Mind the Engrish

My 2009

As one year fades and the next one dawns upon us, the most logical course of action seems to be to follow the tried and true tradition of summarizing the past year's events and revelations into bite-sized bullet-pointed or numbered lists that are haphazardly topped by staggeringly boring titles to pull them together in a sensible way.

And so I'll start:

Tea is the best way to end your day

Today was Iris' farewell party! Jso told me she was going, so I told her to take me with her and then Isaac texts me saying "I'm picking you up at 11:45" without even a "hey" or a "long time no talk." LOL. so after a few arguments about our lack of contact (WOW I just realized this was the start of an entire day of him not communicating properly- see, this is why I need to write things down. it helps me organize my ideas for future reference), he picked me up and after scooping Jso up we went to NoHo! Hah. Man, it's such a weird thing visiting your high school. It's funny because I'm always so excited to see my old teachers, but I was NOT even a good student! yet they seem relatively happy to see me, too... makes me kinda sad I wasn't a better student for them, but... I don't think I could have really changed anything. It was just a phase I had to go through and learn from. but I really do appreciate them for their efforts and dedication. they're an awesome group of people, and I'm sad some retired and moved away from the HGM.

Happy 21st, Sol!!!

I hate it when I have dreams where I'm having an awesome time with people I've lost that magic with now. I'm always deceived into thinking everything's been fixed and I'm so happy, but then I wake up and reality snaps back, laughing at my gullibility.
...
Today is Sol's 21st Birthday! :]
We're gonna go to this cute Italian cafe on LaBrea for brunch~ ^^
I kinda want Thai food, too... hehe. I actually had Thai food yesterday for dinner with my brothers, but ... the place I went to just gave HUGE servings and wasn't as flavorful as I like my Thai food to be! probably cuz the owner was Korean. haha...

S S S

Today after church, Silvia, Sol and I went to go get some Jjajangmyun at that new mall in Koreatown... shit I forgot the name... something with a Z... ANYWAY, it's that place with Red Mango + Face Shop. hehe. We got a jengban (platter) size and shared it. :). Then we bought some boonguhbbang ice cream (fish shaped red bean waffle ice cream)

at the market downstairs and made a quick stop at my place to get some money from my mother (-____-... i spent too much $$$ from my debit card on my hair...) and then went to Beverly Center to shop~! Dude, I forgot how fun it was to just do simple things with my friends. good company is truly priceless.

Of Christmas Trees And Infidels

It seems, It seems
That I can't shake those memories



I feel so unproductive. like I should be doing more work.

It's a weird period because not everyone's back home. so LA feels a little empty.
But it was good seeing some people today~ :) (esp my babygurrrl Silviaaaa)

I think I'm feeling more down because the weather's been dreary~. It's been raining since yesterday and it's supposed to continue for the next two days.
Funny because rainy days in Santa Cruz are so beautiful and invigorating but rainy days in LA just make me depressed and mopey.
Or they make me feel like I should just curl up in bed and read a good book/ watch DVDs but then I feel guilty- like I'm wasting my precious vacation days in LA cooped up. but it's stupid and illogical because I'd have a much more enjoyable time doing those activities indoors than anything else outdoors (under current weather conditions).

Anyhoo, I think I'm going to church tomorrow morning to help decorate the Christmas tree.
dunno how I feel about church. .. still.. so... weird...
It's nearly an intrinsic part of my being yet I'm so emotionally distant from it.
I see my visits back more as family reunions/ obligations. I love the people there and care a lot about the kids, but yeah... sometimes I feel like I need to separate myself more from the kids so as to not influence them into a downward spiral of confusion and depression like I experienced in high school. It's complicated because I don't believe in a lot of the things they're being taught, but I don't think it's in my place to tell them so, and I definitely do see the positive aspects of kids being raised in the church (as long as they're not being indoctrinated with hateful or disrespectful ideas- which are you know, NOT CHRIST-LIKE), so I just try to make small talk and refrain from spouting personal (anti)religious views.



2nd thing I don't know how to break to my dad: I don't want to marry a good little Christian boy to raise a good little Christian family with. sigh...

...

this is a mother effing long entry. about my daddy and my baby brother. and kind of about koreans and males in general. and my mom.

I'm hooooome! :)

My dad picked me up from the airport and wooowww TRAFFIC. I'd forgotten what that was like. hahahaa. shit. I landed right when rush hour started!!
We started talking about school, family, etc and we somehow got into the subject of boys. OH right, because he mentioned that my cousin sister just broke off her engagement with her bf/fiance because she didn't want to marry soon and he did (he's 33 and rich and ready to settle down whereas she's 24, one year into law school and wants to wait until graduation - WHOAH DEJA VU right there. fucking pricks... find someone your own age or have some mothereffing patience!! your sperm count aint goin down anytime soon!) and my dad happened to mention that my uncle (his brother) also didn't like that the boy couldn't speak Korean well (even though he's Korean). and I thought... FUCKKKKKKK. mannnn. I don't even know how to begin explaining my lack of desire to marry a Korean boy. like... I love them as friends and I think they're awesome and wish them all the best but ... no sexual attraction = big problem!!! and it's not like I don't think they're good looking. it's just that I view them more with sibling/cousin-like affection than anything. and I sense this familiarity with them almost instantly, so I view them as too ... easy to read and understand (either that or they're fucked up misogynistic, racist assholes with daddy issues). so they don't stand out or pique my interest. and maybe it's because Korean people are really into conformity and succeeding within that narrow realm of what they view as success, but I don't jive with that whole ideal and therefore don't really mesh well with most Korean boys on a romantic level. like... I'm okay being friends with someone who believes in those ideas, but not okay being in a serious/long term/permanent relationship with them.

Daul Kim in Vogue Korea Dec. 2009

Isn't this a gorgeous picture?

(She did a bunch of editorials before she died... probably many more to come...)

찍지말아고~~~!

Dude. Busan accents are hilarious.




Jong Yong-hwa (Shin-woo from "You're Beautiful") during a high school field trip
(He actually had to fix his saturi!! haha, makes Shin-woo's storyline more endearing)

young love

actor who's playing young Dumbledore

actor who's playing young Grindelwald


Who else is excited about this Harry Potter movie??!!!

;)

미남이시네요 Ep. 14

hello cuteness



hello sadness

LeeSsang

love themmm.




I turned in my "spiritual journey" paper for my rel&psych class today. It wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be. I couldn't BS it (I'm so insanely bad at making shit up) so I just went through all my high school drama honestly (and filtered it for academic purposes) and BAM- 10 pages! Haha. Anyway, it was slightly therapeutic, too. damn. I guess my teacher wins.

Also, mmm AVOCADOS! Why are you so delicious and prettily colored?

A Single Man

I've been meaning to mention this foreverrrr, but
I reallyyyy want to see this movie.


(this is the unofficial (& slightly better) trailer Tom Ford released before the studio)
Isn't it filthy gorgeous? not to mention angsty as fuck <3 :)

It comes out Dec 11 in NY, LA and SF. (I get back to LA on the 10th!)

Yay, I guess it could be the first movie I watch back home. gonna try to drag my friends with me. hehe. ;]

Anyway, Colin Firth looks so dashing as a gay, middle-aged professor. Who knew? (Of course, being British helps.)
Also, I am pleased to see Matthew Goode looking much better than he did in his last role as Adrian Veidt (Watchmen).
And Julianne Moore is just... Julianne Moore.

Here's what Mr. Ford had to say about it:
"This (film) for me was the first pure artistic expression that I've ever created so in that way it's much more personal to me and I'm more vulnerable in a way because it is so personal."

I'm wishing him a lot of luck! Not that the rich bastard needs it.

Yes.

I want to be in three places at once.
I can't even say I'm really homesick, because I'm happy here. But I do want to see my parents and lounge around in my kitchen at 1am in the morning and go out to eat unhealthy food with my little brother and just chill with my girlfriends.
I also want to visit Seoul... I miss the night life so much!!
I love being able to go out with friends at midnight and eating 떡볶이(ddukbokki)and 순대(sundae)with 소주 (soju) on the street and then being able to go to 동대문 (Dongdaemun) to shop and then going to a 24 hour cafe to rest.... and finally, either going to a 찜질방(jjimjilbang) or taking a taxi back home... :)

stalls


heyy, I see Cafe Pascucci! haha, that place was whatever.


I'll take one serving of each!


Dongdaemun gate and shopping area

Isn't this a beautiful picture? One of my favorite parts about Seoul was how all the modern skyscrapers and buildings were built around these historic landmarks.

Jjimjilabng (Korean sauna/bathhouse)- each room is themed (and heated) differently! some are wayyy too intense for me. i almost suffocated in one.


Anyway, everyone should visit Seoul (and have the right people to have fun with)!

er... yeah.. I think that was the point of the post (can't even remember).

quick kpop blurbs

1. Gong Yoo is being discharged from army duties on Dec. 8th!
:))))))))))))
I remember how disappointed I was when I first saw Coffee Prince in 2008 and found out he had just gone into service. And now he's almost done! Time flies by, huh?

(one of my favorite fluff scenes from CP)



(I forgot how ugly Yoon Eunhye looked in this drama!! I think I was too caught up with how much Hankyul liked her and kinda forgave her for her butchness. -like really, she does not look like a guy. she just looks like a butch female. Also, he is so cuuuute. hahahaaa I love how embarrassed and offended he is for being pegged as a pervert. )



2. Whoahhhhhhh, Park Jinyoung...



sparkly teardrops?
really?
what is this? a cholo musical: kpop style?
soooo wrong.

3. Support domestic adoption of Korean babies~





p.s. I made the PERFECTTTTT pot of sencha right now!! wowww... it is sooo good.

"On Seeing The 100% Perfect Girl One Beautiful April Morning"

This story was the sweetest 5 pages I have ever read. So sweet I had to put my book down and blog about it. :]




Thanks to this amazing man!!!!!!

My love for him runs deep. so deep. soo soo deep.

deeeeeeep, i tell you!

I am not a sicko.

We saw the documentary "Japan's Peace Constitution" in my history class today, which was basically a bunch of scholars from different East Asian countries and America discussing the importance of maintaining a demilitarized Japan.
Anyway, there were quite a few clips of ex-Prime Minister Koizumi Junichiro... and yeahh... according to the translations he was saying some dumb shit but I was still a little bit in love with his facial features... hahahahaa AHHHH I'm so sorry. He is really old (not even like... somewhat acceptably middle aged old. he is senior status old!). But I just love the way his large pointy nose looks with his sharp eyes and lips.



Here's an older picture to lessen the ick factor.


Does it lessen the ick factor?
Oh, he's such a small cute man! (a small cute man who pays respects to the spirits of those who terrorized and oppressed my people, but a small cute man nonetheless!)
Aaaand I'm officially done being a teleiophile (I had to spend a few minutes of intense googling to find this term. Appreciate it.)

P.S. Sorry, Roh Moo-hyun. R.I.P.

(just the first 3 minutes)

CL and Minzy are two of the most charismatic (and youngest) performers in Kpop right now! I loved how they turned a moderately catchy song into a FUN, memorable one with one great performance.

I loved how Kim Taewoo was just gettin his groove on... hahahaaaa he's such an ahjussi to me.

and Gdragon looked so proud of his 후배's! so adorable. YG Family <3

Oh, and CL was so cute in her sweater!!
I liked the way it was styled on her much better than in its original runway form (it's from the Jeremy Scott Fall 09 collection).
Also, I found her grossly long pigtails strangely appealing... It was so smoothly messy and cute in a spunky way. kinda lolita-ish but still tough?

And her airplane earrings!!!! SOOOO good!!!!
I think Park Bom wore them at another time but CL pulled it off way better.
Dude I love their stylists so much. They always have the sickkkkkest jewelry. and shoes... aughhh.

Sorry. 미남 post. Ignore if you don't watch.

Soooo Episode 13 was the most heartbreaking episode for Shinwoo fans, eh?
I was HORRIFIED during the scene where Heyi forced Minam to go meet the boys wearing the shoes and carrying the flowers Shinwoo was going to confess to her with. Not only was Heyi's action beyond vile (isn't Shinwoo suffering enough already?) but oh my goodness, Jung Yong-hwa decided to display his best acting skills ever in this episode!! I almost died. His poor face looked like someone just smashed his heart, stepped on it, froze it and then smashed it again. It was like the worst combination of humiliation, hurt and anger. holy crap. I almost expected him to punch Heyi in the face.
Oh, and this came after the other super sad scene where he basically recounts all his missed opportunities while retelling it as a "fictional love story" for the oblivious Minam who thinks he's still talking about another girl... Dude. I feel so bad for him because he's just full of regrets. I think that's the saddest, most pathetic thing. Especially since he missed many of his opportunities because he was trying to keep Minam comfortable/safe, too.
Anyway, I am pleased with his development as the 2nd lead! Haha, harsh, but that's the life of a second lead in kdramas!! the best they can do is make everyone but the female lead fall in love with them...
Oh, and if the male lead was less appealing, I would totally be rooting for Shinwoo + Minam, but COME ONNNN! Taekyung is unbelievably awesome with Minam! I think they are the best fitting couple in recent K-drama history! Even my other favorites still had some issues I had to kinda bypass for the sake of the story (like Coffee Prince? Hankyul was soo in love with Eunchan the BOY, that I thought the transition into him liking her as a girl was too easy... well, there are many complications with gender identity and sexual orientation in that one. At least in 미남, everyone cept Jeremy liked Minam as a girl).

Oh, do I even have to go over all the uber cute Taekyung moments?
okay, how about this one:

Unabashed joy when she reveals to the "administrator" (Taekyung) that she likes Taekyung 100 percent!
I love that he tries so hard to be so cool and serious but in private he's suchhh a dork. (Also, Minam's rating for his cool level was 5/10... hahhaha he was so shocked.)

R.I.P. 다울아...

http://nymag.com/daily/fashion/2009/11/20-year-old_model_daul_kim_is.html

This... just broke my heart...

Daul Kim, one of South Korea's top supermodels was found dead in her Paris apartment.
(*edit* apparently she hanged herself...)
She was only 20 years old!
I regularly visited her blog (iliketoforkmyself.blogspot.com/).
She was funny, weird, angry, moody, honest, lovely and so interesting!
I knew she was going through some sort of depression because of the contents of her recent entries, but I never thought it would end up like this.
I sometimes envied her lifestyle, traveling from Paris to Seoul to Tokyo to New York, meeting up with some of my favorite people (one of her best friends was Yang Seung-ho aka the stylist for 2NE1).
She talked a lot about past abuse and unhealthy relationships she had been in... and I thought it was just her way of venting- so she could be healthier in real life, you know? I mean, that's at least why I write about myself... to funnel all the frustrations out. But I have never endured some of the shit she talked about... so yeahh...
It was just... some shocking news...
I still can't believe it ended up like this...or how no one was able to reach out and help her...
sigh....................



마음이 아파...

Khmer Rouge finally being taught in Cambodian textbooks-----> Personal shit. Deal with it.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8350313.stm

Can you fathom not being allowed to study such a vital part of your country's history??
That's such a huge crutch in yours as well as your communities' development!
I know most nations have issues with textbooks containing very limited information on certain touchy issues, but this article still made me stinkin' upset!
People who censor shit like that are complete morons who don't seem to get this:
You must understand the past to make sense of the present so you can work towards the future!
You can't just hide the bad and think it will disappear! Nothing stays perfectly repressed. They just manifest in countless other ways that seem to appear out of nowhere but are most definitely connected to past trauma and failed rehabilitation.
I know I sound like a crazy preachy 5th grade teacher, but SERIOUSLY! Everyone should study their own history. EVERYONE!!
Know how your great your people were, how greatly they got fucked over, and how greatly they fucked up. (Once you do this, you usually get connected to a whole bunch of other people's histories, too. Learn about them as well! We're all in this fucked up, beautiful world together.)
Find out what events affected your ancestors, your grandparents, your parents and eventually how it all carried over to yourself.
All you people who complain about how boring or useless history is, you need to grow up and be interested!!
People who tell me they hate history (i.e. many/most of my friends back home...:'( ) break my heart. I feel like I'm having this fascinating adventure transcending time and space, experiencing so many different emotions and so many different people, and in the meantime so many others are limited to the shallow, immediate world around them.
I'm sorry if I sound pretentious (god, I hate pretentious people), but I'm just trying to be honest.
And it's not like I'm totally looking down on that way of living, it's more like... sometimes
I have so much fun exploring all these different things, but sometimes it gets lonely or overwhelming when you're doing it on your own, you know?
And it's weird never being able to have any in-depth (or any) conversations about my favorite academic subject with any of my friends...
How come none of my friends are history majors...?
Waiiit... Are friends supposed to talk about this shit?

AUghhhh why am I so fucking nerdy sometimes???!
I'm just complaining because of this one thing, but I promise I love my friends and love talking to them about other stuff!!!!
(the other stuff just don't seem as important right now because I'm in the heat of the moment, but they are very important!)

Anyway, that's why I love great history classes with great teachers (and sometimes... OK peers) (oh lord I hate people my age so much - that is another issue I must deal with later).
Great teachers are the cool, experienced guides who make the journey THAT much more amazing/entertaining!

Holy fuck I probably just raised my nerd level by at least 50 points with that statement.
I don't know how I deal with myself.

Oba Mao!

http://gawker.com/5405893/communist-china-tries-to-protect-obama-from-being-called-a-communist

Bahahahaa

조선

Guess what picture started the lecture in my Mod East Asia class today?



"Statue of Brothers" from the Korean War Memorial. representing a South Korean soldier and a North Korean soldier embracing each other on a battlefield mapped out and torn apart by outside forces.

See? I was prepping for today's lecture with my whole Arirang shebang yesterday!

Lol. Actually, my other teacher was sick (the class is taught by two professors) so the lectures were rearranged. So it was a SURPRISE! haha.

Anyway, I don't think it was very nice of the people in charge to make the larger figure S Korea and the smaller figure N Korea.

Well, anyway, it reminded me of Taegukgi...
Which everyone should watch.

I can't tell if I only liked it so much because I'm Korean. I just remember it was really SADDDD. not in that stupid explosive moment of drama sadness, but in that horribly haunting, lingering type of sadness. aka my greatest weakness.
Plus, Jang Dong Gun is amaaaazing as the older brother. <3


Oh yeah, may I add: THE US AND UK TRAILERS for this movie SUCK SOOO MUCH. WHAT THE FUCK.

아리랑 (Arirang)

청천하늘엔 별도 많고
우리네 가슴엔 꿈도 많다
(Just as there are many stars in the clear heavens,
There are many dreams in our hearts)


I'm not really into this dude or his super popular youtube channel but this video was just precious.


I love how whenever I see old Korean people, I just recognize them without even knowing them. Actually, that goes for all Korean people. I always feel some sort of connection with them even when I don't like them. Strikes a certain nerve. The grandma was so cute. <3
And I love how the uncle was so reserved but when he sang, he really got into it and allowed his vulnerability to show.
Anyway, I LOVE this song a lot. It's a song that I always heard growing up and it has this uncanny ability to make my heart seize up a little. I think it's one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard.
Korean folk songs are just... sighhh... so emotional and passionate in this weary but strong way. in true Korean spirit. (ahhh generalizations!! )

This always makes me tear up a little, too. It's mostly contextual, though... I wish they'd focused more on the audience. It's one of those gut-wrenching moments where I think about how this song signifies the shared culture and history of South and North Korea, including their shared struggles, joy, and grief. It's like an old love song between two lovers who have been separated in the most agonizing and unfair way possible.
Think I'm getting too into this? :P
Well, you know, the song is actually about separated lovers! (Which can always be interpreted as a metaphor for many other sorrows, of course.)




but as pretty as it sounds, the orchestra doesn't wield the raw power of a person's voice:

(this one's 정선 아리랑 - Jeongsun Arirang, which is the original version)

This one is 정선 (Jeongsun) and 강원도 (Kangwondo):


Tell me you love it.

Park Bom - Inkigayo

dude, I love this girl- I've even gotten past her immovable face (which I never thought would happen when 2ne1 first debuted). but I really think she's best as a recording artist, not a performing artist! or at least not as a solo act. She has a great sound but doesn't have endurance or rhythm. As part of a group, she's ok because she just sings her short parts really well and her band mates kinda outshine her with their personalities and own talents.
Her recent Inkigayo performances have been really disappointing. She sounds like she's singing to her own song at karaoke. She's so focused on not messing up that she looks even less expressive and inviting than usual. She comes in a second or two off. I know these aren't huge issues in kpop, but I just hold her to a higher standard because 2ne1 usually has such impeccable performances... She just doesn't have that effortless cool CL and Minzy have.

She's just kinda ditzy and clumsy, which is adorable and great for off stage entertainment but not so much for the stage.
No matter, her "mehhh" performance is still better than 4/5 of the other acts out right now. hahahha...
Ohyeah. Taeyang. cute boy. talented boy. but SO BORING. couldn't even make myself watch past the first minute.

boring.

More Spazzing

This drama plays around with my head too much. BUT IT IS SO GOOD.

Shinwoo is the hardest character for me to pinpoint! One moment I think he's a little dipshit for getting in the way of Minam+Taekyung, but then the next moment I feel soooooo bad for him because he ends up sacrificing so much of his self for Minam's sake. I hate him then I love him then I hate him then I love him... aghhhh...
We got another one of those bipolar Shinwoo moments when he got mad at her (and himself, i think) when he found her crying in the dark because of Taekyung (and consequently forgetting about their date). But then he turns on the light so she can see the situation as is (Shinwoo is hurt, Shinwoo has been there for her, Shinwoo likes her...) and the moment he sees her crying face, he breaks down and comforts her immediately.
I think he would be awesome if he didn't have any romantic interest in Minam. But then I guess he wouldn't be so good to her, either.



Anyway, Taekyung had some great lines this episode.
I think my favorite one was his super awkward

“Ha. Ha? HA! Go Mi-nam, you’re funny.”

after he pulled away from her post-kiss. Hahhahaa, ohmy.... awkward Taekyung is my favorite Taekyung.


and Minam's 5 minutes of fireworks exploding over her head was sooo over the top but fit so well!! Park Shinhye made it so believable, and the situation was so O.O squeal-worthy that as a viewer I bought into it, too! hahaaha. I love that this show takes crazy shit like that and makes it workable.

This line sounds so bad out of context and translated, but YEYYYYYY! finally all out in the open. whewww.

"Go Mi Nam. From now on, I grant you permission to like me!"

미남이시네요 FREAK OUT POST (SORRY)

OH MY FREAKING GOD.



*Spoiler alert!






HE . FINALLY. KISSED. HER. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Good job good job good job Taekyung! About time!! Okay, I haven't seen ep 12 yet so not sure what happens after the kiss...
but let me have my fangirl moment here!
KYAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!! I dieeee.e.ee..ee.


so sad, though. Park Shinhye + Jang Geunsuk already went at it for their Etude House CF soooo not as exciting as it could have been. But the CF is much more exciting after seeing the show!



I much prefer how both of them look in this drama, though. hahahahaa. I think Park Shinhye looks better with less make up and short hair. puahahaa not sure if other people agree... I just thought she looked boringly pretty before this show.
Actually, I personally didn't find her pretty at all(her features are too soft + squishy)... but this drama made her super endearing and adorable so she became prettier to me? haha... I think personality is really important in determining someone's attractiveness.

Same with JGS. I used to think he was a little jackass before this show (which I don't doubt) but he seems to have matured and chilled out a bit. Also, he is amazing in this role! so I have a new found love for him.



<3

mostly I loved that they finally screamed it out! they needed that. all that repression was not doing them any good.



P.S. I think Jang Geun Suk and Park Shin Hye should go out, too. They are toooooo cute with each other! always flirting on set...



P.P.S. One thing that irks me: Jeremy! I understand he's ecstatic that the "guy" he liked turned out to be a girl, but DAMN SON, no need to turn every scene into a fucking opera!
I liked him much better when he thought he was gay.

Isn't it ironic now that he's "straight" he acts more like a freakin flamboyant gay stereotype? what is that.

Goodbye!

Have you ever looked through your iTunes and found music you haven't listened to in so long and have no desire to listen to ever again but can't delete because it was such a big part of your life before?

I've recently deleted a few hundred songs, but I think I need to delete a few hundred more... Some things you just need to force yourself to let go of!

Random note

I don't know what's wrong with me, but nail polish looks soooo trashy to me now.
(I SERIOUSLY BOUGHT ABOUT 20 BOTTLES OF NAIL POLISH IN KOREA!!!)
I guess I can continue to use them for decoration of other things besides my nails...

My parents will be so proud... My coloured (does that not look so much better than "colored?!") nails had been the cause of many arguments for the past 10+ years.

Then again, this might just be one of my dumb, dumb phases.

"Moxy's got a lot of moxy. She's a real get up and go Ugly..."

Omygosh you guys. I'm so happy with my purchases! I finally caved in and bought an Uglydoll, Moxy! She is so adorable with her aqua colored coat and her inverted feet!

(Also those yellow fangs are quite the stunners)
Totally by coincidence, she is the younger sister of Erendina's uglydoll, OX! Hahaha!
I think she will fit well with my "bacteria" (so not a bacteria, but dumb Sol's called it that and the name has stuck), Domo and doggie. ^^. I feel like such a little girl, but hey, gotta cling on to whatever youth I can! ㅋㅋㅋ (cuz i'm ancient!! ...OMG I CAN'T BELIEVE I'M TURNING 21 IN 2 MONTHS!!!!)
Also, I found this super duper cute RED coat with white faux-fur lining. I was iffy about it at first but I am really happy with it now. It's so heavy and warm and BRIGHT! It looks so jolly that I can't help but smile every time I see it. It's a big change from my usual dark coloured (yeah, sometimes I'm British) outerwear. I think I'm opening up to color again, guys. I've been into muted colors for so long... Welllll, okay, no. I still love my black and grey (there goes my fucking Brit self again -please bear with me-) and olive and cream and navy colors. :D
AND I THINK I'm going to take Ms. Namkung's advice and straighten and dye my hair dark brown when I get back home for Christmas. or maybe do loose curls. I don't know. Haha.
I painted my nails for the first time in months and I don't like it! I think I got too used to my naked nails. It might also be the color I chose to get back into nail polish. It's this really whore-y looking brownish purple. sounds fantastic, no?
LOL. I'm going to take it off and either leave my nails be or color them a light pink/nude.
Oh, I also bought this khaki colored jacket. It's like a short trenchcoat but constructed with this soft, crumply, fluttery fabric, and it's slightly asymmetrical at the bottom. I LOVE IT. It's interesting. :D

BYE! I think we're watching Pulp Fiction today...

1:59PM

Hmm, so I'm 75% convinced that this 2PM comeback sans Jaebum is just a ruse to get people to realize Jaebum needs to return ASAP to save Kpop. Hahahhaaha. But seriously, their new album and music video SUCK ASS. I think JYP Entertainment is holding back the good stuff until Jaebum returns so 2PM can have their grand "real" comeback and blow everyone away AND MAKE TONS OF MONEY. GREATEST MARKETING STRATEGY EVER. hahahaaa.
Because there is no way a meticulous producer like JYP would ever let this shit be a legitimate comeback single.

I mean, really. Can that even be considered a song?
It's a total F YOU to the people who wanted Jaebum out. JYPE is just milking the drama for what it's worth. and good for them, too. (He's also appealing to the many others who want Jaebum back with the album title 1:59PM.)
But it would be nice to get that other 25% assurance that Jaebum will return and that that new album will kick some serious butt.
Also, Taec- honey, you are gorgeous and silly and funny but ... let's leave the real rapping to ... oh wait, the actual rapper has been basically exiled to America...
And poor Nickhun and Junho are forced to have mini ponytails on the top of their heads while somehow acting like they're crying to death...
gah. see? Everything goes wrong!
Jaebum was the best, well-rounded performer in the band (main rapper, main dancer, vocals) and entirely deserving of his position as leader. Without him, everyone's flaws are so glaringly obvious. 2PM was never the best band with the best songs ever, but Jaebum brought out the best in all his bandmates including talent and charisma.
I'm just going to wait until he comes back and pretend this never happened.

Wong Kar Wai weekend

I finally saw 2046 on Saturday. I am such a Tony Leung fiend! He has such an interesting face (or as Erendina described him, "He's like the Asian Clive Owen," and to which I replied, "You mean CLIVE OWEN is the British Tony Leung?!" heh, I love Mr. Owen, too.), and I can't tell whether I want to be his best friend or his fuck buddy. Oh well. Good thing I have no say in the matter. :).
Back to the movie.
I was a little distracted when watching it (our apartment had a few visitors that weekend) but even without the distractions the movie was confusing~. It was a bizarre presentation of Wong Kar Wai's usual sorrowful romance mixed in with an alternate reality, science fiction-esque storyline. I don't want to ruin it for anyone, so I won't talk about the plot, but I have to admit I was first turned off by the movie because I couldn't seem to emotionally connect with any of the characters (esp. Tony Leung's). However, towards the end of the movie, I realized I found the movie really beautiful. I think I liked it much better than In The Mood For Love (blasphemous!) even though In The Mood was much more cohesive and intimate. It might be because 2046 started off so complicatedly but narrowed into this sad bit of reality. The train subplot was such a poignant way to represent Chow's inner workings (including his subconscious), and really captured his sense of loss and self-realization in a strange, unsettling new way.

Sounds like a winner, but I'm still re-watching it to make sure I agree with myself. :]

P.S. I cannot stand Tony Leung with a mustache.
P.P.S. Chungking Express was adorable! Hmm, would Wong Kar Wai be okay with that description?



(Brigette Lin was fabulous!)

Let's go dance in a field with drums and call it a spiritual experience!

I woke up so late today... Today, my Religion & Psych class is doing this fucking WICCAN RITUAL at the Porter Field. Sooo... yeah, I'm not going. Sigh... I feel like such a hater, but holy fuck I hate that class so much ;P. It's so sad because when I actually do go, I still learn a few interesting facts, but those times are not enough to make me want to go back. The professor is nice, but ...treats students like children and indulges the students like they're a bunch of spoiled children, too. Totally not my style. I don't think I like psychologists. I find most of them really presumptuous and nosy (qualities that are probably requisites for the job). Well, at least I only have the final paper left to do for that class. Wait... why I am relieved about that again? It's a 15 page paper on our personal spiritual experiences or something. grr...

I think I'm going to go do my laundry today (instead of class XD). I have to wash all my dirty stuff from the bonfire this past Saturday.

Question! What should I do with my hair? I'm sick of it already (STORY OF MY FUCKING LIFE). I'm thinking...

a) dye it back black
b) dye it back black and straighten it
c) dye it a darker brown
d) dye it a darker brown and straighten it

I would love to do a lighter color but it's too harsh on my hair and too difficult to maintain (esp. since I don't want to go to any salons in Santa Cruz).

I love/hate being in Santa Cruz. I like that I can dress like a bum and be comfortable and all, but I hate that I feel so ridiculous when I try dressing a little differently. There are so many times when I pull out these fun outfits in my room but once I look in the mirror and imagine myself walking outside in them, I change into something less conspicuous. I get so bored with my own outfits... I know I should dress however the heck I want to, but I don't like calling too much attention to myself, either... sigh. so many of my clothes just lay there calling out to me, and all I can give them is a 2 minute private presentation. Sorry, clothes. Your time will come...

"Kimi wa Petto"

Soooo, apparently Kim Hyun Joong has signed up to play the "pet" character in the Korean remake of Kimi wa Petto.



For those of you who don't know, Kimi wa Petto is a hilarious, awesome J-dorama from 2003 that actually has a lot of interesting social commentary. The story revolves around a modern day career woman who is tall, smart, beautiful and well off but gets dumped by her insecure boyfriend who leaves her for a less successful, cuter, meeker girl. She is surrounded by men and women who both respect and hate her for her success, and she is unable to open herself up enough to heal from her scars as well, until she stumbles upon a beat-up young runaway and starts taking care of him as a human "pet." It sounds creepy, but the two characters fall into their roles so naturally that the "master-pet" relationship becomes an effective metaphor for evaluating the stages of their relationship as well as their relationships to other people. It's as much an exploration of gender politics in modern Japanese society as it is a fluffy, romantic comedy, and it is one of my favorite J-doramas. Koyuki is perfect in the lead female role, and so is Matsujun as Momo, her pet. It's funny and sad at all the right moments and the actors have a lot to do with making the rapid transitions from absurd to insightful that are so common in J-doramas smooth and endearing.

Now, Kim Hyun Joong is handsome, hard-working and entertaining. I loved him in the reality wedding variety show 우리 결혼했어요, and I like him in SS501 (even though he is not the best singer). Those roles require charisma more than anything, and he's got a lot of that. Funny thing, though. Most of his charms come from the way his thoughts are so unfiltered. He says what he wants to say and is pretty much unapologetic about/ oblivious to his abnormal responses to things. He's dorky but edgy- sweet, but kind of a bad boy. Sounds great, right?



Well. We all know what happened with Boys Before Flowers, the Korean remake of Hana Yori Dango. He slaughtered the beloved Hanazawa Rui role with his dead fish eyes, emotionless line delivery, and the absurd facial expressions he must have confused with as portraying anger. His cool, quirky charms don't show up through his "acting," which is sad for both him and the audience. I think he over thinks his actions and everything just comes off stiff and wrong.


(He sure was pretty in the beginning, though)

Bottom line, his character was totally flat and boring. The only thing that saved him from my absolute disdain was the fact that the entire show became hopeless and painful to watch. The show's faults overshadowed his limitations, so my disappointment became directed towards the abysmal writing and direction- a sentiment I've since settled with.

It's too early to make any judgement calls, especially since the director, scriptwriters and lead actress have not been announced. It is troubling, though, that the first person announced in the project was ... KHJ. sigh... whatever sells, right? Still, in the original Kimi wa Petto, the person that anchored the show was the female lead, and if they get a really great Korean actress who might for some crazy reason have amazing chemistry with KHJ, it might still work out.

I think I wrote too much about a subject that is not even that important to me. I mean, if they ruin the show, the original is still good (Go watch it! It's a short 10 episodes. http://www.mysoju.com/kimi-wa-petto/). I was only angry with Boys Before Flowers because I had such high hopes for it. Also because I was kind of in love with Rui and KHJ did such a great disservice to Oguri Shun's stellar performance in HYD.


(Well done angst is a weakness of mine and Oguri Shun does brooding angst beautifully.)

I'm definitely less attached to this Momo character, so... I guess, GOOD LUCK to Kim Hyun Joong! Hopefully this next director will be more effective at leading his/her actors, and hopefully KHJ will be more effective at... acting. -____-;;

어서 오십시오!

안녕 친구들~. I thought this might be a better way to funnel my incessant chattering than through FB. I clog that shit up so badly with my constant status updates + links. Also, certain things that are a tad "TMI-ish" on FB are totally OK for a blog. So, yay! Win win win.

I don't really want to burden my first post here with some heavy shit, so goodbye, goodbye baby.