Yes, yes. I forgot to write up my list of favorite songs for the second half of 2014. As I've said in my last post, I got super lazy last month and into the new year. So here I am, trying to squeeze this post before the first month ends completely.
As was with the first half of 2014, the second half of the year was just as kpop-filled and my playlist just kept getting bigger and bigger. And so, without further babbling, here are my 15 favorite songs from the second half of 2014.
The 2014 Mnet Asian Music Awards (MAMA) took place last week in Hong Kong (again!) and many of our favorite idols and Hallyu stars flocked to the AsiaWorld-Arena to attend k-pop's most-awaited event of the year.
I watched the entire thing with bated breath from red carpet to end credits, and I was a hundred times thankful that they aired it live on local tv - on time and with no extended commercials (unless Mnet was airing commercials too).
While I was happy with most of those who were declared winners that night (i.e. Winner, "Some", "Eyes Nose Lips", Epik High, etc.) there were some disappoints as well (I swear 2NE1 deserved album of the year and the only reason they weren't even nominated was, well, we all know why). Nonetheless, I had a blast watching the show - all 6 and a half hours of it - and I can't wait for it to be available online for a re-watch.
Despite the lineup of artists being noticeably shorter this year, there was still a lot of fun to be had. So here are 10 of my favorite moments - both big and small - from the 2014 MAMA.
(in no particular order)
1. Last Fantasy - Aptly named a fantasy, this stage performance consisted of Ailee disguising herself as Girl's Day Minah's male dance partner. Totally cute!
2. SMTM3 Special Opening Stage - Not even gonna lie, I was beyond excited when I found out Bobby was not just going to be performing "Come Here" but "연결고리 (YGGR)" as well. Bobby hit the MAMA stage and slayed. (And Mino being all excited and proud was just icing on the cake.)
3. Battle of the Century - Indeed, it was. This Block B vs. BTS special stage was the perfect example of a battle done right. The stage highlighted the immense talent of both groups perfectly (and I'm not even a Block B fan). From their dancing (and Jimin's abs - which excited not just Girl's Day Yura and Sojin, but Winner's Seung-yoon as well), their rapping, stage presence, and overall performance skills - everything was on point.
4. IU-Mino Duet - Another star of the night was Winner's Mino, who shared the stage not just with fellow YG artists but also with this year's Best Female Artist IU. It was something I didn't know I needed in my life until it was happening before my very own eyes.
5. Media Wonderland - Seo Tai-ji made a comeback this year and I was looking forward to seeing his performance on the MAMA stage. I'm not a huge fan of "Sogkyeodong" or "Christmalo-win" but I did love his old stuff. And by old stuff, I mean his hip-hop stuff back when they were Seo Tai-ji and Boys. So imagine my shock when U-Kwon (Block B) and Jungkook (BTS) got out of their seats for a planned dance break to cue the start of Seo Tai-ji's performance of "Come Back Home". I was half expecting YG to appear on stage for his signature moves but alas, Vasco (SMTM3) and Zico (Block B) joined him instead.
6. Lee Guk-joo x Jo Se-ho - There's nothing I love more than when non-idols get the spotlight they deserve. And let's be honest, 2014 was the year of Lee Guk-joo. She's just refreshingly awesome. Also, was this the kiss Mnet has been leading us on with all this time?! LOL.
7. Mino x Song Seung-heon - Mino is hilarious. And nothing proves that more than the many shots of him from the artists' sitting area where he always had the best reactions. None of them better than when he feigned (or not?) disappointment when hottie Song Seung-heon chose to give IU his rose. Better luck next time, Mino.
8. Winner x iKON - If having Bobby and B.I sit beside the guys of Winner during award shows is a glimpse into the awesomeness of the YG Family's future, then count me in. These guys are hilarious individually, but even more so together. Simply put Bobby, B.I, and Mino together and wait for the magic to happen.
9. Kai's Dance Solo - Kai, as usual, was breathtaking. While it might take me awhile to get used to seeing EXO as a 10-member group, at least I will always find solace in Kai's dance solos. (For now?)
10. YG Family being a family - I'm just so happy to see YG Family gaining new members because it's suddenly all so refreshing. We might not have 2NE1 at the moment, and Lee Hi And AKMU were nowhere to be seen at the awards show, but having Winner and Double B around seemed to lighten up everyone's moods. Even GD seemed to be more into things this year. The GD x Taeyang stage was one the best we've seen from them in awhile. They seemed more into it and actually put a lot of effort in both their vocals and choreography. Maybe having fresh meat around is making these older sunbaes work harder than usual. Whatever it is, I'm liking it.
Epik High's performance was livened up as well by the presence of Mino, Bobby, and B.I (plus Yoo In-na!). And just seeing them all there in the audience was nice. Every time one of them won, you can see how proud and genuinely happy they were for each other. Ultimately, the night ended with a glimpse of our YG family posturing for a selfie (groufie?) with Taeyang trying to be seen from the back by jumping as high as he possibly can.
I've found I've always enjoyed MAMA stages the best, so now that it's over, I guess all I have to look forward to are the year-end music festivals from the 3 big networks. And then it's a whole year to go until the next MAMA. Hopefully, they find a new location for next year's show. I mean, Asia is a big place. Macau is done. Singapore is done. Hong Kong is done, done, and done. Somewhere new, please?
I once received a drama recommendation request on tumblr and the response I typed out was insanely long that I thought I should post it here as well. Also, I thought that maybe some of the people who randomly drop by this blog would want to check out older dramas too. For the more recent dramas, it's easy enough to check my kdrama tag, but for dramas before 2013, here's the answer I posted on my tumblr blog and a short list of some kdramas that I think are worth checking out.
Question:
"[I] noticed you watch a lot of k-dramas. How do you do it? I sometimes want to watch some but there is so many and I'm really picky when it comes to watching things or listening to music. Is there any k-dramas that are really good that I should watch? I'm on break so I need things to watch until school starts again and takes over my life.
Answer:
I’m basically watching kdramas as soon as I get home after work; on weekends when I don’t have plans that involve me leaving the house; or sometimes, when I’m on the train to work, the shuttle back home, or wherever possible. I admit to watching dramas at work, when things are not as hectic. I’m churning out reports right now and I’m watching the most recent episode of Trot Lovers bit by bit on the side. I’m more than halfway through. Ha.
I’m ecstatic that you’re asking for recommendations, but scared as well because… how do I limit my answer to just a handful of dramas?! Also, there’s always that worry that other people won’t enjoy something that once gave me so much joy.
But since you asked for it, let me just do a run down of all my favorite dramas, in chronological order.
Full House (2004) - Really cute, if formulaic, rom-com starring Rain and Song Hye-kyo. My first foray into contract marriages and forced co-habitation as tropes. I love these tropes.
Delightful Girl Chun-hyang (2005) - A modern retelling of the classic Korean folktale The Tale of Chun-hyang, this was my first foray into the wonderful world of dramas written by the Hong Sisters. Funny, endearing, and witty, I must’ve seen this a handful of times by now.
Que Sera Sera (2007) - This drama will not suit everyone’s taste. It’s a passionate, emotional, and twisted drama that’s more character driven than plot driven, and it unapologetically demonstrates unadulterated emotional abuse in relationships. All the characters are flawed beyond the realms of dramaland, in that they’re all so realistically broken. It’s so easy to hate all of them, even the two leads. But damn if the chemistry between Eric Mun and Jung Yumi was not scorching hot.
Coffee Prince (2007) - Gong Yoo and Yoon Eun-hye being super cute while breaking your heart into teeny, tiny pieces… And then gluing it back together in the end. What’s that Korean saying? He gives the disease and then gives the medicine? Yeah, that’s what this drama is. Also, my first experience with gender-bending Korean drama.
You’re Beautiful (2009) - "I will promise youuuu…" I have to admit, this was the drama that got me addicted. It might not have been my first, but its significance in my drama-watching history is great. Jang Geun-suk, Lee Hong-ki, Jung Yong-hwa, and Park Shin-hye will always have special places in my heart. "Hyung-nim!" My second gender-bending drama, but A.N.JELL and the awesome OST takes center stage for me.
Secret Garden (2010)- Not exactly the best out there… But I do admit that it was laugh-out-loud funny when it wanted to be, and wrought tears when it had to. Clumsy writing aside, this is a kdrama “modern” classic. This drama propelled several pop culture references: foam kisses, sit-up kisses, and "Kim suhanmoo keobugiwa durumi…"
Dream High (2011) - Nothing’s better than a handful of misfit underdogs trying to prove to the world that they can be winners. Bring that premise to a performing arts school where beautiful idol kids roam, plus a wonderful soundtrack, not to mention amazing performances from Kim Soo-hyun and JYP himself… well, DRAMA GOLD.
White Christmas (2011) - This is a wonderful whodunit-slash-murder-mystery-slash-psycho-thriller mini-series that propelled the acting careers of most of our favorite new generation male models: Lee Soo-hyuk, Sung Joon, Hong Jong-hyun, Kim Young-kwang, and Kim Woo-bin.
City Hunter (2011)- Still my favorite Lee Min-ho drama to date. It’s action-packed, yet cute and romantic. It takes a while to pick up steam, but when it does… it’ll prove difficult to turn off the drama at every cliffhanger ending.
Shut Up Flower Boy Band (2011) - This was probably my favorite of tvN’s Flower Boy series. Awesome music, gorgeous men, and the wonderful cameo by Lee Min-ki - what more can you ask for?
The King 2 Hearts (2012) - With all around amazing performances from Lee Seung-gi, Ha Ji-won, Jo Jung-suk, and Lee Yoon-ji, this drama supposes a South Korea still ruled by its monarchy and the attempts to reunify the Korean archipelago by marrying off its arrogant prince to the tough daughter of a North Korean general. Comedy and heartbreak ensues.
Reply 1997 (2012) - A coming-of-age drama that recounts the teenage years of a group of friends in Busan. Set in the 90’s, the joys and woes of friendship, family, and love is set to the background of boybands, silly hairdos, and 90’s Korean pop music.
Once again, another 6 months have passed just like that and we're now entering the second half of 2014. How is time flying by so fast?!
The first half of 2014 saw the return of the king of k-pop Rain, as well as the debuts of two amazing rookie groups, Got7 and Akdong Musician. We've also been given the long-awaited full-length albums of 2NE1 and Taeyang (it was about damn time, honestly). And this past months also gave me my current addiction; a song by artists I never paid much attention to before, Soyou & Jung GiGo.
So just as I've done for the pastyear, I'm listing down my favorite songs released during the first half of this year, for the months of January to June 2014.
I'm booked for a trip to Seoul for autumn this year! I am beyond excited. Like, I have a feeling this trip is going to be awesome. (As if my previous 2 visits to Seoul have been anything less than awesome). For the first time ever, I'm traveling abroad with someone who isn't family. So that's bound to be interesting. Traveling together, as they say, is putting your friendship to the test. I don't know but I have a feeling we're gonna be pretty good during the 9-day trip. *crosses fingers*
My friend has never been to Korea before and is a fairly new k-drama/k-variety fan. How new? She watched her first drama last year. Which drama? Boys Over Flowers. She's that new. She eventually found Running Man on her own and has since marathoned the show, episode by episode, and is making her way through 2012's episodes by now. She's probably seen more episodes than I have.
Our upcoming trip (I know it's 6 months away but I can already feel it, okaaayyyy) will consist mostly of places I've already been to because it's my friend's first time, but I seriously don't mind. No one can possibly get sick of Hongdae and Myeongdong. I've added a handful of new places for me, like Nami Island! And Everland! And hopefully we get to watch a music show or two. *crosses fingers again*
There are just so many things I love about Seoul that I can't wait to experience again. Here's a rundown of my top 10 Seoul things, in no particular order.
1. Korean Barbecue - I've been to plenty Korean restaurants in my country. Most of them Korean-owned and as authentic as you can get outside of Korea. But, for some reason, nothing beats Korean food in Korea. Gimme some samgyupsal, kimchi jjigae, and sosa (soju + cider) and I'm a happy camper.
2. Korean Subways - Believe you me, no one appreciates the efficiency of the Korean rail system than a person who has to suffer commuting every single day in a city whose transportation infrastructure is probably one of the worst the world has seen. This is one of the pleasures Seoul has to offer that I tend to miss the very moment I have to get back on the Philippines' dreaded MRT.
3. Egg Bread - Mmmmm.... Gyeran bbang (계란빵) or egg bread is exactly what it sounds like. It's bread... with egg. Sounds simple, and it is. And sooo delish. There's an ahjussi selling them from a food truck in one of the alleys of Myeongdong and my sister and I once visited him thrice in a span of 4 days.
4. Nature in the City - Everyone thinks of Seoul as this busy, high-tech, concrete jungle - and for the most part, it's true. But, still, you're never 5 minutes away from some sort of natural space. Seoul is surrounded by mountains and this explains Seoulites' love for hiking and nature walks. Parks are everywhere, too. Along with the banks of the Han river and the restored Cheonggye stream, bodies of water aren't rare either.
5. Kitschy Cafés - I'm not a big coffee drinker but I somehow turn into one whenever I'm in Seoul. Not only because of their colder weather, but because the quaint little cafés keep appealing to the wannabe artist-writer in me. Cute little café in Hongdae? Gimme a Moleskin and toss me my quill, I'm going to drown in caffeine and write!
6. Street Art - For a city that boasts of its science and technological advancement, Seoul, ironically, has a lot of artists. From visual artists to buskers to fashion designers, Seoul is filled with them. It's no wonder that the mecca of artists boasts of street vandalism that looks like this:
7. Side Dishes - Banchan (반찬) refers to small dishes of food served along with cooked rice in Korean cuisine. Not only are they delicious, they are also free and refillable. Sometimes it means assorted kimchi and soy bean sprouts, sometimes it's spam and rolled omelettes. I could probably live well on banchan and rice alone.
8. Service - Free things a business gives out to customers are called "service" and is a very widely used marketing strategy over there. Whether it's free packets of body wash and face mask that come along with your purchases at Etude House, or the free serving of pretzels along with your sweet potato latte at Café Jass, these are all part and parcel of the Korean idea of service. Isn't that just awesome?
9. Your favorite Korean artist on everything - In the land of k-pop and k-drama stars, of course it's going to be filled with all your oppas gracing billboards everywhere and advertising everything from the newest Nintendo game to an online shopping site. Sometimes, they're also on your soda cup at Lotteria.
10. Street Food - Notice how many items on this list are food related? I'm such a glutton. But seriously, street food. Everything from fish cake (odeng, 오뎅), spicy rice cake (ddeokbokki, 쫄볶이), blood sausages (soondae, 순대), and even kebabs and the Korean version of tempura (twigim, 튀김) can be found in food trucks everywhere. Easy access food!
I can't wait to experience all of this again this coming October. Aaaaaaah! Our trip isn't for another 6 months but my friend and I have already come up with a list of possible guesthouses to stay at and a rough draft of our itinerary. No, we're not excited. NOT. AT. ALL.
For some reason, I am currently in a drama-watching slump. Not that there's a shortage of dramas in kdramaland, of course not. But none of these awesome dramas have been able to hold my attention for very long. Aside from the ever awesome God's Gift - 14 Days, I have yet to get past the first couple of episodes for each of these dramas.
1. Three Days - My love for Yoochun be damned, I saw half of the first episode and closed the window as soon as my sister suggested watching some We Got Married instead. Not because the drama wasn't good, I just wasn't in the right state of mind at the time.
2. Sly and Single Again - I love Lee Min-jung, I really do. But I don't know if that's enough for me to push through with watching this drama. Her character just seems very sad - in the pathetic sense of the word - to me. The again, I felt the same way about Song Ji-hyo's character in the beginning of Emergency Couple, but that changed after the first few episodes. Maybe I need to give this drama another shot.
3. Secret Love Affair - I've heard great things about this drama but I don't know if it's something I'd want to push through with. God knows I love Yoo Ah-in, but the many muted and sepia-toned scenes don't demand for my attention as much as they probably should.Or I might just really be in some kind of drama funk.
4. Hotel King - Admittedly, I only saw the first few minutes of the first episode while I was downloading it. And it was captivating. I just haven't gotten around to watching it because I'm not Lee Da-hae's biggest fan. And I worry about my nerves being grated every time she shows up on screen. I'll have to set this aside for now.
I may not have kept up with the many currently airing dramas, but I was able to finish Her Lovely Heels - a mini-drama based on a webcomic - last Friday. Pretty easy to do as this show ran for less than 15 minutes per episode, with a total of 10 episodes. Drama marathon in under 3 hours? I'm there. HA. But my feels for Her Lovely Heels and Hong Jong-hyun will have to wait till my next post.
For now, please cross some fingers for me in hopes that I get my ass in gear over the upcoming long weekend and get a move on on my drama watching.
Noraebang, if you don't know (as if!), is the Korean version of karaoke (or what we call in my country, videoke) but with some additional necessities aside from the karaoke machine, tv screen, and microphone. It is absolutely essential for noraebangs to provide tambourines, or maracasses even (if they're being generous), and sometimes even clown wigs and huge-ass sunglasses (if they're being totally lavish). And of course, a noraebang session isn't complete without some of our favorite Korean pop songs.
What I'll be listing down today aren't necessarily what I'd choose to sing at a noraebang, but what I think every k-pop star and their favorite uncle would immediately punch in to sing should they find themselves in a dim room with a microphone in one hand and a tambourine on the other. Or perhaps, if they're in the mood for a power ballad, the tambourine is left on the table in exchange for a glass of somaek. Of course, this is from an outsider's point of view. All I'm basing this on is the fact that these songs have been covered so many times by so many Korean singers (and non-singers). And, seriously, I'm not complaining. I love these songs!
Lee Juck's "I'm Fortunate" (다행이다, Dahaengida)
It's funny because most international fans know the song because of covers by idol stars, and there's no mention of the song at all on Lee Juck's Wikipedia page, but indeed he was the original singer. This video is of his original version but we've heard this covered by everyone from idol star Kim Hyun-joong to balladeer K.Will, rocker Jung Joon-young to actor Joo Won, to name just a few.
Brown Eyed Soul's "Nothing Better"
Originally sung by Brown Eyed Soul's Jung Yup, this song has been performed repeatedly, time and again, at every turn, by almost everybody from 2PM's Nichkhun to SHINee's Jonghyun, Super Junior's Kyuhyun to actor Gong Yoo, that if it weren't such a good song I would've been ready to sew my ears shut.
Im Jae-beom's "Confession" (고해, Gohae)
One of my personal favorites, Im Jae-beom's "Confession" may be one of the cheesiest songs ever, in terms of lyrics, but he pulls it off with one of the rawest and roughest voices in the business. So it's no wonder that some of the best singers of today have all attempted to cover this song, of which FT Island's Lee Hong-ki's attempt is my favorite. CNBLUE's Jung Yong-hwa (plus Z:EA's Kwang-hee, unfortunately), rock singers Roy Kim and Jung Joon-young, and pop rock singer Hong Kyung-min have performed this song as well. 4Men's "Baby Baby"
Another overplayed R&B track, this time by vocal group 4Men. But let me tell you, just because something is overplayed doesn't make it bad. In fact, it's so good that everyone keeps singing it. And by everyone, I mean B.A.P's Daehyun (pre-debut video that brought me to tears!), SHINee's Jonghyun, SNSD's Yuri and Tiffany, and BEAST's Yoseob.
Kim Dong-ryul's "Drunken Truth" (취중진담, Chwijung Jindam)
Admittedly, the first person I heard this from was JYJ's Micky Yoochun. And it was awesome. And then I started hearing it everywhere so I had to find out who the original singer was. So, apparently, Yoochun wasn't the original singer, neither were Super Junior's Kyuhyun, nor Gavy N J, nor Fly to the Sky, but rather Kim Dong-ryul. I'll try to remember that name from now on.
DJ DOC's "Run to You"
You might've noticed, but almost every music festival ends with all the artists on stage rocking out to the one hip-hop song everyone and their grandmothers know the lyrics to. Some people mistakenly refer to this song as "Bounce With Me" due to the phrase being repeated throughout the track, but it's actually "Run to You." I first encountered this song via extra footage in the 2009 drama You're Beautiful where the boys of ANJELL (Jang Geun-suk, Jung Yong-hwa, and Lee Hong-ki) danced around to the track. And since then, I've heard it literallyateverymusicshow'soutro.
Rain's "Love Song"
This is probably one of the first Korean songs I learned the lyrics to. Not the very first, but it's somewhere up there. And clearly, I'm not the song's only fan as it's been covered by Seo In-guk, and all your favorite idols in severaldifferentparodies. Sometimes lauded for the song itself, but mostly for the accompanying sexy choreography, this song is definitely one for the books.
Ra.D's "I'm In Love"
This song is just beautiful. I seriously have four different versions of this song on my k-pop playlist. The first one is by Ra.D (see video above) who actually composed the song, and then the original recording by Brown Eyed Girls' Narsha, and then covers by CNBLUE's Lee Jong-hyun and two finalists on The Voice of Korea (Kim Min-ji and Park Eui-sung) who sang a duet version during the battle round. This song is so awesome even Queen Yuna has performed it before.
Tasha's "As Time Goes By"
This is one song I listen to on repeat, and one that I also know by heart. Tasha is a queen and this song may be old, but it's still relevant. At least according to the members of SNSDwho have sung thisat multiple occasions. Younha also has a cover, and Lee Hi slayed with this song when she was a finalist on K-Pop Star by turning the second verse into a rap with the help of the guys at YG.
JYP's "Honey"
Just hearing the intro to this song makes me wanna jump out of my seat to sing and dance along. Though I love JYP more for his softer, mid-tempo ballads (i.e. "I Have A Girl") it's uptempo songs like "Honey" and "Elevator" that make you wanna bust out the tambourine at the noraebang. It's been coveredso many timesthat you just knowit's a classic. And by classic, I mean old enough that World Star Rain was one of JYP's backup dancers back then.
I love dancing and it's one of the major reasons why I love k-pop. Like, I do admit to having danced miss A's "Goodbye Baby" or A Pink's "No No No" in front of the mirror in the safety of my own bedroom once or twice before. However, there are a handful of k-pop dances that I still want to learn but whenever I go and watch the videos, I'm immediately muttering to myself, "nope, not gonna happen." I've seen the dance practice versions, the tutorial videos, and possibly all the covers, but there's a difference between knowing how the dance goes in your head and actually being able to execute them properly. Sure, I can do Brown Eyed Girls' "Abracadabra" but there are those dances that just seem impossible to learn. And today, I'm listing down my 10 favorites.
10. Infinite's "BTD (Before The Dawn)"
9. EXO's "History"
8. miss A's "Breathe"
7. Rain's "Hip Song"
6. Infinite's "Be Mine"
5. 2PM "I'll Be Back"
4. SHINee's "Lucifer"
3. B2ST's "Fiction"
2. EXO's "Growl"
1. SHINee's "Everybody"
These are just some of the most epic dance videos in k-pop and there are so much more out there. What're your favorites though?
So many dramas, so little time. Along with all these dramas come my never-ending list of actor crushes. I would love to list them all down but that would probably take me about a week or so to write up. My love for all these actors knows no categorical limitations. I don't care if the actor is young or old, tall or short, with a background in musicals or the catwalk - all I need is sizzling onscreen charisma and I'm yours.
So here I attempt to group my favorite Korean actors into convenient categories. Let the sorting begin...
1. The Idol Actor - A lot of people cringe at the thought of all these idol stars making their way into Korean dramas and movies, but not all idol actors are bad news. There are several handful of idols who have given acting a shot with successful results. World Star Rain, himself, is an idol who has made quite a name for himself as an actor, not just in Chungmuro but in Hollywood as well. Following in his footsteps are some of today's hottest young stars, and my favorites have to be JYJ's Park Yoochun (Rooftop Prince, I Miss You), Big Bang's T.O.P (71: Into the Fire, Commitment), Beast's Lee Gi-kwang (My Friend Is Still Alive, Me Too Flower), and Seo In-guk (Reply 1997, The Master's Sun).
2. The Model Actor - Having models in our dramas is not a new thing. A lot of actors started out gracing catwalks and fashion spreads before hitting the screens. Stars like Cha Seung-won, Jo In-sung, Gong Yoo, and So Ji-sub first found success as models before being cast in dramas and movies. The trend of turning models into actors is far from over and the past few years has churned out quite a number of successful crossovers. And there's no point in guessing who my favorites are. It's quite easy. They're all of your favorites too, you see: Kim Woo-bin (School 2013, The Heirs), Lee Jong-suk (School 2013, I Hear Your Voice), Lee Soo-hyuk (White Christmas, What's Up), Hong Jong-hyun (Dating Agency: Cyrano, White Christmas), Sung Joon (Shut Up Flower Boy Band, I Need Romance 3), and Ahn Jae-hyun (You From Another Star).
3. The Ahjussi Actor - It doesn't matter how old they get, a hot man is a hot man is a hot man. It doesn't help either that most of these men have kept fit, if not fitter now than they were 10 years ago, and have quite the chocolate abs to prove it. And the wrinkles, I actually find sexy. Don't you think? I mean, take a look as some of my favorite ahjussis: Cha Seung-won (Greatest Love), Kim Seung-woo (Miss Ripley), Lee Beom-soo (Prime Minister and I), and Jung Woo-sung (Cold Eyes). There are several actors whom I love that I'm not quite sure falls under the ahjussi category quite yet (specially since I'm not a hormonal teenager but a rational adult, psych!) but would not be considered an oppa to a majority of k-pop fans. Actors like So Ji-sub (Always, The Master's Sun), Uhm Tae-woong (Architecture 101, Equator Man), or Choi Won-young (The Heirs) are not quite old enough for me to call ahjussi, but are not quite oppas either. But they're all gorgeous, nonetheless.
4. The Musical Actor - Loving music and loving dramas is one thing, but I'm also a huge fan of theater and Broadway musicals, and seeing all these actors in productions of Grease or Spring Awakening is just too much for my little fangirl heart. And I don't mean actors who eventually found their way into theater. I'm talking about actors who started out in theater but now have veritable drama and film careers, like Joo Won (Gaksital, Good Doctor), Jo Jung-suk (The King 2 Hearts, You're The Best Lee Soon-shin), Kang Ha-neul (Monstar, The Heirs), Lee Sun-kyun (Coffee Prince, Miss Korea), and Oh Man-seok(What's Up, The Vineyard Man).
5. The Jailbait Actor - Unfortunately, there are a handful of child actors who I love that are way too young for me to even be looking at. Even more unfortunate, for me, is that some of them really don't look their age. Take Yeo Jin-goo (I Miss You, Potato Star 2013QR3) for example. The kid is 16 years old but looks and sounds like a man in his 20's. There's no doubt that kid is going places. At 16, he's already romancing 23-year-old Ha Yeon-soo in their sitcom where he plays a 24-year-old web developer. Although, technically not jailbait anymore, these kids are still off limits: Yoo Seung-ho (Arang and the Magistrate, I Miss You), Lee Hyun-woo (To The Beautiful You), and that other Lee Min-ho (Rooftop Prince, Prime Minister and I).
Sharing a little more of Yeo Jin-goo just so y'all better understand my frustration over this kid.
He's only 16 years old. I can't even.
I feel like I'm missing out on a bunch of other actors, but only because I couldn't find a category to fit them into. Actors like Park Ki-woong or No Min-woo or Kim Soo-hyun are not on this list. Maybe a new category should be made just for the likes of them? The Pretty Actor? But aren't they all?
Looks like the second half of 2013 was filled with a whole lot of black, white, red, and gray.
And just like that, we're in 2014. My obsession has yet to wane and I don't see it going anywhere in the next few months, so I forge ahead.
In many ways, 2013 has been a very memorable year in k-pop. There were several songs released this year that are still on my "Favorites" playlist and are still on constant rotation. As I did 6 months ago for the first half of 2013, I've listed down my favorite songs from the second half of the year that was.
Without further ado, and in no particular order, here are my top 15 favorite songs released after July 2013.
miss A - "Hush"
Kim Hyun-joong - "Unbreakable"
B.A.P - "Badman"
B2ST - "Will You Be Alright?"
f(x) - "Rum Pum Pum Pum"
G-Dragon - "Who You?"
Seungri - "Let's Talk About Love"
Jung Joon-young -"10 Minutes Before Breaking Up"
IU - "The Red Shoes"
T.O.P - "Doom Dada"
SHINee - "One Minute Back"
2NE1 - "Missing You"
Exo - "Growl"
SHINee - "Symptoms"
G-Dragon - "Crooked"
So here's looking forward to yet another year of awesome music. Ciao!
