August 17, 2013

autumn things

2 comments:
autumn, or at least autumn weather, comes early in northern Ontario.
this is a list of happy things from the season preceding my favorite season, and all its glories.
i. neverending cups of Earl Grey tea

ii. fuzzy sweaters & slouchy toques & combat boots

iii. the plunge into grade nine // my Latin course {I'm such an intellectual}

iv. rain // cold weather // grey skies

v. waiting for Thor: The Dark World

vi. library trips

vii. watching endless Korean dramas // commentaries with Ashley

viii. writing short stories

ix. planning a LOTR Halloween cosplay costume

x. winter is coming

August 6, 2013

음악 감상력 (a guest post by Ashley)

2 comments:
Annyeonghaseyo! (that means Hello...in Korean)

I'm ashley, Abby's asianaphile friend.  I'm not asian, but I wish I was.
She asked me to do a guest post, and I drew up blank question marks where my inspiration used to be, but she gave me a suggestion that led to this.
she asked for it.

Aside from Gangam Style (and possibly Gentleman) by PSY which has just seized the world due to it's dance and PSY must just have a great publicist, not very many people have listened to Asian Music.
Unless, they are Asian, of course.
But, to keep this easy, I'll just keep to Korean Pop (Kpop).

So, here is my list of Top Ten Kpop songs (and their respective music videos) arranged in no particular order:


1:::Chocolate Love by Girl's Generation
Aside from the chocolate crunch sound affects, and the prettiness of the song, I love it because, get this, this is actually a commercial. really. this song was written and choreographed for a chocolate commercial.  It just cannot get more amazing than that.
Apparently South Korea does not do cheap jingles, hardly surprising for a country whose major attribute is their music (besides being the unfortunate that got smacked up against North Korea)



2:::Ring Ding Dong by SHINee
SHINee was the band that got me into Kpop, and therefore, all their songs hold a special part in my heart. But Ring DIng Dong was the one that first made me go, "wow...I might actually like this" and "yep. gonna totally have a korean crush" (Key. BTW. Key was my first Bias. I even own a picture book of him. just him).
but wings! and coats! and dance!
Koreans know how to break down and dance. 


3:::Fantastic Baby by BigBang
Abby told me, that the one requirement to doing a kpop post was that I had to include her 'Unicorn man', but I was going to include Fantastic Baby anyway.
This song. I can't even describe how much I love it and it's music video.  It's just sooo.
fantastic (baby).
Because of it, whenever anyone says "Fantastic" I'll launch into singing this, and it's only mildly embarrassing
for everyone else, of course.
It has me dancing every time I listen to it, and has some right beautiful Ikemen (wait. thats a japanese word...) in it. 



4:::Be my Baby by Wonder Girls
I just like this one. a few reasons being it's a pretty simple dance, and is one of the few that I can actually do.  I've done it in heels too, just to know I can. ;)  It's a fairly simple music video, but fun to watch all the same. (and I also have seen one of the boy bands do the dance to this song, and it was down right hilarious...)


5:::Face by Nu'Est
And now we've come to my current all time favorite boy band ever.
These are the boys I'd act like a crazy fangirl over.
And honestly, I'd put up all their songs as favorites if I could.
I've listened to this song only 10,00000000 times, and it never grows old.  And I can almost sing the korean words! big thing for me since I don't actually speak korean.
especially since it has my future husband in it. Ren doesn't know we are going to get married, yet, but he will someday.


6:::Monster by Big Bang
brought to you by the same band who brought you Fantastic Baby comes a second favorite!
Monster makes me cry like a baby, seriously, I am listening to it right now, and crying while typing.
This is another  that I've watched countless times, and can almost sing.  I could actually probably sing it if it wasn't for the fact that I get choked up each time I try.


7:::Sexy Love by T-ara
I don't listen to this one as much, since the full version is almost 15 minutes long (its basically a mini movie) but its SO SO SO worth it. It's another that I cry in.
I'm going to write a story based off of this video some day.

and, if you just aren't interested in watching 14:55 minutes of pure incredible, here: just have the dance version:
I just personally like the longer, drama version better. 


8:::Nillili Mambo by Block B
this song.
I listen to/watch it when I'm sad because it makes me happy and Zico is an adorable dreadlocked puppy and that smile and sugfbuigufiaq;hguoigfhiewalhgbirqhgtoriqhqr
I bounce like this, bounce, bounce like.
I bobbing to the music music-
ok Ashley. stop singing and show them the video:


9:::Lipstick by Orange Caramel
Orange Caramel is just one of those light hearted bands that are just perfect fluffy lovey dovey sweetness.  And I, honestly, love everyone of their songs.  I don't listen to very many girl bands, the boy bands greatly out weighing them, but of the three or four that I do listen to frequently, Orange Caramel is on the top of them all.

so you know what I'm going to do. I'm going to put a second song under 9, because I do what I want Thor.

10:::Love Ya by SS501
ok, so the real reason I put two songs on #9 is because I wanted to include one more song.
Love Ya gives me feelings.
And breath masks.
ahuj`fkiasfbhdskajg
and their OUTFITS. Korean boys know how to dress. (unless they are named G Dragon...) but they are such good dressers. and everything looks good on them. Or maybe that's just my opinion....
Sadly, SS501 is no longer together, their band broke apart, which is a sad sad sad thing.


and, there you have it.
*bows*
Thank you Abby for letting me guest post and also for letting me just ramble on about my koreans...It must be hard for you. ;)

annyeong! (thats goodbye..)

P.S:
I'm going to give you a brownie and give you one Japanese song..I can do that, right?
Love Yourself, sung by KAT-TUN, is actually an intro to a Jdrama, (Japanese tv show), that I really love, but its one of my favorite KAT-TUN songs, and the lyrics (you'd have to look them up. ;D) are beautiful.

ok. done.
annyeong, Sayōnara, and all those sayings that come with parting. ;D