My Lists: 11 Hallyu-related merchandise in my growing collection

I probably own more Hallyu-related merchandise than I'd care to admit, and I've probably spent way more on these things than I should have... It is an addiction that is hard to quit, but I comfort myself in the fact that at least it's not, you know, drugs and alcohol. Ha.

Just walking around Seoul - or almost any Asian city, for that matter - will bring you face to face with a whole lot of merchandise being endorsed by Hallyu stars. Even in my own city, 4 hours away from the K-Pop capital, you will see local and Korean brands alike being endorsed by these celebrities almost everywhere. In almost every mall, there will be an Etude House and a Face Shop outlet. Nature Republic and Tony Moly are everywhere as well. We have Caffe Bene and Hollys Coffee and Tous Les Jours. You'll find Shin Min-ah and So Ji-sub on huge billboard advertisements for Giordano along almost every major highway. 2PM's Nichkhun can be found on Bench billboards. Super Junior's Donghae and Siwon, alongside Lee Min-ho, are also endorsers of Bench. They're everywhere.

So, is it any surprise that my own bedroom is filled with stuff that bare the faces of these celebrities? Or, perhaps, that I own things because of its connection to a certain popstar? Well, let me count the ways... of my growing insanity.

1. JYJ/DBSK Posters - I have a friend who gives me these things, I swear. She was nice enough to let me have her DBSK Mirotic poster and to gift me with the NII JYJ poster she got from her last trip to Seoul.

2. SHINee Mouse Pad - This was free too! I got this from Etude House as a free gift for spending so much in their store. I still haven't found use for it but, you know, it's kinda nice opening my closet to find the boys of SHINee smiling brightly at me.

3. Super Show 5 Bag Tag - Again, this was free. I swear it! The tag came for free along with my concert ticket to see Super Junior's Super Show 5.

4. Random Big Bang Memorabilia - I'm starting to feel real good about myself, because again, most of these were free. The Big Bang collection cards and the Big Bang photo was given to me by the same friend who gave me the posters above. The G-Dragon bookmark I got for free off a shelf of free merchandise at Lotte Cinema in Vietnam. The only thing here I actually paid for was the Big Bang concert ticket. Ha.

5. Jang Geun-suk Notepad - I probably should be embarrassed to admit that this was one of the very first things I bought in Seoul on my first visit there about 2 years ago. It was our first day in the city and I found a store in one of the subway stations selling K-Pop stuff and I bought this and a CNBLUE one (that I brought home for my sister).

6. Miniature Pig-Rabbit - I was addicted to the drama You're Beautiful. So when I found out that an actual-sized Pig-Rabbit was ridiculously expensive for a stuffed doll, I found this miniature one (the kind you hang from your cellphone or bag) and bought it for a very small fraction of the real doll's price.

7. Baby Radish Doll - I don't even know what to do with this doll but I was in love with the drama Rooftop Prince and wanted my own Yi Gak. While it is beyond impossible to have your own Yoochun, the Radish Doll was quite easy to buy. Ha.

8. Fake Elstinko Cap - Many K-Pop stars wear Elstinko snapbacks but the person who stands out in my mind whenever I remember these caps is actress Song Ji-hyo from variety show Running Man. Both she and Haha wear these caps all the time. I can't afford actual Elstinko, but this was a very cheap knock off I got from a market in Vietnam.

9. Beauty Products  - Whether it's Jang Geun-suk for Nature Republic, SHINee for Etude House, Kim Hyun-joong for The Face Shop, JYJ for Tony Moly... I'm there. I love Korean-branded beauty products and I'm thankful that they're really affordable. I once dropped ₩100,000 (roughly $100) at an Etude House branch in Myeong-dong and came out with a ginormous shopping bag. That was last year, and I still have unopened products in my closet.

10. Big Bang's Alive EP - I actually had my friend buy this for me in Seoul last year because they didn't have it here at that time and I had to have it ASAP. Sure, the metal casing is now rusted.... But it's still kinda awesome. The album itself is awesome.

11. G-Dragon's One Of A Kind EP - I was in Seoul towards the end of last year and found this awesome store in Myeong-dong that sold all these K-Pop stuff. My sister ended up buying a CNBLUE album and some Big Bang socks (T.O.P and Daesung). I bought this G-Dragon mini-album, as well as some Big Bang socks (T.O.P and G-Dragon). We ended up getting some free cellphone charms because of our purchases.

I've been a K-Drama fan much longer than I've been a K-Pop fan, but look at all these crap I've managed to amass in the past 2 years. Good lord, can you imagine me 5 years from now? Aigoo.

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My Lists: 10 favorite male dancers in k-pop

Dancers never fail to make me swoon and, luckily for me, there are a bajillion awesome dancers in k-pop. Whether popping, locking, or breaking - these guys definitely have it going on. So, today, I'm going to introduce to you my 10 favorite male dancers in k-pop... And believe you me, it took incredible discipline and self-control to limit myself to 10. But without further ado, here we go.

Jay Park - The best b-boy in k-pop, Jay Park has been representing his crew AOM loudly and proudly. A former member, and leader, of 2PM, Jay has since found his niche as a solo performer and doing all Jaywalkers proud. No one does tricks quite like he can.

Hoya - Infinite's Hoya is a beast on stage, and a veritable quadruple threat. Not only is he a singer, rapper, and actor; above all else, he is a dancer. The boy has got the right moves and he flaunts them as he should. So precise, so clean, and yet utterly graceful, Hoya is always a pleasure to watch.

Kai - He may be the youngest on this list, but EXO's Kai could probably dance circles around half of the members of Super Junior, his hyungs and sunbaenims by years. Having trained in ballet and jazz dancing at an early age, Kai's dancing is notably graceful and smooth.

Taemin - I'm in love with the way this boy moves. Even as the youngest member of SHINee, Taemin has proven that he brings so much to the table than just aegyo. He's the group's best dancer and has the vocal chops to boot. A born performer, this boy is going places.

Donghae - I am hugely Donghae-biased, so don't even contest this. Ha. Seriously though, I love Donghae and the way he dances. He's not as stylistically awesome as Eunhyuk, but his moves are always clean and smooth and easy. Like, he just flows. I love it.

Eunhyuk - He is easily Super Junior's best dancer. He's an expert at popping and locking and he does it with such finesse. It really is no wonder that he always takes to the front of the SuJu formation when it's dance break time.

Taeyang - Big Bang's best dancer is a little fireball. Always full of energy, Taeyang quite literally bounces around on stage and it's clear how much he loves performing. So it's a good thing that he's not all energy without the moves to back it up. Taeyang knows how to move his body and it's always awesome to see him working choreography. I'm quite tired of the dougie and the cat daddy, but when Taeyang tackles actual choreography, good lord.

Rain - Before he became the huge pop star that he is now, Rain began training to become a backup dancer. He'd always second-guessed his vocal abilities and would often tell JYP that he'd rather just dance. His confidence was always in his dancing. It's a good thing, though, that JYP pushed him to sing because I melt at his voice too. Now, whenever Rain takes to the stage to sing and dance, I'm a puddle of goo.

Junsu - Not only is he one of the best singers in k-pop, Junsu is also one of it's best dancers. I don't know what it is about him, but a single hip thrust from him has me hyperventilating. The boy is sexy, damnit. So am I excited that he has a second solo album dropping soon? Hell, yes.

Yunho - Good lord, this man should never stop dancing. Back when DBSK had 5 members, I was always so torn between Junsu and Yunho, never quite sure who to look at when they danced. But while Junsu's dancing is sex personified, Yunho is a whole lot of technique, style, and sex. Ha.

Honorable Mention: Jo Kwon - Because 2AM is a ballad group, Jo Kwon isn't given enough time to showcase his dancing abilities. And when he does, it's usually in comedic girl group dances or in Kkab Kwon mode. Which is just sad because the boy is actually very technically gifted. Just check out this pre-debut dance video with Jay Park.

Who are your favorite dancers? 

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