer) are in a contract marriage. His PR people decide that they are going to film a reality documentary about their epic love and requested that the couple do an ice cream kiss for the camera. An ice cream kiss is where both people share an ice cream cone together until they eventually are kissing. This is slightly awkward since they have never kissed but no worries, their chemistry explodes and one cold sticky steamy kiss is the result. Ice Cream Kiss Clip (I could not find a clip of just the kiss but it is the first scene following the opening recap)
Thanks for joining me for my weekly countdown! I really enjoy writing this blog post each week and look forward to any comments you might have. Am I really getting the best scenes of the week? Am I missing any dramas that you think are "must watch" dramas? Also if you are having any problems finding subs or links to any dramas I would be happy to help you out. I am very excited for the next several weeks since, in case you did not know, we are having a huge turnover with a lot of new dramas joining our list!!!!!!!! YAY, I love this time when all the planets align and I suddenly have 10 new dramas to watch all at once. I will be giving each drama a more detailed description and first observations recap later this week so be sure to check back if you are looking for something new to watch. Because there is nothing better then starting a new kdrama. Till next time.
Dramas that I am currently watching: Potato Star 2013QR23 A Well Raised Daughter (subs are behind in relation to the filming schedule) Bride of the Century Sly and Cunning Lady Can We Love King's Daughter Soo Baek Hyang Empress Ki Full House (Thailand version)- can find subs on Viki and Youtube. Lets Eat Golden Rainbow Inspiring Generation I Need Romance 3 - Be sure to check out my recaps! Emergency Couple Angel's Revenge (seconds away from dropping this one) Beyond the Clouds/Full Sun Ghost Seeing Detective CheoYong Wonderful Days Three Days God's Gift: 14 Days
Frankly, I don't know what to talk about today guys. I have been super busy these last few weeks, maybe you guys have been too, maybe not. The school year is winding to a close here in the Northern part of the Midwestern US. My kids are moving in on their last 10 days of school, which means school projects, field trips, report cards, testing, spirit days at school. Which has seriously put me behind in my drama/reality show watching time. Sigh. It's so hard to be me. {{I don't actually expect you to believe that.}} But while I have been running here & there & helping my kids finish up their school years, I have been listening to a lot of K Pop. It's really the only thing that is keeping me going right now. And lately I have been streamlining the girl groups. I may not have a lot to talk about today but I can leave you with a taste of what I am listening to lately. I would love to hear who your favorite girl groups of K Pop are to listen to. Do you even bother with the girl groups or are you all about the hot guys? If you have some more fun, light hearted, get you up & moving girl group songs to listen to I would love suggestions. Of course, below are just a few of my favs, but it gives you a taste of what I like, which as we all know; I will listen to anything & everything. Suggest away guys! I have an open mind! I hope you guys have a great week. See you in my review.
Saranghamnida,
The perfect getting ready for summer music, keeps this Unnie focused & On Task for her crazy family & helps her to handle the withdrawals from K Dramas.
The Girls of KPop:
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That ought to get you going...have a great week guys. Love Me! ^_^
Good Monday morning to you all! Okay, so it's probably not morning where you are, as I here towards the west coast have less than 45 minutes of morning still remaining. So we're going to call this Monday Afternoon Therapy. Monday afternoons can be just as annoying as Monday mornings so they deserve a little therapy once in awhile too. {And it's not just because I have been distracted this morning by an extra person in my house that normally wouldn't be here, throwing off my routine.}
So, what shall we talk about today, hmmm?
Just kidding. I actually have a topic this time. Like before I even started writing even. Whoa. Weird, huh?
It's a strange topic. But hopefully we can have a little fun with it.
Last night I got an email from The Husband. It was really funny because it actually fit this topic that I had already started mulling over just perfectly. Haha! Two weeks in a row I have to give him credit for either providing the topic or material for my chosen topic. LOL. It used to just be Ms Luckypants McGee who would inadvertently provide me with fodder, but it appears that the torch has, at least temporarily, been passed to Husband dear (who really really needs a cool moniker still if anyone has any suggestions).
What was the email, you ask? It was an article from Time World talking about K-Pop and commercials being a perfect match for each other. This whole Gangnam Style thing has really exploded, hasn't it? Everywhere I turn or tune they seem to be talking about it. And I don't turn or tune too often outside of my normal K world. But it's everywhere and the news is eating it up and spewing it back out, this article included. But it perfectly fits what I wanted to chat about today, so I'm thankful for the timing of it all.
One thing that I have begun to notice and enjoy along my K journey so far has been the abundance of favorite artists in the commercial world. These guys and gals hock everything from ice cream to home water filtration systems. But it's not just the fact that their images are plastered all over, it's the uniqueness of some of these ads that have caught my attention. For example, one of the songs I paid money for on iTunes was actually a phone commercial. Not that the song was used in a commercial, but that it was created for a commercial. And it was a huge hit and is a totally awesome song. Any idea which one I'm speaking of? It's probably hard to choose because it's not alone in this category. Other hit songs started off as commercials, or, since we're talking K stuff, I'm going to call them what they call them, CFs. Ever heard of Lollipop by 2NE1 and Big Bang? This was actually 2NE1's debut - their very first appearance. A commercial. A full-length music video commercial. How often do you see that on this side of the world? Like never. I adore this song and this video.
Speaking of Big Bang, one of my all-time favorite CFs they did was for Baskin Robbins way way back in the day. TOP's "brueberry cheecka cheecka cheesecake" is just so awesome. The Little Poppers and I love quoting that one still.
It's not just commercial products being sold by Big Bang. They are also being used as ambassadors. I don't know about you, but I know I was more excited about visiting Korea after seeing this spot.
And how about this one? Think that full-length songs and music videos are something special (which of course they are if done right and thankfully, they usually are), what about a full mini series staring one of our top leading men? You may know him as Goo Joon Pyo from Boys Over Flowers, Lee Yoon Sung of City Hunter, Jeon Jin Ho of Personal Taste, or even General Choi Young of The Great Doctor/Faith. Or, now, thanks to Toyota, Joon of Camry's One and Only.
(There's more than just this one video. But I just put up the first one. There's even a second "season" for the 2012 Camry where the story continues).
Of course, it's not just CF mini dramas being created by Lee Min Ho. The boy is well represented elsewhere, or more appropriately, representing well elsewhere.
How about an adorkable, dancing lover of banana milk?
Or the many cute and sexy sides of him enjoying a little Dunkin Donuts? This one is my personal favorite of his. I have seen it more times than I would like to admit to.
Here's one especially for Unnie. :D
I have never been jealous of a refrigerator. Til now.
These are obviously just a small sampling of what is available out there. When you need a quick fix of your favorite artist or group, why not do a little search to see what CFs they've done? You never know what jewels you might just find. Sure beats those annoying pharmaceutical commercials we contend with here. Oooh, I hate those things. If you're the type who watches the Super Bowl just for the commercials and you are a K-world addiKt? Wow - you've hit gold! Jackpot baby! Now I must ask... what are your favorite CFs that you've seen staring some of our favorite leading lads and ladies?
And, in case you haven't had enough, I have one more little gem for you. This one doesn't have an idol in it so it doesn't quite fit today's theme, but it's too awesome not to share. DramaFever has been featuring it this week on their site on FB and whatnot, so you may have already caught it. If not - or even if you did I think it still bears repeating - here is Bean Baby Fart Captain, the coolest and weirdest commercial I have ever had the pleasure of seeing. Thank you DramaFever for bringing it to my attention. I feel as if my life is more complete now.
Last week my sister joked about how she had provided the material for my MMT two weeks in a row. Or was it three weeks? Eh, who's counting? {she is apparently} Well, Ms Luckypants McGee, here we go again. This post brought to you with significant assistance from my sister, Ms LpMcG, or more accurately from her friend. No, not the JPop star this time. Turns out she leads quite the exciting life and has lots of interesting and cool friends. I mean, I have lots of interesting and cool friends too, but our adventures usually revolve around playdates and parks and kid-oriented stuff. Maybe the occasional GNO at Village Inn's Pie Night {mmm....pie...!}. Can't really blog about that here though now can I? But when my sister's friend, we'll call him Bob, goes to Korea for work for a couple of weeks - that?,now that I can blog about.
That's right, "Bob" is a really cool guy. Bob is one of my favorite people right now. Bob brought me Big Bang. Okay, Bob brought my son Big Bang, but you know, technicalities, whatever.
Now, I could make some crude joke here about how I have Big Bang on a hotel bed, but that would be crass and I'm a lady. Ladies don't cackle and ladies aren't crass.
But, it is a hotel bed and it is covered in Big Bang.
Lots and lots of Big Bang. And it's mine...all mine!!!! *cackle!* *cough cough* I mean, it's LP2's...all LP2s... :/
Yeah, fighting over a pack of posters... with my 9 year old son... in front of my family... on video... ... ... maybe not my proudest moment. But it was a pack of Big Bang posters. I think that that is excusable, don't you? I can only imagine what The Husband was thinking as he watched his wife and his 9 year old son fight over posters...of a boy band...from Korea.... o_O Good thing he loves me, huh? And is a very patient man. Saranghae Yebo!
Bob also brought the kids some cold hard cash. Thousands of won! We're rich! Like $3 whole bucks. Sweet! Do you know how cool it is though to see a piece of Korea and to be able to hold it in your hand, knowing that it was just there, in Korea, being handled by Koreans? Maybe even one of the idols we fangirl over respect the talent of? You never know. I could totally make some back story up about how this won came from...from...well, from someone cool and then you'd be all like "Wow! I want some idol won too!". But then I'd say, tough noogies because he's my sister's friend that went to Korea and came back with presents and he didn't bring anything for you. And then you'd be sad and cry and would probably never return to our blog and then we'd be sad and cry and so I'm not going to do that. The world is tough enough without me making everyone sad and cry. So this isn't idol won, just plain old won, but still, straight from Korea and therefore still totally awesomeness.
Not to leave sweet LP1 out, she also had a present...in the form of SHINee posters. And she, unlike LP2, has the added benefit of not having to share with her mother. Nope. These are all hers. Don't get me wrong, I love SHINee's music, I really do. In fact, the ringtone on my new phone is SHINee's Hello. It makes me smile anytime it rings. I'm just not fangirling over SHINee. They're a little too young for me. I do have to draw the line somewhere after all. ;)
This poster created quite the stir amongst my non-KPopping family. They didn't believe us that it was a boy band. Really? I guess I've been immersed long enough that I can't even see how you could not see that these were boys, even with the lipsticked-looking lips and all the pink. Lots and lots of pink. *shrug*
Sorry for the blur. Thankfully this one helped convince them that yes, indeed, these are boys, not girls. Oh silly family of mine.
Here are some shots of Big Bang on my bed this morning. I tried to get The Husband to agree to putting them up on our walls, but he wasn't too keen on that idea. I even offered to put them up on the ceiling, you know, so as to not mess with the aesthetics of the room, but he didn't go for that one either. Weirdo.
Ahhh...soak up the Big Bang beauty.....
Look - "Made in Korea"! And Big Bang written in hangul!
Nice huh? See why Bob is on my favorite people list? Bob, you rock. Sorry for calling you Bob by the way. You probably hate that. It was just the first thing that popped into my head. I beg your forgiveness. See, I was up until past 4am this morning working on a certain Love Rain post and so I'm a little brain dead this morning. Next time I'll give you a much cooler moniker, I promise.
And that concludes the picture portion of today's ADVENTURES in FANDOM. I mentioned that I have a new phone with a SHINee ringtone and how amazingly cool I am now, right? Well, the coolness doesn't stop there. Wanna know what else I scored thanks to the most amazing online friend, Bonnie? You ready for this? This is pretty epic and might make some of you crazy with jealousy in its epicness, so prepare yourself. You ready? Sure? Okay then.... You know Gil Ra Im's text tone from Secret Garden? Yup. That one. Oh yeah, it's mine baby! On the phone and the tablet. Unnie and I both snagged it (again courtesy of Bonnie who totally rocks!) and have been texting each other for days now just to hear it. "Munjawashon"!
Here's a clip I found on YouTube. There's another similar one floating around out there, but I've chosen this one because it has the Big Bang Secret Garden parody included and that just ads to the fun and awesomeness. Hyun Bin playing Gil Ra Im...is there anything cuter on this planet? Maybe TOP playing Hyun Bin playing Gil Ra Im.
In addition to the fun K-fandom sounds I now get to enjoy coming from my phone, I also have ordered a Big Bang cover for it. Once it arrives, the package will be complete. And then I'm going to go shopping at the Asiana Market which is Korean and Unnie is going to call and text me until someone, anyone, finally hears it and gets it. Isn't that what we addiKts all secretly want? Someone to GET it? Even if we're some white suburban mom - we are looking for that connection - that something that says "I am not alone". Even if I have to sit there all day with my phone going crazy - I will not rest until someone GETS it. Or I get hungry. Or have to go to the bathroom. Or my family gets impatient. But, those things aside, I will wait for that magical moment of validation. Maybe someone will even toss out a anyonghasaeyo my way. Maybe I'll get to even toss my own anyonghaseyo out there. You never know. Could happen and could be like the crowning point of my life up til now. Well, that and you know, other crowning points of my life like the birth of my children. Psh. Whatever. ;)
Okay fellow adventurers, that concludes today's ADVENTURES in FANDOM. Or, as I like to think of it, me talking about myself and my K-fan conquests of the weekend. I'd love to talk about you and your K-fan conquests too. That's what that comment section is there for. Share with us all. We get it, and after all, we've established that that's what we all secretly yearn for, right? Perfect opportunity right here. And while I'm on the subject, have you checked out our 100 Day Giveaway yet? Better act fast - $25 hangs in the balance and the contest ends Wednesday. Pick and choose from the list of entry options and then come back and leave us a comment. Don't forget the comment part - it's very important - as that is where we will be choosing the winner from. Leave a separate comment for every thing you do from that list. You're trying to get as many (up to 6) comments there as possible. Some of you have been playing along and doing some of the things on the list - totally awesome and thank you! - but forgetting to come back and comment. Don't forget the comment! Please - we want to give you every opportunity here, so don't forget to come back and tell us what you've done in order to be entered in the giveaway contest. We promise that we won't do anything nefarious with your comments, we're just desperate to hear from you all and to know that we too are not alone, and if it takes throwing money at you to get you to do that, then by golly, we're going to throw cash at you. Well, at least one of you. If you want a chance to be that one lucky person, take a few moments to click and then come back and comment. Unnie will be announcing our winner on Wednesday in her Write Up (right, Unnie? Maybe should have covered that one before announcing it here in one of our many "business meetings"). So, get busy! Time's a-wastin!
Hope your Mondays are all filled with joy and laughter and plenty of drama. Until next time...
Your prescription for this Monday is SHINee's Hello since I mentioned it in the post. Can you just imagine what a cool ringtone this would be? I'll tell you, it's pretty awesome. It's good for whoever is calling too because it automatically makes me smile and I'm that much happier when I answer the phone. So thank you SHINee for your happy, smile-inducing music and the joy that it spreads.
And one more. 2ne1 released their new MV this weekend. It's pretty amazing. If you haven't heard it yet, check it out.
YES MY WWU is going LIVE earlier than normal. Almost a whole day earlier!! You'll find out why soon...
This is going to be a short WWU this week AddiKts. So many interesting things are happening around this here blog, don't you think? Oh wait!! You haven't heard yet. I forgot!! THAT post will go LIVE in a few more hours. {{How's that for foreshadowing eh?}}
"You'll just have to waaaiiit." >:)
{{said in my best singsong voice}}
Hmmm...what shall I talk about today? Oooh!! I know how about the fact that both Dongsaeng & myself each decided to open up new Facebook Profiles, so that you guys could "Friend" us if you wanted to?
{{We didn't do thisjustbecause we want more friends btw. Chincha!!}} I had noticed that I had been getting quite a few friend requests from people I didn't actually know but no one was telling me how they knew me. This made me somewhat nervous. If I don't know you or know that you are an AddiKt like me, then why would I accept your friend request? You could be nuts! And that is saying something coming from a person like me. ;)
Plus, I noticed, I had a quite a few unknown persons as 'subscribers' to my FB posts, which totally cracked me up. The mere fact that I, boring uninteresting me, mother of 4, had subscriber's to my boring FB posts?! Who really wanted to know that my son was throwing up over Memorial Day weekend?? Exciting stuff that is, right? {{lol}} So I thought, IF you are an addiKted reader of this most Awesome Blog & you want to follow my posts on FB, or if you want to send another Friend Request, you can do it here. {Dongsaeng's new profile is here.}That way I can see who is "trolling" & who is fascinated by my effervescent self. {^-^} Friend Request Away AddiKts! But please remember to tell me that you are a TCA reader, so I know you aren't a weirdo or a stalker. ;) That's totally my job!
So there's that. Hmmm...let's see. Ooh who else is excited that 2NE1 is about to come out with a new album? I am so excited about this. And the teaser posters & MV teaser trailers sound really good. I say "sound" because they are still pics of each 2NE1 member alone & just a clip of their section of the new song.
This also is NOT property of TCA but of YG FB page.
They're also embarking on their first world tour & will be in LA later this summer. Very cool. I just wish I could afford to see both Big Bang AND 2NE1, Live in concert, in the same year. Anybody want to fly me out & put me up for the 2NE1 concert in LA? I promise to come w/ lots of luggage & be a total nuisance while staying in your house. You know I can clog your toilet, leave dirty dishes everywhere & rent a bunch of movies on your PS3 or cable provider?!?! Anybody? WHAT?!?! NO takers on that offer at all?!?! Sigh. Guess it isn't meant to be then. {{sad face}} It's so hard being both a BlackJack AND a VIP!! (those are the names of the followers of 2NE1 & BigBang for the newbies)
I was quite surprised that CA agreed to the Big Bang concert to begin with. So, I didn't dare ask if I could fly across country twice in one year for 2 K-Pop concerts!! But I think he feels sorry for me. I haven't been home to see my family/friends in AZ in 2 1/2 years & I haven't had a vacation by myself in over 15 years. The last time was before I had kids. Everywhere I've gone, they've gone. I think my poor pathetic sad face finally softened his heart. What does seeing family & friends in AZ have to do w/ BB? I'll be flying to AZ, where I will visit & have fun & then Dongsaeng & I are road tripping it to Cali. Squuuuuueeeee!!!! So super excited. Now if only...
YG would RELEASE THE ROTTEN STINKIN' PRICES & RELEASE DATES, FOR THE ROTTEN STINKIN' TICKETS. SO WE CAN GET OUR GAME FACE ON & MAKE OUR FINAL PLANS, FOR OUR ROTTEN STINKIN' "HAVEN'T BEEN ON VACATION BY MYSELF IN 15 YEARSROAD TRIP OF FUN FUN FUN!!!!" I'D FEEL A LOT BETTER!!!!
YG Why you playin' me like this?!?!
{{Bienhaeyo, YG, I didn't mean to yell at you like that. For loosing my cool? Jongmal Bienhaeyo.}}
Sigh. Now that I'm perfectly cool & rational again...
Oh that's right! I was going to help our newbies out with a little voKab lesson in this post.
Hmmm...
So some of the more common phrases they may hear & not understand...
{{cos I'm so fluent in Korean, NOT!}}
Okay so..
Yah = HEY!!
chogi = Excuse me bienhae = sorry
bienhaeyo = more formal sorry
Anyeong = hello
chincha = really, seriously
jongmal = really, a lot, very
Gamsahbnida/ Komowayo = Thank you
sarang = love
saranghae = love for your significant other
saranghaeyo = love to your parents
saranghabnida = love your friends
chingu = friends jalja = sleep well, goodnight
Ottoke? = what do I do? Chukae = Congratulations Umma/Omoni = Mom/Mother Oba/Abuji = Dad/Father
Halmoni = grandmother
Harabuji = grandfather
Oroshin = Elder
Ahjumma = you had better already know this one AddiKts. ;)
Ahjussi = same as Ahjumma but for a man.
In this post I already covered: Oppa, Noona, Unnie, Dongsaeng, Hyung...
And last but not least...
Daebak! = Awesome, Big Hit, it's said when something surprising happens or is said. Although, I have also heard it used like our own "Awesome" is sometimes used, in a sarcastic not friendly way. And it's pronounced, "Day-Bok"
That covers today's lesson. These are the most common phrases you'll hear, especially in our fabulous KDramas.
Oh & and one more exciting thing, for me, is that they have announced the female lead in Kim Hyun Joong's new KDrama, which starts filming July 10th!!! SQUUEEEEEEE!!!!
His new female lead will be.....
None other than Jung Yumi, who we last saw as the EVIL Se Na in Rooftop Prince. How awesome!! I cannot wait to see how she does as the innocent girl next door this time. If she is anywhere as good as she was in RTP she'll be spectacular!! Chukae Jung Yumi!! Hwaiting!!
And in that same vein here is a City Conquest poster...
Isn't my Hyun-y yummy looking?!?!
SQUUUUUUEEEEEEEEEE!!!!
I CANNOT wait for this drama to start!!
AND just because this here is MY post, I am going to throw in another picture of Kim Hyun Joong.
Why?!?!
Duh!! Why Not?!?! Plus, it's my post & I'm one of the main creators, so I can do almost anything I want to & you guys will just have to deal with that!
{{Yeah, like looking at pictures of Kim Hyun Joong is so terrible, right?!?!}}
Can't you just hear him asking, "Do you Like That"?
{{That's a pun because of his song called, "Do you like that" from his "Lucky" Album. Get it? Oh whatever!! He's hott!!!}}
{{Giggle}}
BTW, I SO DO LIKE THAT!!
{{rowr!!}}
There you go AddiKts. That pretty much covers my WWU for this week. Check back for our big GIVEAWAY Post Announcement, w rules as to how you can get, whatever the heck it is we're giving away. I wanted it to be really cool, you know like, an old used bike, that has flat tires. But "NOOOO!!!" Dongsaeng was adamant, it had to be something you'd actually want. Whatever!
I think today I will leave you with an incredibly cute moment of JYJ on stage.
Chincha!! I LOVED this when I found it on the JYJ Official FB pg this morning.
"Puing, Puing!!" So incredibly cute!!
Sigh!! These incredibly sexy men just melted my heart.
Saranghae Jaejoong, Micky & Junsu! Jongmal Saranghae!!
{{but not as much as I saranghae Kim Hyun Joong-ssi, well Junsu is pretty close, rowr Xiah!!}}
Oh I totally forgot!!
Did you guys get a chance to see the new MV from SuperJunior???
Are you Sexy, Free & Single & Ready to Bingo too?!?!
You have to hear Dongsaeng talk about this one! Seriously so funny!! I want her to review it just so I can laugh myself silly! :) Who else would like Dongsaeng to review this MV?
I know its hard to believe, but I was not always a KPop fan. {{GASP!!}} I know, I know. It kind of shocks me too. I've talked about how my addiKtion to KPop began, it all leads back to the KDrama, Heartstrings & CNBlue's Jung Yong Hwa singing to Park Shin Hye The Comfort Song & You've Fallen For Me OST's.
{TCA AddiKtion Therapy Lesson#1: For you newbies, OST is short for Original Soundtrack, you probably already knew that but just in case. Bear with me, it's kind of my job, as one of your 2 AddiKtion Therapists.}
But the world of KPop is huge! And complicated & there are many, many KPop groups out there & some of the groups have SO many members, I'm talking to you SuJu & GG.
{TCA AddiKtion Thereapy Lesson #2: SuJu is Super Junior & GG is Girls Generation both are incredibly successful KPop groups. Super Junior has anywhere between 9 - 13 members, their current "official" count is 10. Some are pursuing acting careers, one was in the military, one left etc... Girls Generation {also known as Sonyeo Shidae or So Nyuh Shi Dae - SNSD} has 9 girls. These two respective groups are probably the most famous (in a worldwide capacity, & have been around for quite a number of years, 2005 for SuJu & 2007 for GG, to be exact.}.
{{WOW!! Unnie, lesson #2 was a big lesson!! ~Well I hope you paid close attention AddiKts, there WILL be a pop quiz! Just kidding. giggle }}
And I adore both groups. For very different reasons. But I honestly knew nothing about them until GG made an appearance on two US TV shows. Dongsaeng texted me one morning & asked if I had watched Live w/ Kelly Ripa that morning. I am not a day time TV talk show kind of person, so my answer was an emphatic, "no". But she found the video clip on YouTube & sent it to me. And then that night they were on David Letterman. They were performing their latest song, The Boyz. They kind of remind me of a less trampy version of The Pussycat Dolls. Now I must admit while I do enjoy GG, sometimes they just feel way too manufactured. They all have similar body styles, heights, coloring, & of course they're put into coordinating outfits. It doesn't help their cause that I like my music to have an edge to it. Before I was a KPop fan girl I was a Linkoln Park, System of a Down, Nirvana, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Green Day, Blink 182 fan girl. I like my music to have attitude & be loud & head banging. I did not fall into the Brittany Spears/Jessica Simpson group of listeners. I also like Pink, Avril Lavigne, Niki Minaj. In short I tend to like the strong female rock/rap singer to the pretty girls. Although I absolutely love Christina Aguilera's voice. Diva has majorly powerful lungs.
After I discovered KDrama & had watched quite a few dramas, including Secret Garden, I came across something on Viki, about a year ago, called Big Bang Parody of Secret Garden. I had just finished SG so I thought I have to watch this! And I did & I about died laughing. I had to know who this Big Bang was, so I used my favorite resource since discovering the K world, Google.
{{Seriously?? What the heck did we do before Google?!?! Oh yeah those big square shaped buildings w/ books in them called libraries. I forgot about them.}}
And I looked up Big Bang & discovered they were a KPop group. I looked up some of their music videos on YouTube & discovered their songs; Haru Haru & Tonight & Love Song & this meant I had found another KPop group I liked. No...scratch that... one I LOVED!
Then this last winter our favorite K website allKpop started showing the teaser trailers for the upcoming Big Bang album. Yay!! And I couldn't wait for it to come out. Dongsaeng & I were constantly texting & talking about the newest MV, first up was Blue which was beautiful. Then we watched Bad Boy & couldn't help ourselves laughing at the introduction of G Dragon's "seaweed" hair. But then Fantastic Baby came out & we were floored & in love!! We could NOT stop watching this group, this song. We each managed to hook our kids on KPop because of Fantastic Baby. It's that good! As soon as I was hooked on BB I found another KPop group I loved... a girl group this time. Only they weren't all cutesy & manufactured. 2NE1. Serious girl power. Rock & Rap all in one girl group. Amidst all this is when I discovered the funny hubby/wife team over at Eat Your Kimchi. And the world of KPop exploded for me!!! I now have 113 KPop songs {{& growing everyday}} in my iPod "KPop Playlist".
But in the world of KPop, there is a lot of manufactured groups & sounds & songs. There are several companies that produce the music.
The top 3 KPop Manufacturers are: YG: {Who seems to like different & unique & artists that create.} BB, 2NE1, Tablo, Se7en, PSY & Gummy
SM Town: {IMHO Sm is more of a 'cookie cutter' manufacturer} Super Junior, Girls Generation, EXO, F/X & SHINee. These are all good groups & they really do produce fun, diverse music.
JYP: {isthe 3rd big time KPop Manufacturer} The Wonder Girls, {the incredibly yummy} Rain, 2AM, 2PM, Miss A & most recently JJ Project.
Then there are the smaller, just starting out producers like:
Key East Ent: Kim Hyun Joong {my Hyun-y}
C-JeS{who spend MOST of their time, not all, on} JYJ aka: Kim "Hero"Jaejoong, Park "Micky" Yuchun & Kim "Xiah" Junsu.
I guess you can tell from this WWU that I am partial to the YG family.
{{I mean other than my Hyun-y, he ALWAYS wins over EVERYONE!!!! - Uh. Unnie? You're doing that scary thing again. ~Oh! Sorry. I'll try to tone it down a notch or two.~}}
I just really like several of their artists as they appeal to me more than the other groups. KPop is a fun, clean, sexy way to get to know Korea a little more. Koreans love music, almost as much as they love food!! Who doesn't love going to a Noraebang & singing along to their favorite songs & groups? Okay I don't but Koreans love singing & dancing & they love doing it at a Noraebang. Of course they're also heavy drinkers & therefore who cares if your entire office thinks you suck at singing, they're all drunk anyway. Right?!?! Noraebang + Soju = uproariously funny/off key/ not caring that you are singing like that, in front of your boss. I don't care who ya are that's just awesome right there. I WISH I had that kind of bravery!!
{{TCA AddiKtion Therapy Lesson #3: Noraebang is Korean for Karaoke. And is featured prominently in A LOT of KDramas.}}
Something else that I found interesting, about KPop music, & it's artists. Once they join the group or are picked to be a part of the group, they no longer have lives of their own. They room w/ their group in a big dorm/house. They are constantly working on dance moves, singing, language lessons, music lessons, making music videos, promoting the group, the album, the song, the production company they work for. And probably 90% of them are under dating bans. When they sign the contract they agree to no dating until such time as their production company says they can. This includes the young groups like EXO-K, when these kids sign up in their teens & early 20s they're agreeing to no dating. Until their company deems it okay. Sandara Park of 2NE1 is 28 years old & YG just EXTENDED her dating ban, much to Dara's dismay. She's been w/ 2NE1 since 2009, she was 25 at that time. It is now 3 years later & I am betting she'd like to start having a life. Of course, I am sure there are some that sneak in a little date time here & there but it cannot be easy to accomplish when you room with your entire band & your under constant to watch, and you're working 7 days a week on your career. So even if they are a more manufactured sound or group, they are still worked incredibly hard & deserve that respect.
Plus, each group is assigned a "Leader" of the group. One that is in charge of the rest of the members. My Hyun-y was the Leader of his boy band...SS501. Hence the nickname 'Leader'. These kids are not out every night partying hard & sleeping around & getting out of cars without underwear like US singers & bands. This is not to say there aren't members of the bands that aren't misbehaving. I am sure there are but it's going to be a lot more difficult. Besides if you screw up big in Korea, you'll get banned & your career is over. Unlike US groups who seem to live under the concept of "there is no such thing as bad publicity". These men & women are dedicated to their craft. I sincerely respect that kind of dedication & devotion to following your dream. And it kind of reminds me of Old Hollywood, when the stars were under the rule of the studio head. You know back when Hollywood actually had glam & glitz & some class.
So if you are looking into trying out some KPop for yourself, especially if it's for the first time, go slow. Research the groups via YouTube. There are so many & KPop, while new to you & slightly new to me, has actually been around since the early to mid 90s. It has grown & morphed & mutated several times over, just like music does all over the world. And music is an awesome way to find common ground & to find out that we all have a lot more in common than one might otherwise think.
CL of the "Leader" of 2NE1 is right...
Music is a Universal Language all on it's own.
So enjoy the music. Dance, laugh, sing, laugh some more. And enjoy the music.
That's it for this week's WWU AddiKts. As always, we here at TCA appreciate your support & your love. Now it's your turn. Who are your favorite groups/artists? How did you get turned on to KPop? That handy dandy comments section down there is waiting for your comments. OR maybe you have questions for Dongsaeng & myself or of our wonderful AddiKts? Just post your KPop question there & we'll answer away. But we can't recommend or answer or help if you don't ask first.
Now, because I heart you guys, I thought I'd include the SG parody videos from BB. And then at the bottom of this post, I've embedded my YouTube playlist, as part of your KPop education. There are around 70 MVs on there. There has to be something you like. LOL And all the artists we love & listen to regularly are included on the sidebar...over there....---> Just scroll over the black area & out pops the sidebar. Towards the bottom is the link list of our favorite artists Official YouTube Channels.
If you've read up on the "Our Story" tab, then you know how this whole "addiKtion thing" started, over a year ago.
What you don't know is, that this is not just my passion. Not anymore. No, no one in the house watches the dramas but me, I'm not that good. Although I did get one of my bestest friends hooked on them. We'll call her "Dongsaeng Orange". I showed her, all of 20 minutes of "Lie To Me", during one late night visit, & within a few months she was an addiKt too. I do what I can.
But I have been able to indoctrinate my kids into liking K-Pop. Okay, so mostly it was just showing them Big Bang's Fantastic Baby, one time & they were hooked but I am the one who showed them the video. That counts too, right?
My 13 yr old loves K-Pop!! His MP3 player is loaded down with K-Pop. I buy it via my iTunes acct & then save it to our free agent drive on the computer & he then goes in & downloads it onto his MP3 player. He LOVES Big Bang. Thinks they are the coolest. And is always asking me if I have gotten anything new lately? And, as he is just like his mama, he has managed to hook quite a few friends, at school, on K-Pop as well. They watch the videos on YouTube, & learn how to sing along. He says he wants to dress up as G-Dragon for Halloween, including the long seaweed hair. How awesome is that?!?!
My favorite moment & the true testament to how far this love of K-Pop has spread though, was from before I had saved my K-Pop collection to the free agent drive. My husband came to me one day & asked me if I had saved my songs to the computer? I figured he was just reminding me, you know, in case 'something' happened to my iPhone. I told him that I had been meaning to but hadn't gotten around to it, he urged me to do it soon, that day I got to work transferring.
Later that same day, he uploaded the entire play list, not just a couple of the songs, the ENTIRE play list to his phone/iPod as well. He came out to me w/ phone in hand & hit the play button. Next thing I hear is the beginning strains of "Fantastic Baby" blaring through his phone's speakers! I was in shock. Happy shock. I had only just shown him the Fantastic Baby MV, a few days before. But he really liked it. He says it's a good song for the treadmill but I know he really likes the music, otherwise he would have just gone through & picked a few of the faster songs for his workout. He took the WHOLE play list though. Including the more calm, quiet, sad - ballad-y songs. {yep made up that last word}
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA....it had worked, my evil indoctrination was finally in motion. >:}
And just last week, while we were getting ready for the day, which involves a lot of me continuously reminding the little monstrosities to stay focused.
{Okay so you hear a lot of, "____ would you please put your pants on & stop spinning in the middle of the kitchen!!" }
Anyway, in the midst of all of this as I was just about to bellow down my youngest (the 5 year old boy) again, I hear him singing to himself, in the bathroom, while he tries to brush his teeth.
What Do I Hear?
I hear him repeating the opening line to 2NE1's "I Am the Best!" {Daebak!!!}
There I am, standing at the top of the stairs, listening to my semi-nude, 5 year old son, singing in Korean, at the top of his lungs, no less. Best day of the whole week! Then, on Sunday, my husband called my cell phone & thought he'd be funny, by leaving me the same opening line lyrics, that the 5 yr old likes so much, on my voicemail. Only he pronounced it wrong, because there came a 2nd message. It would seem that upon hanging up from leaving the 1st message, the 5 yr old (who was with him in his truck), corrected his pronunciation, rather emphatically. The 2nd message was him pronouncing it again, correctly, & then asking the 5 yr old, if he had done it right. To which you can hear my 5 yr old agreeing. Needless to say that message is still on my voicemail.
So in honor of my 5 year old I thought I would give you a chance to enjoy his favorite song.
{From the 2NE1 Official YouTube Channel}
And just so you know we are so excited about this adventure we are undertaking.
We have seen a huge jump in our viewership in just a couple of weeks since we started & we are so excited to see that there really is a desire for this kind of blog.
I want to thank our first 3 followers! It was seriously so exciting & awesome to see we have 3 "official" followers on here & the people that have "Liked" our Crazy Ahjummas Facebook page {which, minus Dongsaeng & myself, means that 10 people}, & our 5 followers on our Twitter page. What a wonderful positive beginning.
In the vein of our blog's theme I thought I would take the time to send out our thank yous & requests for support ala K-Pop Stars. You know you see those interviews where they say thank you & then ask for continued love & support. I thought I would try the same thing.
Thank you so much for being so happy & positive w/ your support & love for this new blog & venture. We feel very blessed. Please continue to support & love us. Please continue to come back everyday & read our posts & enjoy our weekly reviews. We'd also love to hear from you in our comments. Send us emails, ask us questions. Tell us what you'd like us to review or talk about.
We are just starting out in this addiKtion & I am sure we would love to hear, from you - our readers, what your favorites are in all categories. What's your favorite food to make, or your favorite group or singer to listen to & why? Which drama first hooked you? Which piece of Eye Candy is your favorite to drool over? We want to know it all!!! Think of this as therapy! As this is an addiKtion, consider Dongsaeng & I as your addiKtion therapists!
This is a safe place, a place to feel free, to be you, in all your addiKt glory!! We want this blog, experience, to be something we can all enjoy. This is the beginning of a beautiful new partnership, & not just between Dongsaeng & I, but between all of us & we want to make sure & keep your interest & your patronage. We'd love you to help us spread this passion for all things Korean.
Please help us grow this blog & help other women (& men too), to not feel alone in their addiKtion, help us spread the word. Share the blog on your blog, if you've got one. Tweet about us on Twitter, or Share our Facebook page. We also created a pin on Pinterest & would love to see it repinned again & again. If you are on Google(+) Plus, then plus our posts, or the blog itself, wherever you see something you like, +it, which will then "share" us on Google+.
We all know the power that "Word of Mouth" has on the world we live in & in case I forgot....Thank you.
Let's show people there is a place they can go & discuss & share & feel & be surrounded by like minded addiKts. Krazy AddiKts everywhere, let's support our addiKtion. Interventions are for wusses. ^.^ We don't need no stinking intervention!!! Let us be your addiKtion enablers, please?
Okay I'm done being needy. {at least for now}
Don't forget to come back & get our take on this week's episodes of Rooftop Prince & King 2 Hearts in our Dramatic Friday Review. And that my dear addiKts is the end of Unnie's Wednesday Write Up. See you Friday & then again next Wednesday.
