We here at The Crazy Ahjummas would like to take a moment and wish two very wonderful guys a very happy, albeit belated, birthday. Both Lee Min Ho and Jung Yong Hwa (CNBLUE) celebrated birthdays on the 22nd of this month. Lee Min Ho.
If you've been with us for awhile, you'll know how ardently I adore this man. Boys Over Flowers, City Hunter, Personal Taste, Faith - all watched and loved because of him. His eyes and the emotions, feelings, and thoughts that can be conveyed with a simple look. One glance from him can speak volumes. I just think that he is so awesome!
Lee Min Ho-sshi, here is your birthday tribute collage of some of my favorite recent looks. It was so hard to choose just 25 (I actually chose 26 since that's how old you are now, but the largest collage I could find was only 25 spaces so I had to restrain myself). Obviously, being the true fan girl that I am, I have an entire Pinterest board dedicated to him. So yeah, basically I just chose the first 26 pics that came up because I just love them all. ;)
Now, Jung Yong Hwa.
He's two years younger than his sunbaenim that shares the same birthdate. Yong Hwa is the leader, lead vocalist and guitarist of CNBLUE as well as an actor in his own right, playing the 2nd male lead in You're Beautiful and the main lead in Heartstrings. Rumor had him pegged to appear in The Heirs along with birthday-mate Lee Min Ho and two-time love interest Park Shin Hye, but he eventually declined the offer and personally I'm grateful for it. I'd love to see him on screen again in a drama, but paired with someone other than Park Shin Hye. I mean, once poor Shin Woo got the girl, I was good. Who would want to see him play 2nd again with the same love interest? Not me. Get him another drama with another girl and I'll be happy. Yonghwa is a personal favorite of Unnie. He was her gateway into KPopafter all. She even has a Pinterest board dedicated to him.
Jung Yong Hwa-sshi, here is your personalized collage that showcases just how handsome you are as well.
To both of our special birthday boys, we hope that you enjoyed your day on Saturday. Thank you for all your hard work and dedication to your fans as well as your work. You both demonstrate great talent in various areas - on screen, on stage, and more. We can't wait to see what comes next for both of you!
So, technically it is still the 21st where we are, but back in Korea, it's the 22nd of June and the birthday of two of our favorite guys - Lee Min Ho and Jung Yong Hwa. While normally we here on TCA wait until the day has arrived here in our neck of the woods to wish our favorites a happy birthday, tomorrow is a big review day for us and we don't want these two lovely young men to be overshadowed or lost in the fray. They deserve a post and a day all their own, so here we go, celebrating it while they celebrate it!
We loved Lee Min Ho in Boys Over Flowers as the spoiled rich brat turned debonair heartthrob, Gu Jun Pyo.
He was swoon-worthy in Personal Taste as architect Jeon Jin Ho (and who can EVER erase the memory of the "Game Over" kiss from our minds?!?! One of the best drama kisses in history!).
Then there was City Hunter. Oh City Hunter. The drama that forever sealed him as Lee Min HoTTie! At least for this ahjumma noona.
Jung Yong Hwa captured our hearts and ears as poor, poor Shin Woo in You're Beautiful. Sweet Shin Woo who can't get the girl despite what has to be the cutest stalker date ever. The ultimate example of "nice guys finish second". Shin Woo will always be synonymous with the 2nd male lead character who should have gotten the girl (sorry Jang Geun Suk - but it's true. I still love you though. No hard feelings?). I felt so bad for Shin Woo that I watched Heartstrings just to see Jung Yong Hwa's character finally get the girl and mend my broken, sympathetic heart.
While watching Heartstrings, I, just like Unnie, fell in love with Yong Hwa's beautiful, crooning voice. As the leader, lead singer and rhythm guitarist of real-life band, CNBLUE, Jung Yong Hwa has shown that he is multi-talented and can do whatever he sets his sights on, whether it be capturing our hearts as a drama star or performing his own unique music as a musician.
So, to two of our favorite guys, we wish a very happy 23rd and 25th birthday! Thank you for your hard work and dedication to our entertainment! We look forward to many more years spent oglingdrooling over enjoying your entertaining offerings.
Saeng-il chuka hamnida! Lee Min Ho and Jung Yong Hwa fighting! 생일 축하합니다!
Love,
Dongsaeng and Unnie
{P.S. In case you missed it the first time around, Unnie did a little write up of both of these guys in her "Oppa Krazy" post. She also featured CNBlue and Jung Yong Hwa in her very first TCA post here. You can see that she is obviously a devoted fan! Even I, Dongsaeng, have jumped on the fandom train in the past as witnessed here in a post originally done on my personal private blog where I talk about City Hunter to a bunch of people that I love but who couldn't care less about Lee Min Ho or his amazing talents. Boy! Are they ever missing out!}
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.
It's Wednesday, which means it's my turn to post about all things Korean again. Today, I am choosing those incredible guys we love to drool over.
But Unnie what does "Oppa" mean?
This is a question some of you newbies, to the world of Korean Culture & K-dramas, may be asking. "Oppa" means, simply put, "brother" & is used by girls only. It's a sign of respect.
{For future reference: Boys call their older brothers "Hyung" & call their older sisters "Noona". As you already know "Unnie" is older sister, from sister to sister. Younger siblings, whether boy or girl, are called, "Dongsaeng". Still with me? I haven't lost you yet, have I? Good.}
But "Oppa" is also used by girls who have feelings {crushes} on older boys/men that they like & for their boyfriends/significant others. You'll find very few people actually use first names, (almost never), or whole names in the Korean language. That is reserved, for very close family & friends. And from the "Elders" to the younger generation.
When I first started watching k-dramas, one of the most irritating things were the girls who used the term constantly, & usually whined while saying it. Constant callings of "Oppaaaaaaaaaa" drove me crazy & I swore there was no way I would ever use the term myself. Not just for that reason, but also because it seemed weird, to me, to call someone that you might look at in a romantic way & then call him 'brother'. {shudder} It just seemed wrong to me.
Since then, I have come to relax & realize that Americans also use weird terms of endearments for their boyfriends. {IE babe(y), doll, angel, sweetie, honey, sugar etc...} These American terms of endearment are just as awkward & weird to me as "Oppa" was. This is why my husband goes by the moniker "Captain Awesome". I can use it when he does something awesome & I am pleased & mean it, he really is awesome, but I can also use it "tongue in cheek" when he does something boneheaded & I shake my head at him & sarcastically say, "Way to go Captain Awesome!"
Now, that I have become more accustomed to the usage of "honorifics" that are required in the Korean language, hearing "Oppa" does not bother me & I have actually found myself using it way more than I'd like to admit....in my head, & only once, on a picture of Hyun Bin, on my Pinterest "Eye Candy" board. I mean come on it's Hyun Bin!!!
Of course, I realize I am older than Hyun Bin, which does in fact make me feel like a giant idiot, for allowing my IQ to fall to that of a teenage girl, who is googly eyed at a really hunky piece of "Eye Candy" but I'm getting used to feeling the fool. Since I discovered the wonderful world of good looking Korean guy, Eye Candy. Besides, I will point out again....it's HYUN BIN!!!
{BTW & as an aside just to my Dongsaeng.....He's ALL mine!!}
{awkward pause while I try to figure out how to regain my dignity}
Ahem
Anyway, all of you newbies to this world, you now understand what the title of the post means, I can go on with the whole purpose of the post.
Hello. My name is Unnie & I am wholeheartedly "Oppa Crazy"! I am sure there is an intervention somewhere for me but part of my addiKtion is that I don't care that I have an addiKtion & in fact, do not want an intervention....EVER!
{At this point CA simply rolls his eyes at me & mocks my addiKtion, because he KNOWS that he is my real Oppa & that I adore him, 17 + years of marriage people!}
For those of you having a hard time accepting a middle aged mother of 4 & married woman who sighs & giggles while ogling, pictures of, handsome Korean Actors & K-Pop stars? I will tell you what my mother told my 17 year old counter part, once upon a time a long time ago. While shopping at the mall, with her, & a group of very good looking college aged guys walked by & she remarked on the cuteness of said 'college aged guys' tushies. When I looked on in shock at what my mother (who was actually older, at that time, than I am now) she looked at me & said, & I quote this....
"What?!?!!? Sweetheart, I am married, not buried!! I can look & appreciate without touching can't I?"
So now you know I come by this through genetics. Yes, that is My Story & I am sticking to it! Thanks Mom.
Now if you have explored this blog properly than you should already know who my biggest crushes are but just in case I thought I would dedicate this post to those incredibly good looking guys I admire the most.
1st: Hyun Bin Oppa
{Even though I am putting him 2nd I have to state clearly...Kim Hyun Joong is pretty much tied for 1st place & 1/2 the time, beats out Hyun Bin. He is not called a "walking sculpture" for nothing you know. He is perfection in my eyes!}
2nd: (TIED FOR FIRST) Kim Hyun Joong Oppa
3rd: Jaejoong Oppa {must be mentioned that Jaejoong is Dongsaeng's ultimate favorite along w/ Hyun Bin & he's really close to being up there for me w/ KHJ & HB}
4rd: TOP Oppa
5th: Jung Yong Hwa Oppa
And because I could go on & on indefinitely I will now try really hard to stick to one picture each & these are not in any particular order....
Kang Ji Hwan Oppa
Song Seung Hun Oppa
Lee Byung Hun Oppa
Jong Il Woo Oppa
Taeyang Oppa
Junsu Oppa
Ji Yong Oppa
Daesung Oppa
Lee Seung Gi Oppa
It was near impossible to finish this post!! Picking just one or two pictures for my top 5 was torture for me & it didn't get any easier for the rest of these gorgeous guys either! Seriously, so yummy!
And now to honor the man who accomplished something no other celebrity has done. Not even Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, George Clooney or the Biebs..... none of which have I ever been able to tolerate.
A man that is without a doubt one of my absolute {& I know he is one of my Dongsaeng's} top favorites as well...
Lee Min Ho Oppa:
Lee Min Ho was the first EVER to earn 5 million "Friends" on Facebook. And here is a video of him saying Thank you to all of his "friends" (fans) for their love.
Yes, this love of Korean men is so global that a Korean celebrity hit 5 million friends before any other world renowned celebrity. I find this is just further proof that this blog is definitely needed & hopefully will become what my Dongsaeng & I believe it can become.
Congratulations Lee Min Ho!! We are so happy for you. You are so deserving of all the accolades!
So to all my beautiful "Oppas" .....Saranghae & keep up the good work because I will be watching.
P.S. Expecting that restraining order any day now.
***NOTE*** It must be said in plain language. I do not, neither does Dongsaeng, own the copyrights to any of the pictures used in this post, nor do we own the Youtube video of Lee Min Ho Oppa. They were found on Pinterest & the Oppasosexy blog. They are for entertainment purposes only & do not belong to The Crazy Ahjummas. No copyright infringment is intended. Please do not steal images & claim them as yours. That is dishonest, dishonorable & wrong! Sincerely, Unnie
