My Favorite OST Tracks

Korean dramas normally have a great OST (or soundtrack) that accompanies them. Most of the time the songs are sung by popular K-Pop idols, or even the actors in the drama themselves. These songs do a particularly good job of heightening the emotion in the dramas. Here are my favorites ^_^



"Paradise" by T-Max

This is from the Boys Over Flowers OST. I always get so happy when I am in the car and this song comes up on my shuffle. The opening of this song is very distinctive and I immediately want to watch Boys Over Flowers when I hear it! I also love the chorus of "Paradise"--

I can go anywhere as long as I’m with you
To the my paradise
Forget the times you suffered and hurt
It’s only the beginning for us
Let’s go, let’s run
Loving you forever

"Cupid" by Girl's Day 

"Cupid" is from the City Hunter OST. I think the score from City Hunter is actually better than the vocal tracks from the OST but this song is special to me. When I was in Myungdong with Henny the two of us were singing this song ^_^ The lyrics are also very cute --

I feel like I’m under a spell

When I look at you

Pitter Patter of my excited heart

From head to toe

I’ve come to like you so much

Without even noticing

I’ll get closer carefully

 "That Man" by Hyun Bin

"That Man" is from the Secret Garden OST (this is off topic, but I'm so excited because I pre-ordered my Secret Garden DVD and it is supposed to arrive tomorrow! Hooray!) and I'm in love with the Hyun Bin version (actually, I'm just in love with everything about Hyun Bin ^_~).  This song really fits the drama so well. I highly recommend that you look up the complete lyrics to the song because it is meaningful and sweet, but here are my favorite couple of lines--

I who love you am next to you even now.

That man cries.

That man is very timid.

So he learned how to laugh.

There are so many things that he can’t even tell his closest friend.

His heart is filled with scars.

So that man,

He loved you because you were the same.

"Poison" by Jea from Brown Eyed Girls

"Poison" is from the Fugitive: Plan B OST. The main reason why I included it in this post is because of how amazing Jea's voice is. I readily admit to belting this song out in my car. Unfortunately I couldn't find a great translation of the lyrics so you will have to make do with watching the video!

"Winter Child" by Suzy from Miss A

"Winter Child" is from the Dream High OST. Like Jea, Suzy also has an incredible voice and when she sang this song in the drama it was very emotional. "Winter Child" is actually a birthday song, and I love the meaning of the beginning of it--

Born in the winter
My lover
Clear as snow
You who belongs to me

"Dream High" by  Taecyeon, Wooyoung, IU, Suzy, Eun Jung, and Kim Soo Hyun

Yes, another song from the Dream High OST. But I really love this song! It is the theme song of the drama and when I listen to it I always get motivated to get up and start moving! I especially like Taecyeon's rap--

Dream high a chance to fly high

Bye bye to the hurts

Fly high like the stars in the sky

Open your dreams, time for you to shine

Starting Now, gotta make em mine

Don't be afraid of the future in you hands, walk in confidence now

You can't stop destiny now

Whole new fantasy is open in front of your eyes

So hold my hand now

Our stop is the same now, don't give up on your dreams

When you're young dream high everyone

"Without Words" by Park Shin Hye

This is from the You're Beautiful OST. I adore Park Shin Hye. She is so cute and she has a great ability to sing with emotion. Listening to this song really makes me want to watch You're Beautiful again! I should start to save my money so I can buy the DVD! Here is my favorite verse from this song--

Without a word you made me know love
Without a word you gave me love
Because you took just a breath and ran away like this
Without a word love leaves me
Without a word love abandons me
Wondering what to say next, my lips were surprised
Because it came without a word.

"You've Fallen For Me" by Jung Yong Hwa

How could I create a list like this and not include Yong Hwa ^_^ This is from the Heartstrings OST. While I didn't really love the drama, Yong Hwa and Park Shin Hye were very cute in it and some great music came out of it. Yong Hwa sings this very well and here are the best lyrics of the song--

you have fallen for me, fallen for me, melted in my sweet love.
you have fallen for me, fallen for me, mesmerized by charming gaze.
see my eyes you fell for me
see my eyes you have fallen for me
i fall in love with you too now i will confess i am in love with you.
i fall in love with you too my heart says i am in love with you.

"I Will Forget You" by Park Shin Hye

"I Will Forget You" is actually a CN Blue song, but Park Shin Hye did a cover of it for Heartstrings. This is a great song to listen to if you are going through a breakup or simply want to forget someone, all the lyrics to this song are amazing (love, love, love CN Blue!) but here is the part that really pertained to this drama--

I will forget you. Starting today,
I don't know you. I have never seen you.
We never even walked pass eachother.
I'm okay. I forgot everything. I'm happy with my busy life.
I've met a great person too.

I hope you enjoyed learning about (and hopefully listening to) some great OSTs! These are only a few of my favorites, I could have made this list three times as long as what it is but I'm ready to go watch the next episode of Running Man ^_~ Enjoy these songs and let me know if you have a favorite!

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Another Reason Why I Love Korea....

Sticker pictures!!! Before my trip I had seen sticker pictures on the shows that I watch, but I don't think I really appreciated them until I arrived.

Sticker Picture Booth

There are whole stores dedicated to sticker pictures. Before going into the booth, you and your friends pick out accessories to wear that the store provides. They can have everything from enormous headbands, wigs, glasses, and even hanboks!

The whole purpose of taking sticker pictures is to look cute, do you think we achieved this goal? ^_~ Above is the full sheet of sticker pictures that I took with Hyemi and Woo. It cost about $7 and the workers at the sticker picture store used a professional looking paper cutter to split the sheet into three sections so we each got copies. 

Hyemi and I with our sticker pictures ^_^

Since the pictures are actual stickers, many people actually stick them on things (although I just have mine hanging on my bulletin board right now). It's extremely popular for couples to take sticker pictures together and while I was there I saw many people with sticker pictures stuck to their phone with their significant other on it.

Wen and I

 

 

I also took some sticker pictures with Wen! We both wanted to look cute wearing Minnie Mouse bows ^_^. After you take the sticker pictures you can decorate them. Wen and I each decorated two of the above pictures.  Can you guess who decorated which ones? 

 

I would love to take some more sticker pictures someday! Do you love sticker pictures as much as I do?

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City Hunter

This post has been a loooong time coming! By now, everyone should know of my obsession with Lee Min Ho...

So you can probably imagine how excited I was to find that he was going to be in a new drama. City Hunter was definitely a new character for him, and I was not disappointed! 

City Hunter is based off of a manga series of the same name. It revolves around Yoon Sung (Lee Min Ho) getting revenge for the death of his father. However, there are many complications along the way, especially when he meets Na Na (Park Min Young)! I'll briefly introduce you to the characters to give you a better understanding ^_^

Lee Yoon Sung

Lee Yoon Sung is played by Lee Min Ho. Yoon Sung was taken from his mother as an infant and raised by his father's friend. His adopted father trained Yoon Sung from his childhood to be assassin-like. He is an expert at hand combat, as well as using firearms. He is also extremely smart as he went to college at MIT! At the beginning of the drama we see Yoon Sung come to Korea to begin the revenge that his adopted father had always planned for him to complete. There are five men who were responsible for the death of Yoon Sung's real father and these are the men to be on the receiving end of Yoon Sung's wrath.  

Kim Na Na

 

 

Na Na is played by Park Min Young (who was also just in Kaw Yang Ee or Cat). Her dream is to be a body guard for the president. She is a judo master and is an extremely kind and generous person. She meets Lee Yoon Sung and sparks fly!  

Lee Jin Pyo

 

 

Jin Pyo is played by Kim Sang Joong. Jin Pyo is the adopted father of Yoon Sung. He is the one who is forcing Yoon Sung to carry out the revenge as Jin Pyo suffered an injury that prevents him from physically being able to do as much as he would like. Jin Pyo is an uncaring man who seems to be out only for himself and his own desires. 

Kim Young Joo

 

 

Young Joo is played by Lee Joon Hyuk. Young Joo is the prosecutor who is in charge of tracking down the identity of the city hunter. He is a very smart and kind man but often spends too much time on his work when he should be spending time with the people that he cares about.

 

 

 

Ajusshi

 

 

Bae Shik Joong (or ajusshi) is played by Kim Sang Ho. Ajusshi (Korean word for "Mister" or "Older Respected Man") meets Yoon Sung before he goes to college. Yoon Sung saves his life and from then on Ajusshi takes care of Yoon Sung and acts like a father figure to him. He is always cooking and worrying about Yoon Sung. He is very cute ^_^

Choi Da Hye

 

 

Da Hye is played by Goo Hara (of the girl group Kara). Da Hye is the youngest daughter of the president. She is not a very good student and when she lays eyes on Yoon Sung she demands that he tutor her (who can blame her?). 

Go Ki Joon

 

 

Ki Joon is played by Lee Kwang Soo (who is also on Running Man). He plays a comedic character who is a co-worker of Yoon Sung. I was so excited to see Kwang Soo in a drama!

I really recommend City Hunter for everyone to watch. It has a perfect mix of drama, action, and romance. It also has an amazing score (I suggest listening to Morning Garden).

 

Here is a preview for you to watch. Enjoy City Hunter and let's all hope for a season two!

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G-Dragon

In honor of G-Dragon's birthday today, and Big Bang's fifth anniversary tomorrow, I thought it was the perfect time to dedicate a post to G-Dragon!

G-Dragon's current haircut

G-Dragon became active in the entertainment business when he was only 8, releasing a Christmas album with the group Little Roora. After releasing that album, G-Dragon spent time training with SM Entertainment before he eventually ended up at YG. At YG he became friends with TaeYang, and after that Big Bang was formed. 

G-Dragon is the leader of Big Bang and he writes and composes most of the their songs. He also writes for other artists, and produced TaeYang's solo album. Since G-Dragon has written so many songs, he is one of the top songwriters in Korea in terms of receiving royalties from his songs each year!

G-Dragon released his first solo album, Heartbreaker, in 2009. I think my favorite song from Heartbreaker is Butterfly. Last December, G-Dragon released a unit album with T.O.P. which I've mentioned previously. It is an epic album and every single song is great, but one of GD's solo songs on the album that I really recommend is Obsession.

G-Dragon is also really well known for his fashion sense. He always seems to be pushing the limits of fashion and making bold choices while always managing to look really good. And it is always big news when GD changes his hairstyle. I'm not sure what style I like best, but I am enjoying his look now ^_^ Because of his great style, G-Dragon has many endorsement deals.

G-Dragon's newest song (and my current ringtone ^_~) is "I'm Having An Affair". It's a collaboration with Park Myung Soo (who is a comedian) and Park Bom (from 2NE1). When I was in Korea this was being played everywhere. G-Dragon wrote and composed the song with Park Myung Soo as part of a competition on the variety show Infinity Challenge and it became super popular!

 Apparently G-Dragon is working on some new material now, although he is not sure if it will end up being a solo album or a unit album with T.O.P. (I'm hoping for GD&T.O.P. volume 2). He and T.O.P. have also contributed to the upcoming Diplo album. Let's anticipate more music from G-Dragon as we wish him a happy birthday ^_^


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BEAST

BEAST (sometimes written as B2ST) is one of my favorite K-Pop groups. It's kind of funny because for the longest time I never really sat down and listened to any of their albums, but whenever one of their songs came up on my shuffle I loved it. So with the release of their most recent album, Fiction and Fact, I started to listen to them more often ^_^

I highly enjoyed their BEAST airlines concept

BEAST debuted in 2009 and their first single was Bad Girl. Their next really big hit (and you have to love their use of English in this song) was Shock. BEAST also released a mini album in 2010, Lights Go On Again. Every track is absolutely amazing and I really recommend it. And of course there is Fiction And Fact, which just came out a few months ago. It is their first full length album, and once again it is really, really great. I think BEAST has improved every time they have released new material ^_^ Let's meet the members!

Yoon DooJoon

Doojoon is the leader of BEAST. He was participating in the auditions to become a member of either 2AM or 2PM but when that didn't pan out he ended up in BEAST! He has also done a bit of acting in the drama All My Love.

 Jang HyunSeung

Hyunseung is one of the vocalists for BEAST. He competed to be in Big Bang but ultimately lost out to Seungri. As a result he is still very close with the members of Big Bang.

Yong JunHyung

 

 

Junhyung is the rapper of BEAST. He is gaining recognition for his songwriting talent, and he has also composed some songs for BEAST. Junhyung is also apparently going out with Goo Hara (who was in City Hunter) of the group Kara. 

 

 

Yang YoSeob ^_^

 

 

Yoseob is the main vocalist of BEAST.  In addition to his work with BEAST, he has also released a few solo tracks, one of them being on the My Princess OST!

 

 

 Lee GiKwang

Gikwang had a solo career before joining BEAST and he was known as AJ. As AJ he opened for Lady Gaga when she performed in Korea! After joining BEAST, he has started to work on his acting career with a role in My Princess.

 

 

 Son DongWoon

 

 

Dongwoon is the youngest member of BEAST. And guess what? He can speak English!

 

 

 

 

 

Out of everything that BEAST has done, the orchestra version of Fiction is by far my favorite. I've been listening to it at least once a day since it came out! Another thing I really like about BEAST is that they are all going to college currently! Smart and talented ^_~ I hope you enjoy BEAST as much as I do!

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Busan

While I didn't spend very long in Busan, I still had a great time there. The first day in Busan I was a bit out of it as I was suffering from lack of sleep. We went to noraebang (karaoke) the night before and instead of getting some sleep we just decided to hop on the KTX (high speed train) to Busan and sleep there. Anyways, the first day we went to the Lotte Duty free shop, got dinner, and then relaxed at Jjimjilbang (public bath house, but that's a whole post in itself!).

The second day it was just Wen and I so we did a bit of shopping in the subway. I bought my fabulous OST watch there which I love and have been wearing everyday! We also got black noodles for lunch. However, most of the day we spent at the beach. I love the beach and it was my first time at the ocean since I went to Hilton Head last summer. It was absolutely beautiful there! Wen also took me on this mountain hiking trail which was very relaxing.

Wen looking gorgeous like always ^_^

The trail also went by a famous hotel. Since Wen spent the past year studying in Busan she had been there before, and of course she happened to be there on the same day that T.O.P. was there!! Unfortunately she didn't know who he was at the time, but I was still insanely jealous.

 Who wouldn't want to meet T.O.P.?

Wen was such a good tour guide and we had a lot of fun in Busan. While I must admit I didn't enjoy it as much as Seoul, I would still love to go back and have fun at the beach again. Who would like to join me? ^_~

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Super Junior

Since Super Junior released their fifth full length album earlier this week, I thought it was about time to devote a post to them ^_^

Super Junior

Super Junior is made of 13 members (yes, 13!). However, only 10 participated in their newest album, Mister Simple. They debuted in 2005, and have been taking over Asia ever since! Some of their favorite songs of mine are Sorry Sorry and  Bonamana. Let me start to introduce you to the members as this might take a while!

Leeteuk

Leeteuk is the leader of Super Junior and in addition to singing, also does a bit of rapping. He has also been the MC of many different shows. It sounds like he plans on starting his military service towards the end of the year.

Heechul

Kim Heechul is a vocalist and rapper for the group. He has appeared on many variety shows, including one I started to watch not too long ago, Good Daddy. Heechul is famous for spending a lot of time on the computer. If he sounds familiar to you, "Kim Heechul" was a worldwide trending topic on twitter for four days last October!

Han Geng

Han Geng is from China and is one of the main dancers of Super Junior. However, in 2009 he chose to left the group and now has a successful solo career in China. 

Yesung

Yesung is the lead vocalist of the group. Last year, he was in the Korean version of Spamalot as Sir Galahad.

Kangin

Kangin is one of the singers of Super Junior. Currently he is about halfway through his military service so he was unable to participate in Mr. Simple. He enlisted in the military after getting into some trouble (a DUI charge). He also appeared in We Got Married and I thought he was really cute on the show!

  Shindong

Shindong is one of the main dancers and main rappers of the group. He frequently writes his own lyrics. He is known for being really funny, and he also proposed to his girlfriend in the liner notes of Super Junior's 4th album!

Sungmin

Sungmin is a main vocalist for Super Junior. Since debuting with Super Junior he has also had an active acting career. 

Eunhyuk

Eunhyuk is the lead rapper as well as lead dancer. Last year he came down with a case of swine flu but luckily he is all better now!

Donghae

Donghae may be one of the most talented members of Super Junior as he is one of the main vocalists, a primary dancer, and a main rapper! He is also probably my favorite member due to his being a part of the drama It's Okay Daddy's Daughter. He has also spent a majority of this year acting in a Taiwanese drama.

Siwon

Siwon is a main dancer and singer, as well as and occasional rapper. He has devoted a lot of his time to acting, he has appeared in Athena which is the spin off of Iris. He was also in SNSD's Hoot video. Lately he has been known for his buff body.

Ryeowook

Ryeowook is a main vocalist for Super Junior. He is interested in songwriting and wrote some lyrics for Super Junior in the past.

Kibum

Kibum is one of the rappers of the group. He went to high school in California and has family in Florida. Perhaps I should be on the lookout for him during my next trip? ^_~

Kyuhyun

Kyunhyun is a main singer and dancer. He is also the youngest member of Super Junior.

There are also various sub-groups within Super Junior;

Super Junior-Happy: Leeteuk, Yesung, Kangin, Shindong, Sungmin, and Eunhyuk. They perform "happy" pop music.

Super Junior-KRY: Kyuhyun, Ryeowook, and Yesung. They sing ballads. 

Super Junior-M: Han Geng, Siwon, Donghae, Ryeowook, Kyuhyun, Eunhyuk, Sungmin and two other Chinese members who are just part of this sub-group, Henry and Zhou Mi. They sing in Mandarin. 

Super Junior-T: Leeteuk, Heechul, Kangin, Shindong, Sungmin, and Eunhyuk. They sing trot style songs.

Please enjoy their newest music video, Mr. Simple and support Super Junior in their promotions for this album ^_^

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Food ^_^

All the food that I had during my trip was delicious. The first night I was in Seoul my friends and I got dinner at a BBQ place.

Sandra ^_^

That's pork meat. Since Sandra and I had never eaten at a Korean style BBQ restaurant before, Wen was in charge of cooking the meat. Once the meat is cooked, you wrap it in a piece of lettuce with some rice. 

Side dishes

Every restaurant you eat at gives various side dishes with your order. Kimchi is almost always given, and we also often had seaweed salad, and sprouts.

Wen with her jajangmyun

Jajangmyun was probably my favorite meal while I was there. I enjoyed it so much I requested to eat it a second time on the last day of my trip. Jajangmyun is Chinese noodles Korean style. It is known for looking disgusting, but the taste is amazing. The black sauce is sweet and has potatoes and onions in it. I cannot tell you how many times I have dreamed of eating this since I have been back home.

Paris Baguette

Although not Korean, I fell in love with Paris Baguette while I was in Korea. In Seoul there is a Paris Baguette on nearly every street. They are pretty reasonably priced (on the cheap side in America) and carry a wide array of goodies. They have dozens of pastries, cakes, and sandwiches. I stopped there many times during my stay, partly because of the delicious offerings, but also because I found that my body could handle spicy Korean food a bit better if I had some bread during the day. This sandwich was particularly good. One sandwich innovation that I have brought back from Korea is putting sliced cucumber on my sandwiches. I know it sounds a bit odd, but that crunch of the cucumber really adds to any deli sandwich!

Chicken soup with Hyemi

 

 

The day I met up with Hyemi, she took me to eat traditional Korean soup. This place was packed because the president recently ate there. Also on the day we went, it was considered to be one of the four "hot days" of Korean summer so on those days everyone should eat hot food. So that's what we did! The soup was really good, the broth was similar to what we have in America. However, in the bowl that we got was a half a chicken stuffed with rice. It was really great! I also tried a ginseng shot here. Ginseng is popular in Korea and is supposed to be good for the body. I just wasn't expecting it to be that strong!

Korean style pizza

 

 

One day I had Korean style pizza. This one is half potato and half shrimp. Both were good, but I enjoyed the potato side better. This restaurant was pretty cool as they had a salad and dessert bar. The salad bar included salad (I wish we had Kiwi dressing here!), potatoes, and various fruits. The dessert bar might have been my favorite part though, as it was a yogurt bar! You got a small cup and could choose the toppings for your yogurt like honey, cereal, fruit, and granola. Yum!

 

 

Bi Bim Bap

 

 

And you can't go to Korea without eating Bi Bim Bap! This was when we went to Insadong, a traditional Korean street in Seoul. You can see how many side dishes we had.

I was going to include street and snack food in this post but I think I'll save that for another entry. I really miss Korean food so much, so this weekend I plan on trying out a Korean market about a half an hour from my house. I can't wait to tell you about it ^_^