Ouch!

Today I went to the travel doctor to get the vaccines I needed before my trip. Although my right arm is quite sore at this point, I'm really glad I went. The doctor had some really helpful information for me! For example, I'm not supposed to consume any tap water when I'm there. Therefore, no raw vegetables, fruit that can't be peeled, fountain beverages, or ice in any of my drinks. I even need to brush my teeth with bottled water! I ended up only needing to get the Typhoid and Hepatitis A shots. I'm glad I also didn't have to get the Yellow Fever shot, however I do need to go back in January for a follow up Hepatitis A shot. 

I also called the airlines today to confirm my reservations as well as to figure out how checking my bag will go. When I called American Airlines they told me "I don't know. You need to call Asiana Air". And guess what Asiana Air told me when I called them? "I don't know. You need to call American Airlines". -_- I think I have most of what I need to know figured out though, so that's a relief! The only main worry I have right now is that I only have an hour and a half in between my flight to Chicago and Seoul. Since I always worry about not being late this concerns me a little as the two flights are in different terminals, but I suppose it's not something I need to worry about just yet.

Before I go I will leave you with one of my favorite things about Korea -- AEGYO!!

Yong Hwa and Seo Hyun showing lots of aegyo!

 

Aegyo is when someone does a pose, or makes a sound to amplify their cute factor. Basically it's just acting super cute! Many people try to show aegyo when they are taking pictures, but you can also show it to impress people. I think many Korean guys like it when girls show aegyo. For example, here is a funny clip from Running Man.

 

 

 

Sunny is considered to be one of the aegyo queens in Korea! She really shows it in this clip. I've recently found myself trying to show lots of aegyo in pictures lately. I would actually really love to see everyone showing lots more aegyo in pictures, what do you think?  

 

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Running Man

I only watch a couple of Korean variety shows, and besides We Got Married, Running Man is my absolute favorite. For starters, I have literally snorted laughing during every episode (and to date that's 39). The concept is kind of hard to explain, but basically the cast of the show is split into teams who compete against each other in various games.

Hot Pants Punishment

Whoever ends up being the overall losers get punished. The punishments are pretty silly, and they almost always involve the losers wearing hot pants or long underwear in public. The games change up every couple of months to keep the show feeling fresh, but one of the most popular games has been bells hide and seek. One team is the seeking team and they have to wear bells on their shoes. The other team is the mission team and they have to complete a task while hiding from the seeking team. It doesn't sound too funny when I write it, but trust me when I say it is!

Let me introduce the cast to you...

Yoo Jae Suk

 

 Yoo Jae Suk is really famous in Korea. He is known as the "national MC", and I guess the only person I can compare him to is Ryan Seacrest (if Ryan Seacrest was funny). He is considered to be the host of Running Man and is normally one of the team leaders. He is known for being physically weak, which leads to some funny moments during the games. In some of the episodes the cast parody American action stars, and when this happens Jae Suk becomes "Yoo-ruce Willis"! 

 

Kim Jong Kook

 

Kim Jong Kook is normally the other team leader on the show. He is really strong and is known for working out. As far as parodies go, Kim Jong Kook is known as "Sparta-Kooks" from the movie 300 because he is as strong and fierce as Gerard Butler in that movie. 

 

Ji Suk Jin

 

Ji Suk Jin is the oldest member of the running man cast. Because of this he does not perform as well as the others in most of the physical challenges and is almost always the first to be eliminated. He is very good friends with Jae Suk and always wants to be around him. Suk Jin does not really parody anyone, but he has the nickname "Big Nose Hyung" (Hyung = older brother). 

 

Kang Gary

 

Gary is one of my favorite cast members. He is not one of the smarter members, but since he is normally under the command of Kim Jong Kook he does pretty well for himself. I think Gary got to parody in only one episode, but his parody name was my favorite by far. Get ready for it.... "Gae-colas Cage", as in Nicolas Cage! Gary is also known as the "Monday Boyfriend" because of his relationship with Ji Hyo

 

Ha Ha

 

Ha Ha is always under the command of Kim Jong Kook with Gary. He is known for acting like a child, and his occasional angry outbursts. Come parody time, Ha Ha becomes "Ha-rad Pitt". Although, I much prefer hsi other nick name...

 

 

Haroro is born!

"Haroro"! Ha Ha got the name "Haroro" due to his similar appearance to Pororo the little penguin. Pororo is actually a really great children's show. I have watched a couple of episodes because many people watch it to help them learn Korean.

Lee Kwang Soo

Kwang Soo is the awkward member of the show. He loves to try and help out, but fails. Along with Suk Jin, he is normally one of the first to be eliminated. Kwang Soo likes to spread false, silly rumors about the other cast members that normally don't make any sense. He is also the same age as Joong Ki, which many people don't believe! Another great thing about Kwang Soo (unrelated to Running Man) is that he is on City Hunter with Lee Min Ho! I was so excited and happy when I started watching and I saw Kwang Soo!

Song Ji Hyo

Ji Hyo is the only female cast member. She is sometimes referred to as "Blank" Ji Hyo because of her confused facial expressions. However, when it comes to the games she is known as "Ace" Ji Hyo because she is typically the best player besides Kim Jong Kook. Ji Hyo is also part of the "Monday Couple" with Gary. They are called the "Monday Couple" because they only show interest in each other on Mondays when Running Man is being filmed. 

Song Joong Ki

Joong Ki recently left the show in order to focus more on his acting career. However, he was on for more than 40 episodes! He has a couple of nick names, the first one is "Flower Joong Ki", because he is as handsome as a flower. The second nick name is "Brain Joong Ki" because he is so smart. His third is "Active Young Man", or "Enthusiastic Joong Ki" because he is always one of the first to want to try new things. He thinks that he will do very well, but he fails almost every time. He also sometimes flirts with Ji Hyo which gets Gary jealous. 

I hope you feel like you understand Running Man a bit better now. Also every week they have a special guest. I am excited because on some upcoming episodes Nichkhun, Taecyeon, and Kim Hyun Joong will guest! If you would like to watch Running Man check out isubs as they subtitle every episode!

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Seungri

Now that I know my trip is getting closer I've started to make my checklist of things I need to do. Today I ordered my passport cover (I'll post pictures when it comes in the mail ^_^) and I also called to schedule my appointment with the doctor. I need to make sure I have all my shots! I still need to order my SK Won from the bank, call the credit card companies to let them know I'll be in Korea, get my hair cut, and figure out what I'm going to do with my phone while I'm there. Phew! Can you think of anything else I need to do before I go (seriously....I'm so nervous I'll forget something!)?

 Seungri

To take my mind off of all my little tasks to do, I think I'll tell you all about Seungri today! If you remember my Big Bang Post, I think I mentioned devoting a blog entry to each member. So this ones belongs to Seungri! By the way, that post I made about Big Bang has had over 220 page views :O! I thought I was just making this blog for my family and friends but it turns out lots of people want to know about Big Bang!

As I said before, Seungri (승 리) is the youngest member, or maknae, of Big Bang. He was born in 1990, so he is only 20 years old right now. The name Seungri translates to "victory" in Korean. He released his first solo single in 2009, Strong Baby. And before Big Bang made their comeback earlier this year he released his own album! It is called VVIP and it is really good. The title track is What Can I Do. He is known for his great dancing skills so you should definitely check out his music videos.

In addition to singing, Seungri also acts! He was in the movie 19. T.O.P. was in it too! It was pretty good. It's about three 19 year olds who get accused of a crime that none of them actually committed. They need to find out who really did while they are on the run from the police.

As a back up plan to his entertainment career, Seungri recently opened up a few academies in Korea to teach people how to sing and dance. So in case things don't work out for him in the entertainment field (which I doubt!) he has something to fall back on. Pretty smart, don't you think?

I'll leave you with my favorite Seungri performance. In the video he mashes his song Magic from VVIP and Strong Baby together. So good! I hope you enjoy it :D

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Namsan Tower

Since I officially have exactly one month until I arrive in Korea, I thought I would share one place I would like to visit. I really haven't had any say in what is going to happen once I get there, and that's perfectly fine with me! This way I have no expectations besides getting to spend time with my friends ^_^ Anyways, I'm not sure if I'll get to go here or not but the one place I would really like to see is...

Namsan Tower

 

Namsan Tower! It is also known as Seoul Tower. Guess where it is located? Seoul (of course)! I think it would be fun to get to go to the top. The view is supposed to be amazing, you can see most of Seoul.  Namsan Tower was built in 1969 and there are some gift shops inside as well as a few restaurants. One of which is rotating (not for me though, after dining at the Garden Grill in EPCOT I think I'll pass on rotating restaurants).

 

 Love Locks

Another reason for me wanting to visit Namsan is to see the love locks. Couples will come to Namsan with two locks. Each partner writes a message on their lock; what they love about their partner, promises they want to keep, what they hope to change in their relationship, or anything they want! After the couple writes their messages, they intertwine their two locks together and lock them to the fence on this deck of Namsan. Then they throw away the keys to the locks over the side.

 Love Notes <3

 

They say that as long as the locks stay locked together the love between the couple will stay strong! 

Khuntoria

 

Nichkhun and Victoria even left a lock there (they had to get that extra large one so fans couldn't steal it)! And of course there is one final reason why I would like to visit Namsan...

Jan Di & Jun Pyo

 

Let's not forget that Jan Di and Jun Pyo from Boys Over Flowers "spent their first night together" in a Namsan cable car! I wonder if Jun Pyo's message is still in the cable car? I guess there is only one way to find out ^_~

 

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Girls' Generation

In the world of K-Pop there are many girl groups. My favorite without a doubt is Girl's Generation. Their Korean name is 소 녀 시 대 or So Nyo Shi Dae (SNSD). SNSD is known for their bubbly pop music and cute images. 

Girls' Generation

SNSD is made up of nine members! Going from the picture above I will introduce you to them. (Starting from the top row from the left) First is Sooyoung, she is one of the main dancers and also sings. Next is Yuri, who is also one of the main dancers but also sings. Then there is Sunny who is one of the main vocalists. After Sunny is Taeyeon who is the leader of SNSD. She is also the main singer of the group. Following Taeyeon is Yoona who sings and dances. (Bottom row from the left) Jessica is one of the main singers (and also stared in the Korean version of the Legally Blonde musical!). Tiffany is a lead vocalist. Seo Hyun (my favorite member ^_^) is the youngest of the group and one of the lead vocalists. You should also check out Seo Hyun's version of Sixteen Going On Seventeen (so talented)! Finally we have Hyoyeon who is one of the main dancers. Some of the girls (Jessica, Sunny and, Tiffany) are Americans!


Their first really big hit was Gee. After Gee, there was Oh! and Run Devil Run. The interesting thing about Run Devil Run is that Ke$ha wrote it! Up next was Hoot. I especially love the arrow dance in Hoot. Although I had to think really hard about it, I think my favorite SNSD song is Genie (Tell Me Your Wish).

Right now Girls' Generation are busy promoting their new album in Japan. Hopefully they will come out with some new Korean music soon! Before I end this entry I want to recommend watching some SNSD music videos if you are ever feeling sad. I once read that some people did a study and they found that the dances and upbeat music of SNSD videos increase peoples happiness! So enjoy ^_~



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Secret Garden

At this point I have watched quite a few K-dramas. I think Boys Over Flowers will always be my favorite, but Secret Garden is right up there! Secret Garden aired at the end of last year and was quite the sensation.

Secret Garden

It's kind of hard to sum Secret Garden up but I'll do the best I can! Secret Garden tells the story of Kim Joo Won (played by Hyun Bin) and Gil Ra Im (played by Ha Ji Won). They meet when Kim Joo Won mistakes Gil Ra Im for someone else. The two of them really get on each others nerves, but despite this Kim Joo Won finds himself falling for Gil Ra Im. To complicate things, they pull a Freaky Friday and swap bodies! I don't want to give too much away so I'll end my summary there and tell you a bit more about the main characters!

Kim Joo Won

 

Kim Joo Won is an arrogant and spoiled CEO with some quirks. He is very opinionated and can be bossy. In addition to being a CEO, he also helps to manage his cousins career. His cousin is Oska, a popular Hallyu star (an entertainer so famous that he is popular in all Asian countries, not just Korea). Even though his personality does not seem that great, when he falls for Gil Ra Im, he will do anything for her.

Gil Ra Im

 

Gil Ra Im is a tough stunt woman who stands up for what is right. Her goal is to become a stunt woman who is famous and works in America. Her mother died when she was young, and her father died when she was a teenager so she has had to support herself for a while. And to add a bit of a kooky twist into things, Gil Ra Im is a super fan of Oska!

 

In addition to being an all around great drama, Secret Garden spawned a couple of often imitated kisses. The first one is the "sit up kiss" (sorry, that was the best clip I could find). Before the clip starts, Kim Joo Won is not doing proper sit ups and Gil Ra Im asks him why. When he starts to do them properly (like in the clip), Gil Ra Im becomes uncomfortable. After the clip is over, Kim Joo Won asks her "At what age did you become so pretty?". The other kiss is the "foam kiss". I'll let the clip explain it...

Overall, Secret Garden is a great drama! It's really funny, but also romantic and dramatic at the same time. A perfect K-drama. If you are interested, you can watch the entire series with English subs on hulu. I really recommend that you check it out!

 

Kim Joo Won and his tracksuit thank you for your time

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I'm Back ^_^

Well, I'm finally back home after spending a good two weeks in Florida. As most of you know, I was really hoping/planning on making some new Korean friends while I was working. However, I was shocked when there were no Koreans working at the Emporium at all!

Nina and Pei Pei

I did make some new friends though. Nina and Pei Pei are both from China. I also met Pearl, who is from Singapore, and Gwen who is from Thailand. The best part about talking to these girls was their shock when they realized that I watched Korean dramas and listened to K-Pop. Since groups like Super Junior, and dramas like Boys Over Flowers and Secret Garden are popular across Asia we had lots to talk about ^_^

Nichkhun

One of the funniest things was when I was asking Gwen about Nichkhun. Since he is from Thailand I figured she would know about him. I asked her if she knew "Nick-koon", and she had no idea who I was talking about! And then I mentioned how he is in 2PM. Then things clicked for Gwen and she said "Oh! You mean 'Ni-shi-koon'!". I guess the two countries say his name differently O_o. Once we got that straightened out, Gwen said that her friends are good friends with Nichkhun! 

Although there were no Korean ICPs at the Emporium this summer, I did have a few Korean guests one day. When the first man came up to my line I said as much as I could to him in Korean. I told him that I was going to visit my unnis this summer and I think that made him happy. After he left, I found out that there was about four other people with him. They all kept coming to my line whenever they needed anything. It was fun and I was glad to practice my limited language skills a bit. 

I'm going to keep this entry short, but I do want to share one thing with you. I talked with Wen a bit last week and I found out that we will be spending about four days in Seoul when I go to visit this summer. I think the day after she told me that, CNN published an article of 50 reasons why Seoul is the greatest city in the world! Reading it made me so much more excited for my trip! I loved so many reasons on the list, but I think my favorite might be #30 ^_~  Tell me what your favorite reason is!

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