Admitting the KPop AddiKtion too.

Just yesterday, I admitted my addiKtion to K-Pop music.  I won't copy & paste the whole post, because it also contained info for fam & friends re: my little family.  I'll just include the addiKtion part.  If you want to see the whole thing you can wander over there...but we're really boring people.  I promise. 


Originally posted on unnie's family blog on 4/1/2012*

But probably the pinboards that people want to ask me about the most are the ones that makes them scratch their heads the most.  I can almost hear them saying, "What on earth???"  or "Why is she pinning all that???"  or what I think people think most about these boards is, "I think Jess may have lost her mind.  I should call someone."  LOL As 3 of my boards are entitled, "K-Dramas...Not a Secret Addiction Anymore", "K-Pop/Hallyu Wave is Taking Over the World" & "KHJ Gets His Own Board".  But I also have an "Eye Candy" Board that has pinned, all of the good looking men I have crushed on, over the years.  Everyone from my absolute favorite, Johnny Depp, to my Favorite Korean Guy Crush, Kim Hyun Joong.  Its these 4 boards, that probably raises the most eyebrows, & has people wondering if I have lost my marbles?  I have, but it was way before my K-drama/ K-pop addiction. 
But that's just because they aren't aware that I am hopelessly in love with Korean Dramas, Korean Pop Music & Culture. I came out on this blog about this in a post in July of 2011, in a blog post entitled, "Confessions of a K Drama Addict".  Well, because of that addiction, I became fascinated with the whole country.  It really is an amazing country.  Full of a violent & ever changing history.  But its also a beautiful country.  So many things about this beautiful country & its culture fascinate me.  The people are a big part of that.  So charming.  Including the Pop Music scene.  Which can be heard in quite a few of the Kdrama's as OST (Original Soundtracks). 

I am not alone in this...if you aren't aware of it, KPop music is riding a wave of popularity all over the world.  Several of the most popular boy & girl groups from Korea have sold out concerts across Europe & South America.  Flash mobs dancing to Kpop music are popping up all over.  There have even been sold out concerts here in the US.  In New York, Las Vegas & Los Angeles.  My favorite group Big Bang, took home tons of awards from the European MTV Awards, including "Best Group".  South Korea itself, is now a power house in the way technology.  It is fast becoming one of THE power house countries.  And its music, movies & yes those silly little dramas are spreading across the globe. 

My bestie & I have talked about how awesome we are for being cool before everyone else even knew what cool was. LOL  I told her we aren't on the bandwagon, we're driving it & collecting more fans everyday.  I have managed to hook another couple of people who are not yet ready to "come out" for fear of being looked at weirdly.  So they will remain anonymous.  Personally, I am proud of my weirdness & like those in the south who are proud of the 'eccentrics' in their families, I am putting myself on display in the front room.  I am who I am. 

Even Kier & CA have admitted they like the music.  They both have Kpop music in their iPods.  In fact, Kpop is closer than you even know.  Kier came home from school a couple of weeks ago & told me Kpop has made its way to his school!!  Several girls were watching, one of my favorite Kpop groups, on their iPod!  And Kier showed them a Big Bang music video!  They LOVED them!!  So you see you don't have to understand the words, in order to enjoy the music.  I promise its so much fun.  And its clean!  No swearing in the lyrics.  Just like the dramas they aren't allowed to use curses in the lyrics.  That is the best part.  I don't know how long that will last for though.  At one time American music was clean too....not so much anymore.  :(

*Thank you Pinterest*

*Thank you Pinterest*

In my confessions of a K Drama Addict post I shared my favored sites to watch Kdramas.

Now I will share my "Current" Top 5 K Dramas to watch:
#1 Secret Garden (20 episodes total)

#2 Playful Kiss (16 episodes total)

#3 Flower Boy Ramen Shop (16 episodes total)

#4 Scent of a Woman (16 episodes total)

 #5 Coffee Prince (17 episodes total)

Now these are all dramas that have already aired most recently, one a few years ago.  But all good.  And they are all on Hulu.  I thought that might make them more accessible to those interested, but afraid of trying out a website they don't know, just for dramas, IE: Viki. 

These are the ones I am currently watching & are still airing on Korean TV.  So like our current American TV season, I have to wait week to week for the next episodes to air.  Now, the difference is that in Korea these 2 shows air 2 episodes per week.  So my 16 episode show will be finished airing in 8 weeks, as opposed to Sept-May with breaks in between.  They don't take breaks unless something actually stops production, like an accident (either on set or off). 

King 2 Hearts

Rooftop Prince

These 2 can be found on Hulu as well.  However, Hulu takes about a week longer than Viki ,when the drama is currently airing, so if you decide to check them out, Viki is fastest at getting the show up & having the English subtitles completed in a timely manner.  Don't let subtitles scare you.  They did me at first too, but after you get into the show you don't even realize you're reading subtitles anymore. 

As for the music I can share a couple YouTube Videos of my favorites you can decide for yourself. I will even make sure they have English subtitles too. 

Big Bang (at the top of this one, at the very beginning of the video, there are links to 2 other Music Videos by Big Bang, in each of the upper corners... Blue & Bad Boy.  Blue is another of my favorites...Bad Boy has grown on me. LOL) 


Kim Hyun Joong (this one is my favorite & has his very own pinboard..total celebrity crush)

2NE1 (the first girl group that didn't drive me crazy w/ their cutseyness)


If you are looking for some really great music to work out to I highly recommend all of these & you can download any of these on iTunes.  I have & so many more.  I actually have quite the growing collection of KPop music.  

Well conference is starting so I will close this post for now...but expect more posts about KPOP/Kdramas, as now that I am really out, I will be talking about it more.  You won't hurt my feelings if you want to ignore these posts or if you pretend to not know me in public. LOL

*Thank you Pinterest*

And that in a nutshell is how this whole thing started.  Once the Dongsaeng saw this post she left the comment "Let's Chat".  And the rest is history.  Do you see the kind of influence she holds over me?!?!   

I said, "Yes!"

When my Dongsaeng asked me, rather shyly, whether I wanted to join her in this endeavor, what else could I say but yes?  She hooked me on the whole obsession to begin with, I would have to follow along, right?  Has nothing to do with the fact that the idea totally excited me. 

In fact, when CA came home tonight, I looked at him & said, "Shannen hooked me again."  He rolled his eyes & smiled & patiently listened to our plan.  He was actually proud of us.   He & my teenage son think we should do weekly video blogs on here as well.  When I queried, "How would that work, with her in AZ & us in WI?"  He said, "Oh it'll be easy.  You do them separately & use Windows Media to splice them together."  I said, "I'm in but you have to do the techy stuff."  He just smiled.  Of course, I haven't discussed that with my Dongsaeng so we'll have to see. 

I guess from here on in I should just copy & paste my admission post that I posted on our family blog like The Dongsaeng did...just to get things started.

So here goes:


*Originally posted on unnie's family blog on 7/7/11*

"Confessions of a K-Drama Addict"

"Several months ago, after our trip to D World, after life settled down & before it sped back up, my BFF & I were visiting on the phone. Which a typical day for us means several phone calls back & forth, don't even get me started on the text messages! Anyway, we were on the phone & talking about our favorite TV show Bones. Seeing as I was in MO at the time & she in AZ, we weren't able to watch the show at the same time on the phone like we had previously, when this family still resided in the sunny, dry, dusty state of AZ. To offset our different time zones, I began DVR'ing Bones & then would watch it later, with said BFF, when it was airing in AZ at its usual time. This way we could call each other & watch, enraptured by our favorite dynamic duo & their on screen romance/chemistry heat up & cool down. But every once in a while life would get in the way & we wouldn't get to watch Bones the night it aired so we'd call once our responsibilities were tended to & watch it together on Hulu.

While reflecting upon Seeley Booth's (David Boreanaz') hotness factor, my BFF confessed to me that she had fallen for a show she found on Hulu & believed that I would love as well & that I should, 'check it out'. I was all for this, until she told me it was actually a foreign tv show. Not just foreign but also a soap opera-esque type of show. Now, if you know me then you know I do NOT do drama. I hate watching soap operas & routinely make fun of, mock, humiliate the few people I know, that are hooked on their favorite soap opera trash! So, this of course made me skeptical. But I continued to listen as this IS my BFF after all. She explained that she stumbled upon it after seeing an ad for it on Hulu. One look at a picture of a fancy ball gown & I know my BFF's weakness for this type of fantasy, was almost all it took for her. I can't say I am not prone to such weakness & fancy myself as I do LOVE me some Jane Austen & Jane Eyre after all. Don't get me started on the gowns worn in Gone With the Wind!

As I hung up the phone I thought to myself, "I will give her the benefit of the doubt & I will check it out. Then I will be able to honestly say, 'it really isn't my thing'." I went to Hulu & found the show she was talking about... My Princess. I read the description & I too found it intriguing. Isn't it every little girl's dream to wake up one day & find out you're actually a princess?!?! Maybe that's just me & my BFF. I didn't have time right then but a couple of days later I remembered my promise & I logged on to Hulu & loaded the first episode. Now, what you don't know about Korean Dramas, is that they only have about 16 episodes total, so each drama is more like an extra long american mini series than it is a soap opera. Although, there are some that can go up to 30 episodes in a season. And a few that, due to extreme popularity, in Korea will get a 2nd season. But 9 times out of 10 they aren't any longer than 16-24 episodes long. They aren't like American Soap Operas that go on & on for decades with no real ending to any story line. Definitely, a plus in my book.

So I loaded the first episode, I have to admit, it started out kind of slow but the main female character (aka the Princess) was funny & sweet & after a few minutes I no longer noticed the subtitles on the bottom of the screen I became so absorbed in the entertainment. I couldn't stop watching. Again, IF you know me, you know that I can read a huge book in an incredibly short period of time, a) because I am a fast reader & b) because I become completely absorbed & stop noticing the real world all around me. My kids can go without baths, dinner, family time, & basically become motherless children for a good book. Seriously it can be very Lord of the Flies around this house when mom has a good book. It was the same, in the beginning, for this show. I was totally & completely hooked. I loaded episode after episode after episode.

When the show finally ended with the happy ever after kiss, it was just like watching a Disney princess movie for me. After that I joined my BFF & became a Korean drama addict. We couldn't seem to get enough K-d's in to our systems...I am thankful to say that I have since gotten it under control...I am doing better but it helped to know that I was not the only one who couldn't seem to get enough! Our husbands immediately took up the role of disgust & apathy towards our new found obsessions. They just didn't get it! It helped that I made sure all my required errands, chores & responsibilities were being met first, but once I cleared my schedule, I would spend the rest of the day glued to a computer screen. Now, we just get teased every once in a while or get a good eye rolling...I can handle that.

Why? You might ask, "Jess, why of all things to get hooked, did you choose a Korean drama???" (More quick confessions before I answer that question... The truth is I have branched out...thanks to the wonderful people at my favorite show hosting websites...)Viki, Dramafever, Mysoju, Dramacrazy & of course Hulu.

I now have also added several Taiwanese Dramas & Japanese Dramas as well. Plus, Viki also shows foreign movies. So I've seen a few Bollywood, which I've always enjoyed & Phillipino movies as well. But why do I like them, because unlike American TV & Soap Operas, the dramas in Asia are actually clean & suitable to watch in front of my kids, because they are aired on their public stations where the censors keep a very close eye, like they once did here.

There is almost no swearing & absolutely NO nudity & no sex scenes! Its awesome! Its romance before romance became uncool. Before jumping into bed the minute you are attracted to someone became so prevalent on American tv. Where its sexier to show as little as possible & leave it up to the imagaination than it is to blatantly show as much as possible. Real romance comes from the leading up to, not from the actual act. Its dancing in the moonlight & holding hands while you go for a walk & those moments that make your heart skip a beat & when you feel butterflies in your tummy. Its looking into someone's eyes & feeling that longing feeling. And that is where these dramas hooked me.

So, now along with our Bones obsession we call, chat & of course the ever present text-a-thon to keep each other up on what our favorite characters are doing. Why am I admitting this?!?! Because she "came out" on her blog & since we have probably 75% of the same friends in the blogosphere & on FB, not to mention church, I figured they'd all know who her BFF was so I figured it was time to come clean myself! She even talked about how we have started to pick up the lingo. Each conversation has at least 2 "OMO's!" in it as well as a few "Aigoo's!" etc... We love using the honorifics when speaking to each other...rather than saying, "did you see how his sister reacted?" Its, "OMO!! Did you see how his Nuna acted when she heard about her Oppa?!?!" We're even thinking about maybe learning Korean. Then we can actually turn away from the computer screen & just listen while we accomplish a few tasks. Like when we watch American shows on Hulu.

Of course, we each have our favorite dramas, actors & actresses. My BFF has stuck with Korean dramas only while I branched out but I still love the K dramas best!

And of course, we both desperately want to visit South Korea & especially Jeju-do (Jeju Island)! And we have found the perfect excuse in the last 24 hours! Yesterday, it was officially announced that Pyeongchang Korea will host the 2018 Winter Olympic Games! What better time to visit our beloved Korea, then when Korea is ready to receive foreigners with open arms?!?! Even our husbands are on board, course it has absolutely nothing to do with the dramas for them but the chance to see Asia. For my BFF & I we just want to see the incredibly beautiful landscape & countryside we have totally fallen for while watching our shows.

So we have 7 years to save up for our trip to Asia. Still don't know if we'll take kids. Husbands say no but kids will all be teens by then & may not want to come with us anyway. And with Liam we have more complications. Will he still be healthy enough for me to either leave him or to travel with us??? I'd rather he came with. Think of THAT memory for him. Kieran won't be able to go with us, no matter what, as he'll be starting his mission by then. Can you believe that?!?! I'm still in shock at that idea!

But its definitely good to have a dream! Until then I will keep watching those Korean dramas. Reminding me to keep romance alive. Now that I've admitted my addiction out loud, why don't you admit one of your secret addictions too. ^.^

So in closing...

Hello. My name is Jess. And I am a Korean Drama Addict.

P.S.
It doesn't hurt that the male leads are typically incredibly good looking HOT!!!"

And that is how my K Drama addiKtion really began.  I was hooked & I am so grateful.  It has opened a whole new world to me, that quite frankly my one track, "mom" mind had never even considered.  I love learning about a whole new culture, it's rich history & it's fascinating & inspiring people.  Thank you to my bestie, Dongsaeng, for dragging me with her on this new adventure.  Here's hoping we can open the world to many, many more. 

pyeongchang 2018 (my very first ever post about my addicKtion) 7/7/11

*Originally posted on dongsaeng's personal private blog on 7/7/11*





Who else is so flippin' excited that the 2018 Winter Olympics will be in PyeongChang, South Korea?! WooHoo! Fighting!!! ^^

I suppose now would be a good time to come clean with my sort-of secret addiction. Hi. My name is Shannen and I am a Korean drama addict.

It all started one day about, oh I don't know, 6 months or so ago. I was cruising my normal sites, and on the front page of Hulu, a picture caught my eye. Down in the corner under Featured Content or something like that was a girl wearing a gown and the title "My Princess". Now, you have to understand something about me. Gowns get my attention. I love big fancy dresses. If I am in the library and there is a book with a picture of a girl in a gown, I'll at least pick it up. Every time. It's something that catches my attention, and this particular day on Hulu was no exception. A girl in a gown with the title "My Princess"? My curiosity got the better of me and so, on a whim of fancy, I clicked on that picture. My life has not been the same since.

I was hooked. Immediately. After a few days of obsessively watching this program, I sheepishly admitted it to my BFF. Thank goodness she validated my obsession by becoming obsessed herself. It's been a fun roller-coaster ride of subtitles and pop culture immersion and a lot of texts back and forth between that BFF and myself with a whole lot of "OMO! So-and-so just did XYZ!" I of course have my favorite actors/actresses. I'm a frequent visitor to sites like DramaFever, Viki, Eat Your Kimchi and Drama Wiki. I'm starting to understand some words and expressions. I'm starting to think in those words and expressions. I get upset at the subbers who put names in place of the honorifics. Last night, I dreamt in Korean. Well, the people in my dream were Korean. While all my friends watch the Bachelorette this summer, I'm watching a K-d that has its own Bachelor-type show in it. I've found myself watching a lot less American TV, opting instead for my beloved K-d. On a tough day when I need to unwind, I find myself reaching for the mouse instead of my remote.

Thankfully, the initial infatuation stage has passed. I've managed to temper my addiction and keep it manageable time-wise. I no longer spend hours upon hours watching late into the night. Now it's become just a normal part of my life. I take a quick hit when I need it and then move on. There really is a reason why almost anytime you see "Korean drama" there's the word "addiction" attached to it. I don't know what it is about them. Okay, yes I do. I love the romance, comedy and mild drama that they bring. I love that it's real romance, not the hot-and-heavy-jump-into-bed-the-moment-we-finally-realize-we-have-feelings-for-each-other variety that prevails in all American romances. They're just plain fun. Who knew?

So that, dear readers, is my confession. Lock me up and throw away the keys, just make sure I have a computer with internet access. ^.^

pre-my addicKtion post about City Hunter 11/10/11

*Originally posted on dongsaeng's personal private blog on 11/10/11*

Lots of folks these days are doing daily lists of what they are thankful for. I kind of wish I was too, but I didn't want to be too much of a follower, so I'm only doing it in my head. You'll just have to guess at what is on my list.

I'll give you one. And I didn't want to say any more on this subject because I don't want to be labeled as too much of a total random dork, but too late for that and I really want to talk about this so here it goes. I am thankful for City Hunter. There I admitted it. I am thankful for a Korean drama called City Hunter. I finished watching it a week or so ago and I really, really wish I had someone to talk to about it. It was just so good. Except for the last episode, but it's a Korean drama and you kind of come to expect the last episode to stink. For reals. It will never cease to amaze me how they can do 19 amazing episodes and then #20 falls flat and leaves you wanting. I mean, there wasn't even a kiss! Grr. But seriously, it was probably the best show I've ever seen. Okay, that might be stretching it, but it was beautiful. The filmography (including fight scenes of all things! I HATE fight scenes!) literally stole my breath in parts. And I don't normally notice stuff like that. Though maybe I don't notice stuff like that because most of what we watch doesn't even have stuff like that. The art is gone from the art of filmmaking, unless you want to see a totally inappropriate and raunchy artsy movie that's going to most likely be rated MA. Why do they do that? Why can't art be just that, art? Why ruin it with garbage and make it all edgy and stuff? It's like smearing poop on a Michelangelo just to be all controversial and junk. What a waste. Anyway, this was beautiful and powerful and shocking but clean and wonderful and I just really wish I could talk to somebody about it before I lose my mind. Imagine you had a show you were totally in to but no one you knew had ever even heard of it. It's frustrating. That is the major drawback to my "hobby" - you're not going to be standing around the proverbial water cooler discussing Lee Min Ho or Hero Jaejoong. Ever. It's a sad and lonely world when you break from the pack. Granted, there is always the online community, but sometimes you just want a real for real person to talk to, not some random stranger. I'm not a super crazed fan or anything, I just appreciate a good story. It really is the perfect format as far as I'm concerned. A lot longer and more in-depth than a movie, but a lot shorter than a TV series that runs for years. You get a good in-depth story and a resolution all in one. I guess the closest thing I could compare it to would be a mini-series, but way less cheesy. Kind of. It really is a wonderful thing, but you'll just have to take my word for it I guess because I don't think I'm getting any converts anytime soon. *Insert Eeyore like sigh here and even throw in an "oh well" for good measure*.

Yes. That's right. I just spent about 37 sentences discussing Korean television. Ha! Wow, what a dork. You probably all left somewhere around sentence #3 and so now I'm speaking to an empty room. That's okay. I understand. I'll get over it. I would totally do the same thing in your position if you started talking about, oh I don't know, American freaking Idol or something of the like. I'd probably also start banging my head against the wall, begging you to stop. See, I totally get where you're coming from. It's all good. We can just agree to disagree even though I'm totally right in this case and you just don't know it yet because you haven't given it a shot. Haha. Hopefully you know I'm joking. If you don't, well then, we need to spend some more time together so that you can get to know me better and vice versa. You see, this entire post is tongue-in-cheek (okay, except for the part about City Hunter - I really did love it). I trend towards the sarcastic or snarky side every once in a while. It's my hair. What can I do? I was born this way. My hair determines my personality for better or for worse (and when you're a 'ginger' apparently it's more worse than better, or so I'm told). Which brings up another point... what's up with that term 'ginger' anyway? Have you seen ginger? It's yellow. Bright yellow. I don't get it. Maybe I'm just slow. Maybe I should try dying it. My hair, not ginger. If I were a brunette would I be less sarcastic and snarky? Hmm...I oughta give that one a try some day. Of course then I would get yelled at because apparently I'm the one person on the face of the earth who isn't allowed to do anything to my hair without prior approval from someone. Everyone has a vested interest in the dead cells on my head. Really. I get interesting responses from people who will remain nameless (they know who they are) anytime I even contemplate a big change. I once did a temporary dye and wow! I guess I should be grateful that so many people care so very much about my head.

Okay, I'm really walking down a winding path. I could go on all night like this but I'm done for now. I've said my piece and I'd like to go to bed. Plus now Husband is here in the room and thinks that he needs some attention too. Silly boy. I have enjoyed our conversation. Thank you so much for taking the time to listen to me ramble. I may be quiet on the outside but crack me open and watch out! You have no idea the amount of crazy that can come spilling out. This is just a small sampling. Now maybe you have a better idea as to why I think my husband a saint for putting up with me. He'd tell you that all of this is totally normal and usually occurs this time of night when he's trying to sleep and I'm, shall we say, decompressing. He's a doll and I adore him. Now, for reals, I'm signing off. Thanks for the chat.

***Editor's Note: What you just witnessed here is what I would like to call a mind dump. Or better yet, a mind flush. Picture if you will a toilet. The toilet represents a mind's day. That toilet fills with "stuff" - thoughts/feelings/emotions/whatnots. You can't just leave all that "stuff" there now can you? It would fester and start to smell and then you'd end up with some awful 3rd world disease caused by festering "stuff". So what do you do? You flush it all away. If you came out of that feeling a little dizzy, that's normal. That is caused by the swirling vortex of "stuff" circling the drain on its way out. I apologize for any nausea or disorientation.***

my addicKtion 2/27/12

*Originally posted on dongsaeng's personal private blog on 2/27/12*


I'm toying with the idea of introducing a segment here on the ol' blog dedicated to my addic-K-tion.  The name is still a work in progress, but it will feature music or clips or reviews or whatever is currently floating my addicKted boat.  Originally I was going to name it "Shoving all Things Korean Down Your Throat Some More Until You Just Want to Scream and Run Away", but it was a bit too long, and the acronym "SATKDYTSMUYJWSRA" didn't flow trippingly off the tongue, so I shortened it to just plain "my addic-K-tion".  You're welcome.  Anyway, it will hopefully be a semi-regular feature here and you can do with it what you will.  But I do hope that some of you might get brave and take a nibble every now and again because there is a giant, wonderful world of entertainment out there beyond our borders just waiting for the adventurous to explore.

This weekend I fell in love with two songs and videos.  Both are friendly for the Western-eared.  You don't have to like Kpop to like these songs.  You don't even have to understand all of the lyrics - music is one of those things that is able to break through the language barrier.  It's a marvelous thing.

This first one is by a young man named John Park.  Apparently he was on last season's American Idol.  I don't watch AI, so I can't tell you much more, but there you have it.  I found both the song and video here to be mesmerizing.  I can't stop listening to it.  So, I thought I'd share because I love you all so much :)


This next one is from an hugely popular Kpop group, Big Bang.  This was a highly anticipated comeback song for the group.  It came out a few days ago and is already up to nearly 9 million views.  Go ahead, see what all the buzz is about for yourself.  You know you're curious....

I have so much I want to share, but I have to save something for other posts.  So, next time on "my addicKtion", I will be reviewing two dramas that I just finished this past week that I am completely in love with, Wild Romance and Dream High.
 

my addicKtion - dream high, wild romance, and a little secret 3/7/12

*Originally posted on dongsaeng's personal private blog on 3/7/12*


I started this one when they were 10 episodes in, thinking that it had enough of a jump start ahead of me that I wouldn't have to wait for new episodes.  I hate waiting for new episodes.

Drama Education Moment:  Korean dramas will usually air 2 episodes per week and are, on average, 16 episodes (or 8 weeks) long.  Add in about another day for subtitles to be added, and it can become quite the waiting game.  My fellow drama addicts can attest to the experience of watching the status of the subtitles all day long as it inches closer and closer to the magical 100% completion mark.  Of course, some of us have become too impatient and will usually consider somewhere around the 97% mark close enough.  We figure we can usually fill in the gaps with what little Korean we understand and context.

Well, my assumption was wrong.  I was instantly hooked on this drama and watched those first episodes a lot faster than originally anticipated.  Darn it all!  Towards the end I did manage to pace myself (with considerable help from Dream High, but more on that later) and ended up only having to wait a week between episode 14 and the concluding 15 & 16.  I'm telling you, waiting is hard and one should go to any lengths to avoid it.  Anywho, waiting complaints aside, I really enjoyed this drama.  It was funny.  It was suspenseful.  It was romantic.  The side characters of Eun Jae's best friend, Kim Dong Ah and the baseball manager, Kim Tae Han were so incredibly hilarious and quirky.  And of course, I love anything with Lee Dong Wook.  He's one awesome leading man.  I first saw him in Scent of a Woman (another great one by the way) and was somewhat hooked, but this drama sealed it for me - he's awesome.  I didn't care for the leading lady's look (the hair was awful), but nonetheless, appearances aside, she did an amazing job as well as a tough but pathetic bodyguard to a man she initially hates, if for no other reason than he plays for her favorite team's rival.  I won't give a whole synopsis of the drama, but I will just tell you that Eun Jae is Mu Yool's bodyguard because he has a stalker that has been sending him threats and attempted to poison him.  There's an ex-girlfriend thrown into the mix as well as a best friend and his wife.  This drama apparently didn't do too well in ratings, which is sad because I found it to be entertaining through most, if not all, of the episodes.  Maybe once my repertoire is built up a little more I'll feel differently, but as for now, I declare this one a winner.

Dream High
starring 

Suzy as Go Hye Mi

Kim Soo Hyun as Song Sam Dong

Taecyeon as Jin Gook/Hyun Shi Hyuk

Ham Eun Jung as Yoon Baek Hee

Wooyoung as Jason

IU as Kim Pil Sook

What can I say about Dream High?  It was a immensely fun ride filled with song and laughter and general happy feelings.  Think High School Musical meets Glee meets Save the Last Dance.  I watched this the week I was ill and bedridden while I waited for new episodes of Wild Romance.  If you have to be sick in bed, Dream High is a wonderful companion to help you through the long hours of boredom and misery.  The show starts out in the future at the 2018 Grammy Awards in LA.  "Singer K" is the first ever Korean performer anticipated to win a Grammy Award.  It then goes back to the present day and the Kirin Art School where 6 musicians' stories are followed.  As the viewer you understand that one of these 6 will become the mysterious "Singer K" but have no idea who it is.  The main female lead, Hye Mi, is a classically trained singer (you know, opera and the like) whose father falls on hard times financially and flees the country, leaving Hye Mi and her younger sister not only homeless and fending for themselves, but also on the hook for their dear ol' daddy's debts.  As in they have loan sharks literally chasing them.  She ends up making a deal with the loan shark that she'll give up her Julliard plans in lieu of training at a local art school that is famous for creating pop sensations and basically he'll collect the cash when she becomes rich and famous (this is where the Save the Last Dance analogy comes in by the way - classically trained girl has to give up her dream due to circumstances and finds joy in the popular, mainstream world of music that she initially looked down upon).  The story continues from there and of course there's a love quadrangle (Hye Mi has two guys after her and a frenemy who is in love with one of them).  I loved the complexity of the characters.  Sometimes you get a character that is either seemingly flawless or pure evil.  Not here.  They are all flawed.  But they all have redeeming qualities.  You don't hate any of them.  And you believe that any one of them could become the future "Singer K".  Throw in an awesome supporting cast like Park Jin Young  (real life producer and entertainment mogul, CEO and founder of shameless self-promoting JYP) as hilarious English teacher Yang Jin Man and Uhm Ki Joon (who played the doctor in Scent of a Woman coincidentally enough) as heartwarming and lovable teacher Kang Oh Hyuk and you have a really really entertaining 16 episodes heading your way.  It was a star-studded drama that did not disappoint this lonely viewer.

Now, for a little bonus review.  I have to give a shout out to a drama I am currently re-watching, Secret Garden.  This is tied for my all-time favorite drama.  It was the second one I ever watched and the one that truly hooked me on the genre as a whole.  Want to know where my obsession came from?  Blame Secret Garden.  Now rewatching it nearly a year later, I am reminded of just how much I love love LOVE this drama!  The theme song alone is enough to make me all twitterpated and excited.  I was jumping up and down when I found it on Netflix this week.  Netflix!  Yay!  I can watch it on the big screen!!!  Giddy my friends, simply giddy!  And in case you are curious, I noticed a few other dramas recently added to Netflix like CITY HUNTER! (the other one that is tied for first place all-time favorite), Boys Over/Before Flowers (the one that has hooked most drama addicts), Shining Inheritance (haven't seen it), and My Girlfriend is a Gumiho/Nine Tailed Fox (also haven't seen it but have heard it's great).

Sorry for the lengthy post.  I promise that in the future they will be shorter and less frequent.  It's just that I have a whole backlog of things I want to say and share.  Once we get through the back inventory it'll settle down.  Promise.  Just stick with me a little while longer and humor me here.  Or ignore it all together, though if you're reading this it's obviously too late for that. ;)

my addicKtion - soap operas? 3/13/12

*Originally posted on dongsaeng's personal private blog on 3/13/12*

I have had a couple of people unfamiliar with K-ds refer to them as "Korean Soap Operas".  Granted this is mainly my fault as that was the description I first used a year ago.  But since that time, this label has grown to bother me.  The term "soap opera" has an automatic negative connotation associated with it.  It also gives the wrong idea of what they really are.  After all, they aren't called soap operas, they are called dramas.  

Let me give you an example.  I know quite a few people that have fallen in love with and were completely hooked on the show Downton Abbey on PBS.  That's awesome.  It was a good show.  It is also the closest comparison I can make between dramas of the English-speaking world and those of the Korean.  The main difference is that the Korean ones tend to be longer but only one season.  That and I have to read my English instead of listening to it.  

Some K-ds do tend to be more melodramatic and more along the lines of what we think a "soap opera" would be, however, what I see as a big difference is the limited number of episodes.  Whereas an American soap opera lasts for years if not decades, Korean dramas are only 16-24 episodes.  Therefore the story lines, while branching out a little, tend to stay within parameters limited to the duration of the show.  Do they have a lot of scenes shot in hospitals, uhm, yeah, but no one is dying or comatose (typically).  Are there love triangles/quadrangles?  Of course, but you don't see cheating/partner swapping going on.  Are there all kinds of coincidences that wouldn't normally happen in real life (like all of the characters being somehow tied together).  Yes.  Definitely.  But, you know, it's for the sake of the dramatic in the story and you just have to deal with it.  

Are they perfect examples of literary genius?  No.  Are they flawed and sometimes come with a side of ridiculous?  Yup.  Do we love them anyway?  Of course!  There's just something about them.  Something that causes an obsession we can't ourselves explain.  They are clean, fun, emotional roller coasters of pure entertainment.  Just please, do us a favor, and don't call them soap operas. ;)

Think this....

Not this....

my addicKtion - wow. fantastic baby. 3/16/12

*Originally posted on dongsaeng's personal private blog on 3/16/12*


I've decided to write these posts as they come to me and are still fresh in my mind but then schedule them to be published at a later time so as to not overwhelm the blog here.  So by the time you read this, this particular song will be a little older, but as of right now when I write this, this one is the latest song/MV release from Big Bang's comeback album, Alive.  Can I just say how much I have fallen for Big Bang with this new album?!  I am still a fledgling in the world of KPop and so all of this is new to me.  I had heard of Big Bang but wasn't really familiar with their work.  But I have been following each release of their new videos from Blue to Bad Boy and now Fantastic Baby and I can say I am officially a huge fan of all things Big Bang at this time.

Whereas Blue was a pretty tame, easily palatable song, Fantastic Baby is a little harder to digest.  At least it was for me.  To give you an idea of how I came around to it, I'll give you my Fantastic Baby Journey to Acceptance.

I had heard some buzz about this one before it was released.  So to see what all the fuss was about, I checked out the song before the video was released.  I heard it and was kind of like "Eh.  It's okay, but I don't see what all the fuss is about."

Then I watched the video for the first time.  My reaction?  "Whaaaaaa?  Weird.  Kind of cool, but whaaatt the heck was that?"

Second time with the video...  "Hmmm.  Kind of catchy.  Video a little less weird now that I know what to expect."

By the third time through....  "This song ROCKS!  G Dragon's hair still bugs me as does his whole persona (sorry GD fans), T.O.P. is HOT and I LOVE his voice, Taeyang is amazing as is Daesung, Seungri's part was so-so..."

A couple of viewings later and I have purchased the track and have listened to it repeatedly.  I am officially hooked on this song!  It may have taken me a while to get there, but now that I'm here, it is quite simply FANTASTIC, BABY!  Boom Shakaklaka!  (by the way, another thought I'd had along this Fantastic Baby Journey to Acceptance was that any song with boom shakalaka in the lyrics was automatically awesome).

my addicKtion - dance 3/30/12

*Originally posted on dongsaeng's personal private blog on 3/30/12*

I suppose secretly I've always been a dancer at heart - a dancer with zero ability, hence a dancer only in my heart. When I close my eyes and go to my happy place, it usually involves beautiful costumes and dancing from a bygone era.  Now, with that said, I know nothing about dance other than what I've picked up from Dance Moms (hahaha - that show rocks!).  I couldn't tell you what I like in a general sense.  I'm a mishmash of dance preferences.  For example, I wish I were a ballerina, but I hate going to the ballet.  ???  I don't know either. *shrug*

This is probably one of my favorite things about KPop - the dancing.  I love watching these groups dance.  The entire lives of these groups are taken up by their careers.  They don't play much - it's all work, work, work.  They are practically owned by their management company.  They eat, sleep and live their job as performers.  And they have the impressive Asian work mentality.  All this nets some pretty amazing dancers.  At least in my humble, biased, and inexperienced opinion.  Take for example SHINee's newest song, Sherlock.  Great song.  Love the beat.  It's pretty darn catchy too.  I debated whether or not to post about their video though because there are a couple of things about it that would distract you from the awesomeness of the song, namely, the appearance of one of the members.  Taemin, dude, seriously?  The hair?  The outfit?  Yikes!  I love you SHINee, but I can't recommend you to my non-KPop-loving friends with you looking like that.  Sorry.  I am already mocked enough, that would just seal the deal.  Everyone already thinks I'm off my rocker - you'd only be further evidence to support their assumptions.  Lucky for me, however, I have recently discovered something amazing that may or may not be unique to KPop and that is the "Dance Only" or "Performance Practice" videos.  All these are are the groups in a studio dressed in "normal" clothes with "normal" hair, dancing.  That's it.  Just dance without the distractions.  Whee!  The only downside to them is that the music plays in the background and so the audio isn't the best.  Okay, it's downright awful, especially for you audiophiles out there.  Sorry, there's just no getting around that unless you want to play a separate track of the song while watching, but that'd be difficult to get the timing just right on and whatnot. Oh well, I'm doing the best I can here to help you feel more comfortable with all this foreign stuff, you'll just have to deal with the less-than-perfect aspects that pop up from time to time I'm afraid.  ;)  Anyway, while trolling YouTube the other day I found some of Big Bang's performance practice videos (drool) and thankfully, one for Sherlock as well.  So, without further ado, I share with you SHINee's Sherlock.




*Editor's Note*  Since I wrote this post I have had the opportunity to listen to this song in my car and wowzers!  It actually sounded even better than when I listen to it on earbuds or the computer.  The car has better bass and this song is all about the bass.  When I first put it on, I could see my side mirror shaking.  Hahaha!  I had to laugh and was inexplicably impressed.  If you know me, you probably wouldn't imagine me to be a big "bass so strong it thumps as you're driving down the road" kind of person because I so am not that kind of person.  I'm more the "call the cops on the car with bass booming so loud it rattles the windows" kind of person.  However, this made me literally laugh out loud in giddy, child-like delight.  I rolled down the windows and blasted the tunes.  I was sad that I was only driving a couple of blocks home from the grocery store and had to do a lap around the block just to stretch it out a bit longer.  34 year old suburban mother of two and this is how I get my kicks?  Yup.  Suppose so.  Who would have ever thought?  Certainly not me. But I'm going to enjoy the ride anyway :)