I'm back with a new series here on M & M: my monthly favorite things. Basically I will give a list of my list of favorite things of the month in a variety of categories. For May I experimented a lot with new products, especially for skin and makeup not only because of the change in seasons, but because I've been trying to find more products to replace my Korean ones. If you notice, there's not a book category as I'll be doing that separately :) Here we go...
Saturday, May 31, 2014
Sunday, May 18, 2014
Kpop Corner #2: Running Man
For this installment of the Kpop Corner, I thought I'd bring you a much loved, and personal favorite, genre of the Korean entertainment line-up: the variety show. In the US, I'm not sure we have an equivalent type of show--one the combines "reality" type programming that is non-survival, non-marriage binding, non-7 strangers picked to live in a house, with comedic situations. Although Korean variety shows don't send people home every week, they don't abandon their cast naked and alone in remote parts of the world, they also are not a game show in a traditional sense (although there are certainly games involved). Let me put this a different way.
Korean variety shows typically have a set cast and often have "guest" stars join them each week. The show, is both real and scripted. The producers will structure and plan for certain things to happen, whether it be assigning missions/challenges to the cast or setting up a ridiculous situation, but the best variety shows rely not on the schemes that the producers cook up, but on the comedic timing and relationships of its cast.
An example of a popular variety show is Running Man, not to be confused with the popular 80's dance step. In this variety show, which was initially billed as "urban action variety," the cast is met with a series of challenges that they must complete in order to obtain final victory--whether as the last person standing, winning a prize, or just plain old bragging rights.
In this clip, a simple game of rock paper scissors is anything but, with the losing team being launched in the air and into a swimming pool via a catapult contraption, but like all competitions on Running Man, it's all in the spirit of good fun.
[EngSub] Running Man Ep.147 Part 1_2 (Kim Soo... by movie-trailers4you
But the highlight of Running Man has to be the "name tag ripping game," a hilarious adult version of "hide and go seek" meets "capture the flag," which involves battling members of opposite teams to rip off their name tag attached to the back of their shirts in order to get the "out" of the game.
These are shows that make you laugh, and sometimes cry, as you grow increasingly attached to the cast members with each passing week. Watching the cast and their antics, seeing what kind of hilarious situations they find themselves in each week, and what kind of games they'll play, is worth watching. And, I don't know about you, but I would love to participate in Running Man's games! In short, it's a damn good time.
Korean variety shows typically have a set cast and often have "guest" stars join them each week. The show, is both real and scripted. The producers will structure and plan for certain things to happen, whether it be assigning missions/challenges to the cast or setting up a ridiculous situation, but the best variety shows rely not on the schemes that the producers cook up, but on the comedic timing and relationships of its cast.
An example of a popular variety show is Running Man, not to be confused with the popular 80's dance step. In this variety show, which was initially billed as "urban action variety," the cast is met with a series of challenges that they must complete in order to obtain final victory--whether as the last person standing, winning a prize, or just plain old bragging rights.
In this clip, a simple game of rock paper scissors is anything but, with the losing team being launched in the air and into a swimming pool via a catapult contraption, but like all competitions on Running Man, it's all in the spirit of good fun.
[EngSub] Running Man Ep.147 Part 1_2 (Kim Soo... by movie-trailers4you
But the highlight of Running Man has to be the "name tag ripping game," a hilarious adult version of "hide and go seek" meets "capture the flag," which involves battling members of opposite teams to rip off their name tag attached to the back of their shirts in order to get the "out" of the game.
These are shows that make you laugh, and sometimes cry, as you grow increasingly attached to the cast members with each passing week. Watching the cast and their antics, seeing what kind of hilarious situations they find themselves in each week, and what kind of games they'll play, is worth watching. And, I don't know about you, but I would love to participate in Running Man's games! In short, it's a damn good time.
Friday, May 9, 2014
Monday, May 5, 2014
The Comeback 2014
Things have changed since I started this blog as a way to sort out all that I was mentally and emotionally going through in the wake of returning to America & attempting to be an adult. I no longer have this crippling worry about fitting in or then over-compensate for my anxiety. And while I still think about Seoul from time to time, it is not with that deep longing and heartache as if I might have made a wrong decision in returning home. I am mostly a functioning adult with my mind firmly set in the present and near future.
All in all, things are good.
And so I feel like I'm in a good space to return to the blogging world. I know this blog has been neglected for most of this year, largely due to the fact that instead of blogging, I've been journaling. I didn't make any firm resolutions this year, but one thing that I wanted to get in the habit of is journaling more often. I like the idea of me writing books about my life--if only for me and to be read by me. As I get older, I've found that my memory isn't as dependable as it once was, and that I being able to reference an event or a time in my life in my journals is useful in keeping my mind right. It's also nice to revisit with myself from ages past, and I think it's also useful in seeing what personal developments, if any, I've made. I know that I could also do that with a blog, and have quite often done so in the past, but as a blog is, by definition, a public thing, I am not always forthcoming on my posts, and sometimes what's needed in a moment isn't a well-planned and executed blog post but a long rambling tirade of emotions that can happen in the privacy of your journal. I have little doubt that my journaling this year has helped me see my life in certain ways and focus my attention on the things I wanted to change.
So now that I'm in a much better place than I was last year, consider this my comeback. I've thought of a lot of different things of this blog during my hiatus, and I'm excited to get to them.
All in all, things are good.
And so I feel like I'm in a good space to return to the blogging world. I know this blog has been neglected for most of this year, largely due to the fact that instead of blogging, I've been journaling. I didn't make any firm resolutions this year, but one thing that I wanted to get in the habit of is journaling more often. I like the idea of me writing books about my life--if only for me and to be read by me. As I get older, I've found that my memory isn't as dependable as it once was, and that I being able to reference an event or a time in my life in my journals is useful in keeping my mind right. It's also nice to revisit with myself from ages past, and I think it's also useful in seeing what personal developments, if any, I've made. I know that I could also do that with a blog, and have quite often done so in the past, but as a blog is, by definition, a public thing, I am not always forthcoming on my posts, and sometimes what's needed in a moment isn't a well-planned and executed blog post but a long rambling tirade of emotions that can happen in the privacy of your journal. I have little doubt that my journaling this year has helped me see my life in certain ways and focus my attention on the things I wanted to change.
So now that I'm in a much better place than I was last year, consider this my comeback. I've thought of a lot of different things of this blog during my hiatus, and I'm excited to get to them.
Friday, May 2, 2014
K-pop Corner #1: Akdong Musician
I know I've been neglecting this blog (for reasons) but I'm going to try and ease into blogging once more. I find that after a long hiatus, I come back to my blogs with renewed enthusiasm. And with that in mind, I'm presenting this new series on my blog called "K-pop Corner" where, bi-monthly, I will introduce some (hopefully) interesting piece of k-pop to all your inquiring minds. It may be something as simple as a song, a short video from a variety show, a trailer for an upcoming movie, or something of the kind. There is just so much to k-pop besides Psy & "Gangnam Style" and the aim of this series is just to broaden the horizons a bit on what else K-pop has to offer. Think of me as your K-pop ambassador, if you will.
For this inaugural post of "K-pop Corner" I decided, after much a long debate with myself, to go with something a little more accessible and familiar, but not lacking in punch. I give you the talented sister-brother, singer-songwriter teenage duo, Akdong Musician.
The siblings (Lee Soo-hyun + Lee Chan-hyuk) first came to the public's attention when they competed in the second season of a talent survival program (similar to American Idol) called K-Pop Star in 2012-2013. They were a favorite to win, capturing judges and audience votes with their combination of clever lyrics, skillful composition, unique voices, and just over all adorableness. After winning the competition, Akdong Musician signed with one of the "Big 3" entertainment agencies in South Korea, YG Entertainment, and have recently released their debut album entitled "Play."
The album is fresh with a whimsical youthful sound that seems to embody all that Akdong Musician is. But don't be fooled; behind those child-like smiles and serious musicians are singers with talent and skill in excess. "Play" consists of 11 songs, all of which were produced, composed, and written by Chan-hyuk, who is a mere 18 years of age, by the way. Just because Akdong Musician are young and want to capitalize on the essence of being young, doesn't mean there is anything juvenile or childish in the music they are producing. And while the entire album is A+ in my book, I narrowed my selection to 2 of their songs (I couldn't pick just one) that just so happen to be their title tracks.
The first, the up-beat, incredibly delightful "200%" that perfectly captures the flush of feeling for a young love:
And to prove that young doesn't necessarily mean unperceptive, "Melted" demonstrates a more serious turn for the duo and seems to express that pivotal moment between adolescence and adulthood, where one questions why the world of adults is so cold compared to the warmth of youth. When Soo-hyun asks, "Why is ice so cold?" (a play on the words for "ice" and "adults"), it is a question that lingers with you as much as her hauntingly beautiful voices does:
What I love so much about Akdong Musician is that they occupy such a unique niche in mainstream k-pop. They're almost indie, but not quite. They're mainstream, but they're not an idol group. They have a ridiculous amount of autonomy when it comes to their music production, but they have the backing of a major record company. The result of all of that is presence of otherness in mainstream k-pop--a slightly different sound, a slightly different look--than what is pumped out of the k-pop factories. But all of that aside, I just really enjoy Akdong Musician's music. "Play" is their first musical offering, and if it is any indication of what we can expect from the Lee siblings in the future, they'll be around of a long time yet.
As an added bonus, here is the duo performing their original song, "Don't Cross Your Legs" (다리꼬지마) from their days on K-pop Star:
[ROM/HANGUL/ENG] 악동뮤지션 (AKDONG Musician) - 다리꼬지마 (Don't cross your legs) Live from Joel Ramirez on Vimeo.
Their album is available on iTunes for purchase.
For this inaugural post of "K-pop Corner" I decided, after much a long debate with myself, to go with something a little more accessible and familiar, but not lacking in punch. I give you the talented sister-brother, singer-songwriter teenage duo, Akdong Musician.
The siblings (Lee Soo-hyun + Lee Chan-hyuk) first came to the public's attention when they competed in the second season of a talent survival program (similar to American Idol) called K-Pop Star in 2012-2013. They were a favorite to win, capturing judges and audience votes with their combination of clever lyrics, skillful composition, unique voices, and just over all adorableness. After winning the competition, Akdong Musician signed with one of the "Big 3" entertainment agencies in South Korea, YG Entertainment, and have recently released their debut album entitled "Play."
The album is fresh with a whimsical youthful sound that seems to embody all that Akdong Musician is. But don't be fooled; behind those child-like smiles and serious musicians are singers with talent and skill in excess. "Play" consists of 11 songs, all of which were produced, composed, and written by Chan-hyuk, who is a mere 18 years of age, by the way. Just because Akdong Musician are young and want to capitalize on the essence of being young, doesn't mean there is anything juvenile or childish in the music they are producing. And while the entire album is A+ in my book, I narrowed my selection to 2 of their songs (I couldn't pick just one) that just so happen to be their title tracks.
The first, the up-beat, incredibly delightful "200%" that perfectly captures the flush of feeling for a young love:
And to prove that young doesn't necessarily mean unperceptive, "Melted" demonstrates a more serious turn for the duo and seems to express that pivotal moment between adolescence and adulthood, where one questions why the world of adults is so cold compared to the warmth of youth. When Soo-hyun asks, "Why is ice so cold?" (a play on the words for "ice" and "adults"), it is a question that lingers with you as much as her hauntingly beautiful voices does:
What I love so much about Akdong Musician is that they occupy such a unique niche in mainstream k-pop. They're almost indie, but not quite. They're mainstream, but they're not an idol group. They have a ridiculous amount of autonomy when it comes to their music production, but they have the backing of a major record company. The result of all of that is presence of otherness in mainstream k-pop--a slightly different sound, a slightly different look--than what is pumped out of the k-pop factories. But all of that aside, I just really enjoy Akdong Musician's music. "Play" is their first musical offering, and if it is any indication of what we can expect from the Lee siblings in the future, they'll be around of a long time yet.
As an added bonus, here is the duo performing their original song, "Don't Cross Your Legs" (다리꼬지마) from their days on K-pop Star:
[ROM/HANGUL/ENG] 악동뮤지션 (AKDONG Musician) - 다리꼬지마 (Don't cross your legs) Live from Joel Ramirez on Vimeo.
Their album is available on iTunes for purchase.
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