Warning: Taemin's "Danger" Ahead

Taemin dropped his debut solo music video for "Danger" late last week, and the mini album ACE followed suit just earlier today. And good lord is it everything I never knew I wanted from this kid. While last week saw mostly Winner in constant rotation on my music player (I'm still addicted to their album), looks like this week will see a massive amount of the SHINee maknae.

There are so many things to love about the album and the accompanying music video. One: the very fact that Taemin is proving to the world that he's not just SHINee's main dancer anymore and that he has very much earned the title of singer and that he deserves this. Two: that even while many complained about his going solo before Onew or Jonghyun, Taemin broke out into the solo scene with an outstanding single that is sure to rocket through all the charts. Three: Taemin is showing us that he's no longer that 14-year-old kid who loves steak and burgers and frequently loses his stuff if not glued to his hands, he's an adult (but sorry, sweetie, seeing you shirtless still makes me feel like I should be kneeling in a confessional box even though I'm not Catholic).  And lastly, that Taemin is clearly in his element, singing and dancing the way he wants to, and being able to pay homage to his idol in an obvious Michael-Jackson-inspired track via lead single "Danger." Even the music video, a few fashion choices aside, is fantastic..

Aside from the title track, each and every song on the mini album is golden and are the kind of songs I've always imagined Taemin would do were he to ever go solo. The sexy pre-released track "Ace," with lyrics penned by DBSK's Changmin, is a favorite. It throws back to SHINee's own "Symptoms" and I can very well imagine it being sung by the entire group, but nonetheless Taemin totally rocks it solo.

Taemin has already performed his new songs on several stages this past weekend, including Inkigayo, Music Bank, and a SMTown concert in Seoul. Sadly, as is the SM Tradition, these were mostly lip-synced because that's the way SM just does things to avoid mistakes during initial debut/comeback promotions. We all know that Taemin, along with the rest of SHINee, can very well hold their own during live performances. It doesn't matter how intense the choreography is, Taemin can hit those notes. So, hopefully, as we go into the second week of promotions, we get some actual live performances from it. I'm so excited for this, you guys.

I never realized how huge a fan of Taemin I was until this solo thing happened. I've always considered SHINee as one of my Top 3 k-pop boy groups, but I was never really sure of who my SHINee bias was. With this solo though, it's kind of looking like he very well might be my bias. (But then there's a huge chance I'd feel the same way if Onew or Jonghyun make their solo debuts.)

Gaaahhh. I might not be Kim-Jonghyun-level of going gaga over Taemin, but I'm pretty damn close. (I'm not even kidding with how much Jonghyun is fanboying over their maknae, this is him in a nutshell. He's been tweeting so much in support of Taemin and it's super sweet how he declared himself the president of the Taemin fanclub. I heard he cried when he first watched the "Danger" music video.) But see, we all feel like proud parents here. I might not have been there since the beginning, but after falling in love with SHINee, I've watched a boatload of videos on YouTube and got a crash course on the group. So I've seen videos of Taemin as a kid. And now he's all grown up. I'm feeling kind of verklempt right now.

Lee Taemin, fighting!

Read More

My Lists: 10 favorite k-pop dances I wish I could do

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?

Read More

My Lists: 15 favorite k-pop songs from the second half of 2013

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!

Read More

Hallyu Surfer's Year End Awards - Music Edition

Ack. I had promised myself to complete the second half of my Year End Awards before last week ended but things got crazy and will only get crazier the closer we get to the holidays. So, before the crazies get in the way of my blogging, I'm here to cap off my Year End Awards with more high school yearbook award titles to hand out to our favorite k-pop artists of 2013.

Without further ado, dim the lights, here we go.

MUSIC AWARDS

Most likely to win the lotto, but lose the ticket - Lee Taemin (SHINee)

Aside from being an awesome dancer with killer vocals to boot, this SHINee maknae is also known for his infamous "magic hands" (stop it with your dirty minds, haha). This boy has been known to easily walk away from a broadcast station with mic still in hand, lose his train tickets (twice in the same day!), misplace his passport, and once even returned to Korea bare-footed because he lost his shoes overseas. Can you imagine how fast that lotto ticket is going to go missing?

Most likely to be president - Bang Yong-guk (B.A.P)

Bang Yong-guk for Prez! If only because I'd love to hear the Presidential Address in Yong-guk's signature full bass voice. Also, I'd gladly point out his attempt on social commentary via single "Badman" - about which he, allegedly, had this to say: "I wanted to bring awareness. I feel that there are so many big issues that we should not forget about yet we forget them so easily. I felt that no one else would convey these messages about society if we didn't do it."

Most likely to take over the world - G-Dragon (Big Bang)

He's almost there, isn't he? With endless mentions of Big Bang's leader and rapper in Western media (whether for his music or his fashion), he's probably one of the more recognizable names in k-pop. Once the rest of the world realizes what we hallyu-starved crazies have (that k-pop is not just the amusing novelty of a chubby Asian man doing the horse dance across Seoul to a satirical song about the city's upper crust, with all due respect to Psy coz he's awesome but is not the be-all and end-all of k-pop), you best believe G-Dragon will be leading the pack of Seoul-based artists to really export Korean music, fashion, and cutting-edge trends to anyone else who cares to pay attention.

Most likely to be a Premier Footballer - Kim Junsu (JYJ)

Is there any doubt that were Xiah Junsu not a super successful pop star cum musical actor he'd be a professional football player? Nope. As a soccer enthusiast and captain of the South Korean celebrities soccer team FC MEN, fans have been lining up to watch him, not only on stage, but on the pitch as well.

Runners-up: Kim Hyun-joong (SS501), Yoon Doo-joon (B2ST)

Most likely to win an Oscar - Im Seulong (2AM)

Aside from having a gorgeous voice, 2AM's Seulong has also enjoyed quite an acting career. He started on the small screen in a character role in the drama Personal Taste and has since been in several dramas and movies, for which he has been consistently getting good reviews. In 2012, Seulong won the acting rookie award for his film debut in 26 Years. For his role in the recent drama, The Fugitive of Joseon, Seulong received overwhelmingly good comments, even having overshadowed the drama's lead actor.

Runner-up: T.O.P (Big Bang)

Most annoying but loved - Seungri (Big Bang)

Despite being a rabid Big Bang fan, there are still those days when Seungri will inevitably make my eyes roll at his sheer ridiculousness. At times annoying, most times endearing, there's a reason why GD keeps a tight leash on this kid. How very fitting then that his Twitter bio is a short reminder for him to rein it in a bit, especially on social media: "Once the tweet goes out, it cant be taken back kkkk."

Runner-up: Hwang Kwang-hee (ZE:A)

Most changed since freshman year - Park Bom (2NE1)

It doesn't take a cosmetic surgeon to tell you that this isn't Park Bom's natural face anymore. We've witnessed her transformation from way back when she was still a YG trainee being featured in Big Bang's music video to 2NE1's own debut, and her transformation has been a little short of distracting.

Best Hair - Hyoyeon (SNSD)

One of the things that makes k-pop so damn attractive is that they are not afraid of colors, and I love it. So is it any surprise that I'm a fan of the ever-changing hair colors of all our idols? And when Hyoyeon rocked the multi-colored streaks on a blond base (also seen on the many Forever 21 ads that I love) during their promotions for "I Got A Boy," I had a mini freak out. It was glorious.

Best Couple - Trouble Maker

Trouble Maker made a comeback this year, and boy were they sizzling in the video (and the many stage performances that followed). Despite the questionable chemistry, the very fact that they even dared to go this far in a k-pop video was refreshing. In a society that boasts of its modernity and yet clings hard to its conservative roots, the culture that bore k-pop can be quite confusing. We like our idols sexily hip-thrusting to Western-influenced EDM music but God forbid they hold hands with someone of the opposite sex. So, for me, the endless skinship between B2ST's Hyun-seung and 4Minute's Hyun-ah was not just sexy, it was a bold statement that I've been waiting to hear since I started listening to k-pop.

Runners-up: Taemin-Naeun (We Got Married), Key-Eunji (We Got Married), GD-Hyungdon (Infinity Challenge)

Best Teacher - JYP (KPop Star)

Say what you want about Park Jin-young and his endless technical ramblings about half-air-half-sound vocals, scales, and whatnot, but when he pointed out on the first episode of KPop Star 3 that Han Hee-jun (of American Idol fame) not only sounded old-school (because we already knew as much) but why he did, my jaw dropped. As an avid Idol fan, I watched the season Hee-jun was on the show, and not once did any of their judges discuss in detail the problem with Hee-jun's vocals and what he was doing wrong. JYP not only explained why and how, he had matching demos to go with his explanation. Respect, man. Respect.

Runner-up: G-Dragon (WIN: Who Is Next), YG (KPop Star)

Best Dressed Female - CL (2NE1)

With her many fashion forward attempts, 2NE1 leader CL has had quite a number of misses, but when this girl is on target, it's a freaking bullseye. She's not afraid to dress down or up or sideways, and that's what we love about her. There's always a buzz with what she wears, no matter what it is. Funny, then, that the most recent buzz was all about how she didn't bother to wear anything.

Best Dressed Male - T.O.P (Big Bang)

GD keeps getting the fashionista card handed to him, and I understand why. Big Bang's leader is a cut above the rest in terms of experimental fashion. The group's main rapper T.O.P, on the other hand, is more understated and classic - but always flawlessly tailored and gorgeous. Doesn't matter if it's jeans and a hoodie or a Thom Browne suit, T.O.P infallibly looks good. If the clothes does, indeed, make the man, it's no wonder Rolling Stone ranked him among the hottest sex symbols of 2013 despite this rapper's aversion to exposing more skin than necessary.

Best Dancer - Kai (EXO)

There's just something about this kid and his dancing. Every time I watch an EXO video, Kai never fails to stand out. He may be doing the exact same steps as all the other members but he does it with such flair that I'm just sitting here wondering how exactly is his body able to move like that. Maybe it's his ballet and jazz dancing background that helps him because, even though Kai dances with controlled sharpness and precise movements, he is still gloriously graceful.

Runners-up: Taeyang (Big Bang), Taemin (SHINee), Hyoyeon (SNSD)

Best Musician - Kim Jaejoong (JYJ)

It really is unfortunate that JYJ and its members' solo efforts have been relegated to the sidelines of k-pop. I'm not saying they're not still super successful and insanely popular, because they're all that and more. Living legends, all three of them. But imagine if they were given the opportunity to perform their music on programs like Inkigayo, Music Bank, or Music Core? Imagine how much bigger they can become if they are able to draw in younger audiences? It really is a shame because Jaejoong released some of the best rock-inspired singles this year but distribution and fanfare has been limited due to TPTB.

Runners-up: G-Dragon (Big Bang), Jung Yong-hwa (CN Blue)

Best Newcomer - Lee Hi

I am a YG fan through and through, and nothing cements that truth more than the rookies they've been slowly introducing to us in the past year. Lee Hi debuted mid-2012 after her successful stint on talent search program KPop Star and burst into the scene with the awesome track "1,2,3,4." This year, she churned out several more wonderful singles, each one of them highlighting her gorgeously soulful voice. For a girl this young, it's already clear that Lee Hi's future in k-pop is going to be a solid one.

Runners-up: EXO, Kang Seung-yoon

Biggest Flirt - Henry Lau (Super Junior-M)

Anyone who was able to watch the "What's Your Name?" episode of Happy Together on KBS would know what I mean. Henry was adorable and utterly hilarious on that show, much to fellow Super Junior-M member Kyuhyun's chagrin. Them girls had no idea what they were in for.

Class Clown - Key (SHINee)

A lot of people are put off by Key's strong personality, but I love him. I find him hilarious and hella endearing. Even his Instagram account is a goldmine of funnies. I start laughing the moment he starts laughing even if I have no idea what he's laughing about. It's a good thing then that the producers of We Got Married keep guesting him on the show. It doesn't matter if he's hanging with fellow SHINee member Taemin and his wife (APink's Son Na-eun) or with his '91-line friends Nicole (KARA), Mir (MBLAQ), and Jinwoon (2AM) with his wife  -- Key just cracks me up.

Runners-up: Jo Kwon (2AM)

Biggest Dork - Shinhwa

No one can rival the epic dorkiness of this ahjussi idol group. I couldn't even pick just one of them. They are all dorks of varying sizes and 4D-ness - and Shinhwa Broadcast is all the better for it. I don't think I've ever gotten through an episode without cracking my sides laughing. Sometimes it gets to the point where I find it hard to take them seriously as a singing group. Ha.

Runners-up: T.O.P (Big Bang), Onew (SHINee), Yesung (Super Junior), Amber (f(x))

Winning Moment - SHINee's win at the 2013 Melon Awards

Was there anything more touching than the moment SHINee took to the stage to accept their Best Artist of the Year Award at the recent Melon Awards? None of us were prepared for the amount of tears the boys collectively shed. At one point, Key had to move Jong-hyun's mic away from him because everyone could hear his angry sobbing. Eventually, the boys of SHINee were not the only ones with tear-streaked faces in the arena, Shawols and the EXO hoobaes were crying right along with them. After all of SHINee's hard work, releasing 3 albums this year, the win felt so deserved.

Runner-up: Ailee's Top 10 win at the Melon Awards

Hottest Freshman - Kang Seung-yoon

Honestly, back when I watched Superstar K2 almost three years ago, I would never have thought that I would love Kang Seung-yoon as much as I do now. I kept an eye on him though when he got signed by YG, feeling slightly confused as to why a guitar-playing alterna-pop musician would join a primarily hiphop-centric agency. Fast forward past his short stint as an actor and finally to his official debut as a solo singer, I am pleasantly surprised by how much I loved his first track "Wild and Young" and I am happy he stuck to his singer-songwriter roots. This boy can sing anything though. Needless to say, after winning alongside the rest of Team A in WIN: Who Is Next, I'm on the edge of my seat waiting for his second debut as part of YG's newest boy group.

Prom Queen - Lee Hyori

The queen came back this year, not only with all-kills on the charts, but with the good news of marrying her musician boyfriend Lee Sang-soon (the two had a quaint little ceremony in Jeju-do on September of this year). There's no denying that Queen Hyori is not only super pretty but sexy as well and she showed up at this year's Mnet Asian Music Awards looking like a hip-hop goddess.

Prom King - G-Dragon (Big Bang)

Despite Big Bang not having any group releases this year, G-Dragon sure had a busy 2013. In January, he embarked on a 4-dome tour of Japan and followed that up with his first solo tour of Asia. And then in September, he released his second full-length solo album Coup D'etat which featured both Korean and international artists like Missy Elliott, Sky Ferreira, Diplo, Bauuer, Zion.T, and Lydia Paek. A total of 7 tracks from this new album charted upon release. 2013 was clearly GD's year, being recognized for his music and style both at home and abroad. Unlike our Queen, our King did not get hitched this year, but he did start an adorable bromance with comedian/entertainer Jung Hyung-don.

~*~

And just like that, I've finally ended my Year End Awards. It's been quite a year in k-pop and dare I say I'm looking forward to what's in store for me in 2014. On the top of that list is the official debut of Winner (Winner TV has been awesome so far, by the way). I need a Big Bang comeback asap. Also, an actual 2NE1 album would be great.

If I don't get to blog before then, happy holidays everyone! xoxo

Read More

30 K-Pop Questions Challenge

Because I'm bored but too lazy to write out my K-Pop Year End Awards right now, here's a quick survey I found floating around tumblr. I promise to get back to the Year End Awards before the week is over.

Without further ado, here we go.

1. "Breathe" by Miss A OR "Breathe" by G-Dragon?

Aigoo. Being a major VIP, I'm loath to say Miss A, but it's true. This song is awesome.



2. "Without You" by U-KISS OR "Without U" by 2PM?

Since I don't even know the one by U-KISS, I'mma have to go with the 2PM song.



3. "Lies" by BIG BANG OR "Lies" by T-Ara?

Big Bang. Duh.



 4. BEAST OR MBLAQ?

Noooooo. I can't choose. I... will have to do this diplomatically and check last.fm to see which group I actually listen to more.

And the answer is... Beast. You can all safely assume it's all due to "Fiction" and it's true. That song is killer.

5. BEAST OR SHINee?

SHINee. Hands down.

6. KARA OR SNSD?

Again, I will have to confer with last.fm - and, Kara it is.

7. SNSD OR After School?

SNSD.

8. KARA OR T-Ara?

KARA.

9. 4Minute OR 2NE1?

2NE1

10. BoA OR Lee Hyori?

Hmmm... God, I love Hyori but I'mma have to go with BoA on this one.

11. Jay Park OR Taeyang?

Taeyang.

12. Se7en OR Rain?

Rain. Go Rain. It's Rain. It's raining.

13. Son Dambi OR Lee Hyori?

Lee Hyori.

14. Outsider OR E.Via?

I'm sorry... Who?

15. Miss A OR SISTAR?

Miss A.

16. INFINITE OR Teen Top?

Infinite.

17. Jia from Miss A OR Victoria from F(x)?

Jia. Girl can sing, rap, and dance.

18. Junsu from TVXQ OR Junsu from 2PM?

Xia Junsu, for sure.

19. HyunA from 4Minute OR CL from 2NE1?

CL.

20. Taecyeon from 2PM OR TOP from BIG BANG?

My man, TOP.

21. Goo Hara from KARA OR Yoona from SNSD?

Eh... Slim pickings, eh? Let's go with Yoona.

22. Daesung from BIG BANG OR Onew from SHINee?

YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME. Onew is my SHINee bias. Daesung isn't my Big Bang bias but he's up there. Good grief. Can I have them both? I want them both.

23. Bom from 2NE1 OR Taeyeon from SNSD?

Eh... Bom then.

24. Changmin from 2AM OR Changmin from TVXQ?

Max Changmin.

25. Taemin from SHINee OR Dongho from U-KISS?

Taemin! He's my baby.

26. Hyoyeon from SNSD OR Minzy from 2NE1?

Uh... Minzy's the better singer. But Hyoyeon's the better dancer. Uh oh. I'll have to go with Hyo, I think.

27. Hongki from FT Island OR Yonghwa from CNBlue?

Noooooooooo. I can't. I absolutely love Hongki and Yonghwa, both. I choose not to choose. Sorry.

28. Kikwang from BEAST OR Taeyang from BIG BANG?

Uhhh... If you'd asked me this 3 years ago, I would've said Taeyang. Better hair, better fashion, better vocal quality. But I'm not quite sure anymore. Taeyang needs a timeout.

While I can't outright choose Taeyang, I don't think I can choose Kikwang either. Hmmm...

29. Nana from After School OR Tiffany from SNSD?

Only because I know next to nothing when it comes to After School, save for UEE, I'll have to pick Tiffany.

30. Jokwon from 2AM OR Key from SHINee?

My goddess, Key.

Read More

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.

Read More

The Kpop Superfan Member Test!

During last week's Kpop Music Monday on EYK, instead of doing their usual music video review, they put up this Kpop Superfan Test instead. And guess what? I was bored enough to do it.

So basically, they posted a list of all these kpop groups and how many members each one has and we're supposed to try and name all the members. One point for every correct answer. 

I tried my luck and got a 106/124. Which, according to their scoring system, tells me "101-119 points: Holy smokes, Kpop guru! What else do you know??!!"

I honest to goodness wrote down my answers without the use of Google. I swear it. And my answers are as follows:

The thing is though... I may know people's names, but not necessarily know who they are in the group specifically. Ask me to match the name to a face for groups like EXO and Teen Top and I'll be at a total loss. And like, I only know the name of B1A4's Gongchan because I see it on tumblr and it sounds like Gongcha, which is an awesome bubble tea place. I do not know how U-Kiss' Kiseop looks like either. Or the members of FT Island who are neither Hongki nor Jonghoon.

But also, I can't believe I missed out on some of the idols who I do know. Like, how can I not have remembered Baro? He's the only B1A4 member I actually know (thanks to We Got Married). And how is there only one other member of Infinite that I'm missing? And Kara! What's the name of the 5th girl from Kara? I know all their faces but can't quite remember her name. Damnit.

Have you tried to take the test? How did you fare?

Read More