Greetings dear AddicKts! And how was your weekend? Good and restful? Good and not restful? A mix of both? I hope that it was great and that you are prepared for a new week! If not, well, do what I do, fake it til you make it. Even if you don't "make it" until Friday afternoon.
What should we talk about today? I haven't the foggiest notion. Well, actually, there is one thing on my mind. What else could it be but Psy? Psy oppa has done it again. He released his new MV for Gentleman over the weekend and it's already out there. How do I know it's out there? For one, allkpop.com told me so. Gentleman broke the record for most number of views in a single day. Beating out the Biebs. Again. I also know it's "out there" because my brother-in-law, who has an appreciation for all things ridiculous and funny, "liked" it on Facebook.
My thoughts on this?
Do you really want to know?
Okay, but don't shoot the messenger.
My eyes are rolling, and I'm saying, "Oh brother, here we go again."
Now, please don't get me wrong. I like Psy. I liked Psy long before Gangnam. I even like Gentleman (though I don't think my kids should be watching it) and had it stuck in my head all weekend. I like that Psy has been successful and has made a name for himself. I like that it has brought attention to the world of KPop. But, my question is, is it the right kind of attention? We've hashed this out on the blog before, so I won't go too deep into my opinions, but I don't like that many see Psy, and as an extension, KPop, as just a laughable phenomenon. I realize that Psy is, at his core, trying to be an entertainer and using humor and satire as his vehicle for success. I appreciate and respect and love that about him. It's what drew me to him. I'm all for a good laugh. And Gangnam and Gentleman, and all of the many, many others are good for just that. But, I have an affinity for KPop and Korean culture in general and so that laughing comes with a whole heap of respect. Is that what he gets though through this worldwide popularity? Is it laughter with appreciation and respect? Or are people just laughing at the goofy Asian guy dancing like an idiot? Does it help cross borders or perpetuate stereotypes? I know, I know...it's just good, fun music, so chill the heck out, right? I know I should. I just tend to go on the defensive anytime I hear people mock the man and the genre. I guess we'll just have to wait and see what the end result of the Psy phenomenon is for the world of KPop as a whole and leave it at that for now. I do wish to extend my wholehearted congratulations though to Psy in his already very successful release of this new song and video. And to show that I harbor no true ill-will, here it is, in case you were stranded on a deserted island without internet over the weekend and missed it.
Wanna see it live too? Well, you know, recorded live, I'm not offering any giveaways or anything cray cray like that ;) This was from Gentleman's debut at the HAPPENING concert.
We also can't talk Gentleman without mentioning the originators of the dance, Brown Eyed Girls in Abracadabra. Now, it was all done on the up and up, no one stole or ripped off or plagarized, so let's not start in on that. Ga In is obviously in the MV, so it's not like there was anything sneaky or nefarious, so let's not play any of the fan war games, huh? I just want to give props to BEG and help spread the love where the love deserves to be spread.
Psy also credits another man as being the inspiration behind the dance this time around. Any guesses? As if you don't already know...hahahaha...silly Dongsaeng. Obviously we are all equally obsessed over this person and know anything and everything ever having to do with him, right? This site here has a transcript of the tweets between the two (including the translation made by a fan for those a little rusty in our Korean).
Speaking of Twitter and GD... did you see GD's tweet after the HAPPENING concert? I love when the YG family supports each other, don't you? <3 Especially when it involves me getting to see a picture of my GD baby.
Speaking of GD, one last story to tell you. Friday night I was in a mood. I don't know why (ok, yes I do - Mother Nature likes to play with us poor women, doesn't she?). I was exhausted and grumpy...at 6:30pm. All I wanted to do was go to bed, but it was too early. I wasn't in the mood for dramas. I wasn't in the mood for American tv. I just was grouchier than I have been in a very long time. The Husband was out with a friend, so I was on my own for entertainment. And then, genius struck. I thought of the absolute perfect cure-all. Duh. How could I have been so silly as to forget the magic of Korean variety shows? What a better way to crawl out of my sour mood than a little Hwasin showcasing none other than GD talking about dating? Helllooo! Brilliant! And worked like a charm! Have you seen it yet? DramaFever has it subbed in case you haven't gotten around to it. He looks absolutely dreamy here. I want to watch it over and over and over again. Let that be a lesson to us all. Need a pick-me-up when nothing else will satisfy? Korean variety shows, especially those with GDragon, are a sure-fire cure to banish all your grouchiness. I was 100% cured and quite pleasant the rest of the evening.
Now, I think I've blabbered on for long enough. I will let you get on with your day. I wish you all the best today and this week. Thanks for stopping by!
Since this is a Wednesday Write Up, not a review, I can talk about anything I want to. First up, I apologize for not keeping up w/ my WWUs for the last couple of weeks. After my trip to So Cal I went through a little post trip depression. I missed my friends & the excitement & I just wanted to go back for more Big Bang. Like a magic spell or hypnotism. I LOVE my family but for the first time, in a REALLY long time, I did something just for me & as a result, I had a hard time accepting that my vacation was over. A little post vacation blues if you will. I decided that it was time for me to "reboot" myself. I took a little break from all things K related to help me get past the blues. Not completely cutting myself off. After all I still had Full House 2 to watch. I am so addiKted to that lovely piece of not serious fluff. It has been the perfectly ordered medicine for my blues. Minus the long weekend wait for the next episode. That I don't like. But the flip side of that is that I actually do, to a certain degree, look forward to Monday mornings.
So many wonderful things have been happening in the world of all things K. Music videos, scandals, law suits ended, concerts, new shows, musical award show wins, MTV European Awards, & the world Star Craft competition. So many things to talk about. I don't even know where to begin. Too many topics for my poor ahjumma brain. So instead of talking about one thing I have decided to talk about all sorts of things that I've noticed but haven't really commented on just recently.
*rubbing hands together* where to start? where to start???
How about with this week's release of Lee Seung Gi's (aka Dimple) latest Mini Album, "Forest". It is a beautiful album. And the first, hopefully not the last, song off the album to be get it's own MV & honestly the MV is really lovely. That is the actual adjective I used when the video came to an end. "Lovely" How often do I use that word? Almost never. And Lee Seung Gi's voice is amazing. I loved the MV & the song. But don't let me be the only one enjoying it. See for yourself.
Official Lee Seung Gi MV for Return (Looking Back):
See? Lovely. Perfectly lovely MV.
Next up to talk about...(these btw are in no particular order)
Did I ever mention the fact that I am a PC gaming widow? Yes, yes I am. My husband loves online video games. His current poison is DiabloIII. He & our 14 yr old monstrosity play against each other a lot. It would be more but I have strict usage rules for the kids. Anyway a couple of weeks ago CA came to me excitedly to report on something K related to me. The huge Star Craft World Competition. On Nov 17th & 18th Professional Star Craft players around the globe competed against one another in this global competition. it took place in Shanghai this year. it also included World of Warcraft players as well...
From the actual Webpage:
"The field has now been narrowed to the 32 best StarCraft II players and 10 best World of Warcraft Arena teams—each of whom will face off for more than $500,000* in prizes and the title of world champion."
Now granted I didn't tune in, neither did CA. But he was giddy that he could tell me about something that had to do with my AddiKtion. Usually it's the other way around. Although he hardly ever gets excited when I try & tell him about this or that. His typical reaction is to just nod his head benignly, smile & say, "Oh that's nice." Still I loved his participation. What a sweetie for trying to keep clued into the K world.
Let's see what's next? Ahhh yes, there was the HUGE scandal that wasn't really a scandal at all when IU accidentally Tweeted a pic of her & Eunhyuk's (of Super Junior fame) picture was released of her in her jammies. And everybody either cheered them on or freaked out that they were "possibly" in bed together. is it because they're Naughty Naughty? Nah. According to IU's peeps it was taken on a day when IU was really sick & Eunhyuk came to visit her & try to make her feel better. What is the real story?!?! Oh the heck cares?!? Really. If they are dating, good for them! If they are just friends, good for them! What happens to them in their personal life, should stay their personal life. IMHO I hope they find happiness, whether it's together or not I don't care. There was also the cry of they did it on purpose as a publicity stunt. People get better lives. Step away from the magic box & stop jumping to conclusions & "judgments" Whether it was legit or a set up who cares. Not me. It was a cute picture of them both. And anytime Eunhyuk wants to come & take a pic with me, I'll be happy to participate. Ahem...in my jammies or out of them. >:)
And how stinking cute is GD's dad when he brags about what a good son GD is & how proud he is of him?!?! Omo!! Omo!! So cute! What a sweet dad. Just the idea of getting a weekend stay at their new vacation house sounds wonderful. I love that his mom decorated a room just for GD & that his dad was very specific in that the "Ji Yong Crayon" room would not be rented out, ever. Fine by me, as long as GD is staying there the same weekend I am. Let's just keep that info from CA when I ask him if I can go by myself for vacation to Seoul. I have no intention of telling him I plan to stalk oppas in person.
As for awards? Well, Psy took home the award for Music Video of the year from the MTV Euro Awards & I say good for you Psy oppa! You rock. Well done. I'm also happy to report I still hear "Gangnam Style" on the radio here pretty regularly. yesterday I saw an article that said he was up for "Man of the Year" from Time Magazine. I was so happy for him. Fingers crossed he wins, he gets my vote. Then today I saw this article from "Gawker", talking about how Bill O'Reilly recently dedicated an entire segment to Psy & the "Gangnam Style" MV, & it's popularity. Although all O'Reilly & his idiot sidekick "Dr" Albow manage to do, is prove their stupidity, racist tendencies, & the fact that they are in fact cut off from the real world, by simply opening their mouths. 2 biggest morons on the planet IMHO right now. But I want you guys to remember that not all conservatives are like Bill O'Reilly. He's a special kind of stupid all on his own. I know lots & lots of conservatives that are great, loving, compassionate, people. Me? I don't talk politics. I keep all my political feelings to myself. Trust me I am informed & have strong opinions BUT they are my business & no one else's. To quote my daughter whom I just overheard telling off her brothers, when they started arguing, "End of discussion!" hehehehe...it was seriously so awesome listening to her telling them off.
And another awesome award, more than well deserved, was when my favorite JYJ man, Xiah Junsu, won at the Musical awards, for his performance in the musical "Elisabeth". If anyone can get me a legal copy of that musical on DVD I will gladly kiss you. Or you know, less creepy, pay you. I actually cried when I read about his win & his wonderfully humble speech. I was so happy for him to finally be recognized. Way way way overdo. Junsu Fighting!
But that is not the only good news for JYJ...
No our Mickey has also received praise for his latest K drama performance in I Miss You. I admit freely I have not started this one yet. I want to. I really really want to. But it's a melodrama & I have a hard time with those. I really prefer comedy & rom/com over melodrama. I get far too emotionally involved & have been known on more than one occasion to do the big ugly cry over a melodrama. You know the cry...the one where you gasp for air you're crying so hard & you have snot running form your nose & your choking. Your face gets all red & blotchy & you find yourself wondering for your sanity. It's a TV show! Why am I crying so hard over a TV show? What is wrong with me? I'm already not a pretty crier so I try to avoid those shows. I hear great things about I Miss You though & am just waiting for it to either get at least 1/2 way through it's live airing before I start or I might wait till Winter break & just marathon it one day. It would help if we got a nice big snow storm during winter break & the kids & I were stuck in the house.
{^_-}
And then last night I heard the most amazing news!! Best news I've heard all year long. A few months ago you remember I went off & did a serious post about my frustration with the treatment that our beautiful JYJ received in their home country from certain entertainment affiliates. To date still my most read post, in a 24 hour period, on TCA. Well last night, a friend posted the news on FB & Twitter that the JYJ/SMEnt court battle has come to a close. That is MY Christmas Miracle, my fellow AddiKts. Have you heard? Allkpop released the news first here. And I was so excited. I had a difficult time falling asleep last night. And it kept me going this morning as I battle a sore throat & stuffy head. And all I could think was that now maybe we'll get to see our boys on Korean Music shows finally. Inkigayo Mnet etc... Maybe Jaejoong's wish to be on an episode of Running Man will come true & I was giddy!! Until that same friend posted this article quoting the responses of the major stations in SK to the news of the dropped suits. Which in my opinion translates into KBS is fine with having the boys on their shows. However, MBC & SBS are too cowardly to say they'll have them on their channels because they haven't yet been given the "all clear" from SMEnt or it's allegedly corrupt President. But I am cautiously optimistic that it will all have a happy ending for JYJ. If anyone deserves the "Happily Ever After" ending, it's JYJ. Don't you think?
Now you may be asking, "Unnie do you think it was your article that blew the whole thing over & caused SMEnt to finally give our guys a break?" Well....*blushing* you said it, not me. {{Giggle. Just kidding.}} Of course I don't. I doubt, I or my little article, had absolutely anything to do with it at all. I'm not that naive or that vain.
Let's see I'm also watching King of Dramas, up to episode 3. Siwon rocks the comedic timing in this one. Way better than his performance, so far, in Oh My Lady. So between the epic awesomeness of the hair styles in FH2 & Siwon's performance in KOD, & Dimple's new MV/album release, I am a happy happy unnie. I'm gearing up for more holiday fun & for Winter Break & for a new year. A new year, new dramas, new music, new music videos & more TCA blogging & reviews. And that Addikts wraps up my WWU. I hope you have all had a great Nov. And I hope you have a great Dec. I will be back next week as well. No worries. I'll probably disappear again as I get closer to Christmas but I will do my best to not neglect my WWU's until then.
Saranghamnida,
P.S. I apologize if this post rambles or makes no sense. Like I said I am battling the beginning part of a cold & this post took all day to write because the computer screen made my head hurt so much. So I had to keep stopping myself & starting again later. Which means this post is probably disjointed & makes no sense in places. I'm also on cold meds. Ooo I am high as a kite. Not really. It's just Dayquil. But it still gives me blank spots in my head. Does that make any sense? Plus I just had a lot of different topics & things I had been setting aside to talk about with all of you. As usual I hope you got a giggle or chuckle & that my post made you smile at least a little. Lots o' love guys!!
So I was supposed to have this up yesterday...it would seem I totally forgot it was Wednesday all day long, I kept thinking it was Tuesday still. Usually I think I am one day ahead not repeating the same day. So I apologize if there were AddiKts out there looking for a WWU & finding nothing. I didn't forget you I just forgot the date. But here it is Thursday & I am still getting you a WWU, a day late but there it is.
Last night, just before I went to sleep, a friend posted on FB that they had heard Gangnam Style on our local radio station. I was so jealous. Which is irrational, as I don't actually listen to local radio all that often anymore. Usually only in the car & only on short trips. I don't see the point of plugging in the iPod just for a run up the highway to the grocery store. Which makes my jealousy of her hearing it & not me, irrational. How can I hear it on the radio when I hardly listen to the radio? I think it was because she is not the only friend to have heard Psy Oppa on the radio recently, as you all know Gangnam Style has reached viral popularity, all across the US. Never to be left out of the fun I was determined to hear it too, while I was checking email & FB & getting some personal paperwork done (ie school stuff for the Monstrosities) this a.m., I turned on Kiss FM from Milwaukee on my computer to listen live. After only 45 minutes there it was. Omo!! I felt so satisfied to hear it on local radio. I felt like I was part of the cool group, finally! And if you know me in real life, then you know, I am one of the least cool people around. Just a big geek pretending or wishing I was cool.
But it got me to thinking. What is it about Psy's song that has all of America gaga? I honestly LOVE the song. It's fun, it's catchy, the MV is funnier than heck, it's full of energy & of course it's Psy so that is always a + in my book. I first started listening to Psy Oppa's music last winter after I watched the YG Family Strong Heart special Episodes.
I LOVED him the most on the show. He was so funny & they showed video from one of his concerts & the energy level was so high I had to check him out. What I found was sincere talent, energy, fun, humor & it was clinched the man rocks! If you haven't been a fan of Psy until Gangnam Style you have really missed out. He has his own Official YouTube Channel so check out his older stuff, you won't be disappointed, I promise.
Now one of my other friends today said she was kind of getting tired of Gangnam Style & I silently agreed with her but then we've been listening to it longer than most of the US. We've been on board & fans before rapper T Pain tweeted his admiration. And one of my other friends created a Meme for Pinterest that we all had to pin immediately...
Don't get me wrong I still love the song. I still love Psy! Two unchanging constants! I think Psy is a musical genius! And this has gotten a lot of K Pop lovers very excited that K Pop seems to have broken through to mainstream US music. Although, I don't think "broke through" is a sufficient enough term. I think a better way of putting it would be that Gangnam Style took that line between K Pop & US Pop & blew the dang thing to smithereens! Wasted it! Destroyed & annihilated it! Left nothing more than a scorch mark in it's wake!!
But do I think K Pop has truly made it's way into the US music scene? Eh.... I'm still waiting. Psy's song is fun & memorable, especially because of the video. But I can see Americans still looking at KPop w/ wary eyes. I think GS has definitely firmed the foundation for more KPop to trickle through. But do I think America has embraced it fully? If you judge by the fact that BigBang's 2 US concert dates sold out completely in less than an hour each, then yes. However, then you have to remember those 2 locations LA & New Jersey, have a much heavier concentration of Koreans & Korean Americans. I know that there are people coming from all over the US to those 2 concerts, because I am one of them. And I know that there are people coming from other countries, including South America, to see those 2 concerts as well. So I am in no means saying that no other races like K Pop or that a K Pop mix into the US music scene is impossible. I think if it's going to happen it's going to happen anytime from here on out. Because of previous attempts laying the ground work, SuJu, GG, WG, & now Psy. Even when Girls' Generation came to the US with their hit song, "The Boys", during their appearances on Live & David Letterman they sang it in English. Which is great but again, that was a change I thought they could have done without. That is not K Pop. That is a KPop group singing in English. I think, to date, Psy's break through has probably had the Most Power in its Punch.
KPop's popularity has reached global proportions. And I am so incredibly happy about it. But I want to make sure that K Pop stays K Pop. I LOVED the fact that Psy said he would not be doing an English version of GS. I was so proud of him! Stick to your roots Oppa! What makes K Pop so popular, so awesome, so distinct is that it is Korean. Not Korean American or American. If/When K Pop makes it here I want to know that it is in fact still K Pop. I don't want the US music industry to change it & I don't want the K Pop artists to change their style, their sound or soften their stance on what they are willing to do.
I think with more & more Americans like these two crazy ahjummas pitching K Pop & introducing it to people little by little they will open their ears & hearts to the K Pop Phenom. They are just so uncomfortable w/ things that are different. Change & differences make them nervous because it is so unknown. And while I would hope in today's world, we would finally be getting past that kind of prejudice this proves that fear is still there. So my fellow AddiKts it is up to us to kindly & lovingly educate the English world to understand that music is still music no matter language it is heard in. Music is mathematical after all. And mathematics are universal aren't they. So help spread the K Pop love. Don't be afraid to tell people you love K Pop. Don't be afraid of what they think. Do NOT let fear guide your choices or decisions. Embrace the difference & educate those around to understand that it is our differences that make us interesting & unique. IF the people in your life cannot love & accept you for all your idiosyncrasies then they are not your real friends. Real friends love you because of your differences not in spite of them. Unconditional love embraces all differences. Whether it be color, language, religion or music taste. :)
This is my KPop/KDrama message for my WWU this week. Again I apologize for being so late. I hope you come back next week for more of my viewpoints. No idea what I'm going to talk about yet. Mostly because I have no idea what weird path my brain will have gone down by then. I do know that dongsaeng & I have a couple of extra articles coming next week. We talk about Chuseok, which is September 30th this year, & we are going to do our first ever product review! Squuuueeeeee!!! That's right, a Korean based Cosmetics/Skin Care company contacted us & sent us free stuff so we could review it here on TCA!!! We are so excited to say we've been using the products a month & our review for the company & it's products will go up next week. In return they will advertise our blog on their website. How cool is that!?!?!?!
Well have a great week AddiKts! Sending you all lots of love & KPop...enjoy the MV below while you wait for the first of our DFR's to go up later tonight & tomorrow. It's the latest from Changmin & Yunho from TVXQ!!! Enjoy the eye candy & the hot beats & the awesome dancing & singing. Unnie Loves TVXQ.
{{AND YES!! I can AND DO like groups other than YG based groups & KHJ. Bunch of "Smart Alecs" notice my substitute of the other A word I wanted to use there. Hmmm-mmmm...}}
That's right AddiKts, today I thought it might be fun to make my post a little more personal. A little more about Unnie & her crazy life. With some Koreaphile addiKtion thrown in to the mix.
{{Why am I speaking in 3rd person? Just creeped myself out.}}
This is me;
Unnie
{^_-}
Okay, okay this is actually me;
The other picture is way better looking. And younger! Let's just pretend the other picture is the real me.
Trying to blog about things I am still learning has been fun, trying, exciting, different, exhausting, awesome & eye opening. But then stepping outside my carefully constructed box is so worth it. I have been a Koreaphile for a year & a half now. And everyday I watch dramas & listen to Kpop, I think how happy it makes me to have this wonderful new world opened up to me. My house is filled w kids & CA, & now w/ the sounds of Fantastic Baby, Daebak!, Aigoos, Aishes, Otakes, and many other phrases as well. CA has gotten so used to hearing these from me now, that he actually can respond correctly when I express one of these wonderful words/phrases. He himself has started using Fantastic Baby! Chincha!!! Jongmal Daebak!!
Along with Korean things; I love my church. I love my crazy family & friends so much! I lost my mother at the tender age of 17 to lung cancer, my senior year of high school. She was my absolute best friend! I still miss her dearly. I lost a brother to drug addiction right after my first born joined us. I have lost both sets of grandparents. All this losing of beloved family members, has made me a big advocate of telling people, in my life, how much they mean to me & that I love them. I love cuddling & snuggling & touching & holding. Very touchy feely kind of person. I love to read. Anything & everything. I was one of those kids that read the encyclopedia when I ran out of books. My favorite books are the classics, Jane Eyre, Jane Austen, Anne of Green Gables. Growing up with 5 brothers I LOVE all things Sci-fi & Fantasy. I am a true geek! And proud of it. I love babies & kids. I love people watching. I think people are awesome, funny, & fascinating. I dislike camping. I ADORE indoor plumbing & a mattress. But my kids & CA like camping so I go for them. I LOVE to smile. I LOVE to laugh. I love inappropriate sayings & dirty jokes. I have a great love of sarcasm & saying exactly what I am thinking. I am almost impossible to insult or offend. Sleeping, next to reading, is my favorite pastime. I hate exercise, so I am very out of shape. But this year I started doing it regularly, trying to get healthy for my kids. But I hate being sweaty. Yuck. I am a slight germ-a-phobe. And I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the ocean. I miss Southern California so very much! I love animals, ALL animals, but I especially LOVE dogs. I have a 7 year old female tri colored cocker spaniel named Nicolette. But we call her Princess Nikki. She is my shadow & follows me everywhere I go, when I am at home, & will sit by the door waiting for me to come home, when I leave. Or so my kids tell me. I am sentimental, & silly. I love romance & adore high heels. I have a sincere shoe fetish. I blame my mom, she suffered enjoyed a shoe fetish too! My dream vacation would involve being let loose in the Jimmy Choo warehouse! And laying on the beach. I do not drink alcohol, never have. I do not smoke & after watching my mom die of lung cancer am a sincere anti smoking advocate. I haven't seen an R rated movie since before my eldest was born. I am a PC gaming widow. LOL And I'm okay with it. I am not a fan of video games myself though. I get motion sick too easily on the console games. And I love to write. {{shock, no way unnie, really? I can see you guys can roll your eyes too!! Giggle}}
As for my kids?
What a bunch of hams! I don't know where they get it from!
My 13 yr old Monstrosity loves Kpop music, as much as he loves US music, & is constantly asking me to make sure our free agent drive is regularly updated, every time I purchase new music off of iTunes, so he can update his mp3 player. Including indoctrinating friends at school & church with his love of the music. I'm so {{sniff, sniff}} proud! He's also learning Korean with me. And is a high orange in Korean Tae Kwon Do. And is very proud of his burgeoning 6 pack. {{giggle}}
My 8 yr old girl Monstrosity, asked me the other day, if I would teach her Korean as well? LOL That actually made me giggle. She thinks I speak Korean fluently. Ahh the innocence of youth. But I did tell her I would include her in my Korean lessons, if she wanted. She was very happy with that idea. She has also started calling, every once in a while, her elder brothers "Oppa". Which my 13 yr old loves!
My 6 yr old Monstrosity is constantly asking me to play Fantastic Baby by Big Bang as loud as I can, then he dances & sings the English lyrics along with it. He even "Boom Shakalaka'd" the other day when he finished a level on Little Big Planet. LOL He also loves watching the kick butt scenes in the action dramas, like City Hunter & now Faith.
My Nolan entranced by BB:
My 11 yr old Monstrosity just kind of ignores all of us. He has his own interests & they are video games. He loves video games. Of course it's my 11 yr old Monstrosity that is wheelchair bound & so video games are his favorite way to spend some time. Have any of you gone to the "Unnie" page & taken the time to read up on the disease my 11 yr old was born with? I didn't really go into detail on his disease did I?
As a part of the quick view into Unnie's world I figure a quick paragraph should do.
Ataxia Telangiectasia (tel-en-jick-tay-sha) Or A-T for short, is an incredibly rare genetic neuro-degenerative disease. Which means as he ages, his cerebellum, is continuously degenerating, the brain cells are dying. The cerebellum is the part of your brain that controls all motor & muscle functions. Only about 500 kids in the US have this disease. A-T kids come from 2 parents who both have one normal, one abnormal chromosome 11. Together we have a 1 in 4 chance of having a child w/ BOTH abnormal chromosome 11's. So my husband & I are BOTH carriers of this rare disease. A-T kids are normal at birth. It isn't until they start walking & talking that you notice something a little off. Usually by age 3 is when parents start to get worried. Although there are exceptions to all rules. I know A-T families like ours that noticed earlier because their child had severe immune deficiencies & I know A-T parents who didn't find out till their child was already in school. What is A-T? A-T is a multi-system disease. It affects a startling number of body systems, from immune deficiencies, to cancer, to the inability to control any or all of your motor functions, it also causes premature aging, diabetes, heart issues & more. These are smart, capable kids trapped in bodies that do not do what they want & frequently turn on them health wise. There are no known therapies, cures or treatments for this disease at the current time. It also has a life span of late teens/early twenties. I spend a great deal of my time, bathing, dressing, helping my child to use the restroom & caring for him. He also has a great many sick days, days where he throws up for no reason anyone can figure. He is under weight no matter how much he eats. And we are currently looking into feeding tubes & GI issues. He cannot walk on his own, he cannot read on his own as he cannot control his eye muscles long enough to track words on a page. But he is funny, smart, bright, kind & very empathetic to those around him. He is awesome & a huge source of pride & an amazing example of finding joy in all things. I cannot regret my life without regretting him & I refuse to do that. He has taught me strength in adversity & joy in trials & that a sense of humor, even if sometimes my sense of humor is more than a little off color, can make a huge difference in attitude & how you view the world. He has also taught me to love unconditionally all those around me. And has shown me I am so much stronger than I ever thought I could be. I think it is because of him, that my kids hardly ever fight with one another & that we are so close as a family. He has a fundraising page on the A-T Children's Project website.
{{hmmm.. guess this wasn't a short paragraph after all.}}
How does one go on after such a paragraph?!?! Talking about coming out to my family & friends of course. Duh! Keep up with me fellow AddiKts!! Now, I have never really "come out" to my family about my AddiKtion. I didn't call up my parents, siblings, in laws & say, "hey guys guess what I am doing?!?!" {{giggle}} Although on my personal blog I have. {{I know VERY passive aggressive}} I even have this here blog linked up & advertised on my personal blog. So anyone that reads the personal blog will know about this blog. And so, some of them, I am sure, do know. Whether or not it has run rampant through my family I have no idea. If they were to ask me about all this I would happily tell them. But so far none of them have asked me anything. {{Sad face here}} But recently Psy Oppa has been a big part of the entertainment news over here. And so I have been sharing Gangnam Style all over my personal FB page. Which has garnered attention from those in my life. A few questions, but still mostly this side of me is ignored. Either because they don't really care or because they are afraid to ask.
But something you need never fear from me is asking me questions! I LOVE when people ask me questions. Whether I know the answer or not. Whether it is personal or not. I am not big on keeping myself quiet. You may have {{ahem}} already noticed that about me. I'm kind of a spaz. Sometimes, I get self conscious about my weirdness & I worry that other people think I'm a lunatic or just weird. But then, sometimes, I embrace my weird side fully & shout out I LOVE KOREAN STUFF!!! LOL My point is, I am who I am. I never pretend to be something I am not. I would love to be one of those quiet, calm, looked up to kind of ahjummas. But I'm pretty sure I cannot pull that off. I'm too eclectic & odd. I admire the quiet but I have never been able to pull that off. I just get so excited about everything in life so much. And I have to let people know I am excited. Dongsaeng says I'm bubbly. But I think I just come off as annoying, slightly over bearing & obnoxious. {{giggle}} Like a little yappy puppy dog.
As for my writing style? I prefer writing to you as if we are already in the middle of a conversation. As if you have all been a part of my addiKtion, from the beginning, & we're old friends visiting. I hope when you read my writing, you can almost hear my voice in it. That you can almost see me roll my eyes or wink or wiggle my eyebrows over a semi naughty sentence. I want you guys to read my posts & feel like we just talked about a show or a topic together. And that is why I love getting comments from you, the readers. The whole reason Dongsaeng & I started this blog, was because we wanted a place where we could all come & dish & squee & go Krazy, with other like minded Koreaphiles like ourselves. My Unnie page is updated w all my favorites but I don't know your favorites. I've learned about some of you & know some of you by name. Some of you are readers but never leave comments. I don't know if its because you are still too worried about what we'll think or if you are worried it will out you to your family or friends. We would never do that! We remember how scary it can be to admit to those around you about this addiKtion of ours. Like I said not even all of my own family knows. When I call you AddiKts it isn't because I think you are addikted to me but because we are all of us AddiKted to the Korean world. You aren't MY AddiKts. You are my FELLOW AddiKts!
So please, write to us. Send us emails, if you prefer to remain in the shadows...giggle. Or leave comments on our posts. Or go to the FB page & leave comments on there or follow us individually or TCA itself on Twitter. The links to those places are all over the blog. So I won't link them in this post. Dongsaeng & I are working behind the scenes very hard to make this blog a haven for Koreaphiles everywhere. Not just for non Koreans either. For any & all people no matter their race or gender. Born here? Born overseas? Born in Korea itself. We welcome all of you! We can see who visits us on our Blogger Dashboard. We see the many different countries, that for some reason, actually like reading what 2 white, stay home suburban moms have to say about K Dramas, K Pop, K everything, even though we have never actually been to Korea itself. We think it is so Daebak!
We are humbled, of course, we're also very very puzzled as to why you guys like reading what we have to say or think, but mostly we're incredibly humbled. When we started this blog we intended to just dip our toes tentatively, into the shallow end of the pool & test to see if anyone would want to keep up with us. But here we are just 4 months later & we have over 35,000 page views. And average around 500 to 600 views a day. Which is probably incredibly nothing, compared to Drama Beans or EYK. {{BTW we totally stalk both of those sites! We are die hard "Nasties"!!}} But for us? That is a HUGE number of people reading us. {{Seriously what do you see in us??}} We are actually working on establishing our own domain & domain name & dropping blogger completely. Which is exciting! But instead of dipping our toes in, as planned, we feel as if we've been pushed, head first, into the deep end of the pool! It's exciting but intimidating. We hope we continue to hypnotize entertain you with our take on all things K related.
That pretty much sums it up for this week AddiKts. I hope you enjoyed a break from our regularly scheduled WWU & the quick view into what makes me tick. ;) Although more than likely this was my most boring post ever! Totally understandable for you to feel that way guys.
Before I close completely, did you guys hear about Psy? Gangnam Style is the #1 MV in the US on iTunes!! And I also want to leave you with an interview CNN did on Psy Oppa & Gangnam Style.
AND his appearance at the Dodger Game in L.A. this week.
In case you can't tell Dongsaeng & I are so incredibly stoked to see Psy Oppa in the US news so much! It has been fun showing everyone that we aren't as crazy as they think we are. Although yes, I think it incredibly ironic that we are using a Psy MV to prove our lack of crazy. LOL
This is a wonderful time to be an addicKt. Old dramas are finishing up and new ones are beginning. While I love and miss the old, I eagerly await the new. It's like opening a present. You still love your old stuff, but it's always nice to get something new as well. And the greatest thing about dramas is that the old ones are still there - they don't just disappear. You can revisit them anytime you want. You just get to add new ones in to the rotation as well.
So, what is everybody watching? What new dramas have you all excited? I, for some crazy reason, have decided to stick with 5 currently airing dramas. Why oh why do I do this to myself? Obviously I have Faith going. So far so good on that one. I have also started To the Beautiful You. Again, not bad. I haven't seen any of the older versions of Hana Kimi so I can't compare the new to the original(s), but I like Minho. I don't think the girl looks like a boy, but I didn't think that about Coffee Prince or You're Beautiful either. The first episode had me cracking up in parts. Sure they were exceptionally silly and goofy, but cute and funny. I still have Bridal Mask going and am almost caught up. I haven't watched last week's episodes yet. Soon, very soon. I can't stay away from my Gaksitaaalll for very long. I'm going to start Arang and the Magistrate since that's what Unnie is reviewing and I have to be able to read her posts and don't want to spoil the show for myself. Another sageuk. Can I do it? I don't have much choice, so I hope so. For my 5th show, I'm still undecided. I'm toying with the idea of watching Answer Me 1997. Or Haeundae Lovers, though I've heard there's some adultery in that and having a friend dealing with that in real life right now I don't know if I can handle it. I'm in no mood to cheer on a man that is married falling in love with another woman. But maybe I heard wrong. Anyone have light to shed on that? Anyway, if anyone has any suggestions for my 5th show, I'm all ears. Oh, and I'm almost finished with Queen In Hyun's Man (not currently airing - have to have one of those to fill in the gaps spent waiting for current shows). I'd love to catch an older show that I've missed, but they keep coming out with new ones that interest me too much. What's an addicKt to do? I can't spend every waking minute watching dramas. Every other maybe, but not every one ;)
{Legal Disclaimer: The Crazy Ahjummas do not support irresponsible and excessive drama watching to the extent of but not limited to skipped meals, lost sleep, job loss, crossed eyes, power outages, bed sores, blood clots, hunched backs, complete utter breaks from reality, relationship problems, "can't get a man-itis", divorce, agoraphobia, heart palpitations, squish face kiss fish eyes, sweaty palms, incontinence, bladder infections, dehydration, puffy eyes, condemned property, exploded ovaries, carpal tunnel, ab envy, kinked necks, numbness, blindness, teeth grinding, chopstick spliners, chapped lips, uncontrollable drooling, excessive sweating, constipation, the gout, or bad grades.
Please view responsibly.}
More Psy news, just because this is really cool and noteworthy...have you seen that "Gangnam Style" has surpassed 40 million views on YouTube?!?! 40 MILLION!!! For a KPop MV. That's pretty darn epic. Did you see Seungri of Big Bang's Gangname Style dance he posted on his Me2Day profile? I'm hoping that this is just the first of many to come of other KPop stars getting in on the horsey dance action.
Now for some JYJ news. It just came to my attention last night (since before then I was off in the woods communing with nature -- stinkin' nature and your lack of WiFi and decent cell service) that JYJ is in Los Angeles right now for some meetings and a little JYJ vacay. Holy moly - you're telling me that JaeJoong and Junsu are only 5 hours by car, 1 hour by plane away from me right now?!?! Fangirl SQUEEEEEE!!!! When a breeze blows in from the west, I will imagine that it contains particles of exhalation from my JYJ. Ahhh! Breathe in the JYJ exhalation particles. This of course leads me into today's MMT prescription for the day...you had to have known this was coming.... Junsu's first English solo track was released late last week. What else do I have to say. It's Junsu, singing in English, and looking ever so shmexy. I don't care what language the man sings in - it's going to be pure gold no matter what. Mmm, Junsu. Xia done got my heart. So, enjoy a little Junsu as needed and have a wonderful Monday everyone!
