[FAN ACCOUNT] 140808 HAHA Fanmeet @ K-Festival Malaysia 2014

You just never know when luck is on your side. Of course, it's not advisable to rely on good luck all the time because effort still matters more, but when you're lucky, you're lucky.

So, I was very lucky to be chosen as one of the special pass winners for K-Festival Malaysia 2014, held at Pavilion mall, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The pass that I won allowed me to participate in an autograph session by HAHA (Real name Ha Dong Hun; Korean reggae singer; SBS 'Running Man' variety show cast member) as one of the activities during K-Festival.

How did I sign up for the special pass' lucky draw, you may ask? Simple. Korea Plaza KL, governed by Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) Malaysia, promoted about the lucky draw on its social media sites (website, Facebook, Twitter, etc.). I saw the promotional post on Facebook and decided to sign up since the steps were very simple. First, applicants should be Kaki Korea Club members (*Member registration can easily be done at visitkorea.com.my for free.*). Second, we needed to submit our basic information (contact details) and answer a trivia question about HAHA. Third, applicants needed to submit the online form and wishfully wait for the result announcement. I went through my days as normal and frankly, I wasn't expecting much from the lucky draw that I almost forgot about it. One evening, as I was having my dinner break at work place's cafeteria, I checked my e-mail inbox like I always do. When I opened the e-mail message sent by KTO KL (which I initially thought was a promotional message about any of its events), my next expression was literally O.O ... I then had my dinner gleefully and went back to my work area. I hesitantly asked my Line Manager if I could get a day off on the particular fanmeet day. Thankfully, I could! From that moment onward, I was looking forward to the day I would meet HAHA.

August 8th came around and I was more than ready to meet HAHA at K-Festival. The day before, a Korean lady from KTO KL called me to inform about special passes' collection. So, I made my way to Pavilion mall, KL via public transportation and a little bit of walking. Along the way, I couldn't help but to smirk or giggle on my own whenever I thought about meeting HAHA 오빠 and getting his autograph in person (!!!). Once I reached Pavilion, I went straight to Centre Court area of the mall, where K-Festival was held. I got my special pass (in the form of a red tag, placed on my wrist by the crew member) and a goodie bag from KTO KL, containing KLiK magazines, "Imagine your Korea" t-shirt, Dove shampoo samples, Sunsilk shampoo samples, and "Imagine your Korea" hand fan. I was then led to the special zone area, where I sat with other K-culture fans. I briefly talked to a few of the girls at the special zone and we ended up getting each others' contact numbers to enable us to stay in touch and discuss everything K-culture-related. ^^



All audience members were entertained by a Kayarang (traditional Korean musical instrument) performance, played by 예쁜 Korean twin sisters. They even performed 'Negaraku', Malaysia's national anthem, and the whole audience stood up during the anthem's performance and sang along. It created such a heartwarming atmosphere. After the Kayarang performance, MC Cody Lim took the stage to chat and interact with the audience. The newly appointed ambassador of Kaki Korea Club was announced - Baki Zainal, TV host and Korean culture fan. Baki went on stage and joined Cody in chatting with the audience. After that, we were entertained by Painters Hero, a 4-member group of male artistes (painters) who impressively created pieces of arts while dancing on stage.

A press conference session was carried out right before the opening ceremony of K-Festival Malaysia 2014. Representatives who delivered their brief speeches were all amazed at the big crowd that K-Festival managed to attract even from the first day of the 3-day event. A ribbon-cutting ceremony was carried out and K-Festival was then officiated.

After that, it was the moment that all K-culture and 'Running Man' fans anticipatively waited for from the beginning of the day - the appearance of HAHA! HAHA went on stage and the crowd went insane (*I did too.*). HAHA, along with his interpreter and crew members, was surprised to see so many fans at the venue. I can recall how HAHA exclaimed "Waaah~" when he first appeared from back stage. He even took out his handphone to capture the moment in a video. A talk session with HAHA was carried out with Baki as the MC. HAHA even gave away some gifts to the audience by throwing out the (non-dangerous) items towards the audience's direction. The audience was so excited and bold that HAHA had to momentarily go back stage to cool down and wipe off his sweats from all the excitement. ㅋㅋㅋ



Soon after that, the autograph session took place. As one of the lucky winners of the special passes, I excitedly and nervously waited for my turn to get HAHA's autograph on the stage. When it was my turn, I handed out my "Imagine your Korea" hand fan for HAHA to sign on. As he took my fan, I greeted him with "오빠, 안녕!" (Oppa, hello!). He looked up, smiled (so freakin' cutely!!), and cheerfully replied "안녕~!" (Hello~!). He then wrote down my name and signed the fan. When he was done, he initiated a high-5 while exclaiming "Okay~". I happily responded to his high-5. I wanted a little more interaction, so I said out "하그.." (Hug..). He immediately said "Okay!" and stood up for a while to give me a hug. I was smiling ear-to-ear the whole time. God, thank you for allowing such a special occurrence in my life! The official photographer, who had been snapping photos of the session from the end of the table on stage, signalled me to look at the camera, so I did (with my I-am-on-Cloud-9 expression that probably looked silly). I went down the stage, still smiling (*My poor facial muscles~*) and briefly met the new friends I made before making my way to the station to go back. When I reached home, I still smiled like a fool, thinking of how wonderful the whole experience was.



Thank you very much, KTO KL and other co-organisers and sponsors!
Looking forward to more events like this one in the future..
잘하다.. 감사드리다.. 사랑하다..

posted from Bloggeroid

[FAN ACCOUNT] 130627 - AIA K-pop Concert in Malaysia

[FAN ACCOUNT] 130627 - AIA K-pop Concert in Malaysia

I went to K-pop Dream Concert Live in Malaysia in the month of May and I enjoyed it.  One month later, I went to yet another concert!  This time, it was AIA K-pop Concert in Malaysia.  What made this concert extra special was the three performing acts who all came from the same company, Cube Entertainment.  My favourite K-pop company!  The three acts were 4Minute, BEAST, and G.NA.  In January 2011, the same lineups came to Malaysia for DiGi Live K-pop Party and I attended that one too with my dad and younger sister.  This time for AIA K-pop Concert, my dad tagged along again.

My dad and I took a flight to Kuala Lumpur on the same day of the concert.  We arrived at Kuala Lumpur about four hours before the tentative time of the concert.  We made our way to the stadium where the concert was held via Light Rail Transit (LRT).  The concert venue was only two stations away.  When we arrived at the stadium, we wandered around the stadium, which was already filled with fans and AIA (M) Berhad's agents, staffers, policyholders, and family members.  The concert was initially planned as a private concert for those related to AIA (M) Berhad only.  After discussing with Malaysian fanclubs and K-pop concert-goers, the company decided to make the concert open to public.  *cough* /Extra revenue/ *cough*  *cough again* /Nothing wrong with that/ *cough again*  I bought the concert tickets for my dad and I through Malaysian BEAST's fanclub, MYB2UTY.  About fifteen minutes before the concert started, we entered the concert area.  Upon hearing songs (which turned out to be music videos) by the Cube artists being played in the concert area, I felt excited and could not wait to see the performing artists live again, especially BEAST!

G.NA was the first performer.  Even as a solo singer, she did not fail to capture the audience's attention with her powerful yet sweet vocal and her friendly greetings.  Her first song for that evening was 'Supa Solo', one of my all-time favourite songs of hers!  G.NA also performed '2Hot', 'Bananas', and the English version of 'I'll Back Off, So Live Well' (in which, B2UTY went wild when BEAST's Jun Hyung came out to perform his rapping part) before performing a two-song medley of Rihanna's songs, 'Take a Bow' and 'Rude Boy'.  Her remaining performances of 'First Kiss', 'Top Girl', and 'Black and White' kept the crowd cheering.  I especially liked it when G.NA mentioned during her talk time that Malaysian fans have been doing great at supporting the United Cube family and asked for continuous interest and support.

The audience continued to gleefully scream, shout, and sing when 4Minute came on stage.  The girls appeared on the stage with their stylishly sassy performance of 'What's Your Name'.  They also performed 'Mirror Mirror', 'I'm Okay', 'HUH', and 'Muzik'.  I enjoyed every performance but I particularly liked their emotional balladry song 'Pretend'.  Before stepping out of the stage, the girls performed the bubbly 'Heart to Heart' and the catchy 'Hot Issue'.

Then...the most anticipated (for me, personally) act of the evening...the one, the only, the amazing BEAST!  As expected, the audience, including me, went wild when an introductory snippet featuring BEAST's members was played.  The next thing that came up was Gi Kwang's "Byeol-i bit na neun areumdawoon bam-iya-iya~".  The BEAST's members appeared on stage to perform their upbeat 'It's a Beautiful Night'.  What made the audience (at my area) even more hyped up was the members running towards the front part of the stage from the beginning of the song.  So, my eyes were pleasantly treated to the up close view of real life BEAST's members!  Dear God, thank you very much!  I frantically waved my rose-shaped lightstick and sang along while smiling ear-to-ear.  BEAST is known as one of the groups with outstanding fan-service.  That fact was really shown that evening even from their first performance.  The group performed 'Bad Girl' and 'Shock'.  These two songs are their first two title songs.  So, being able to see them perform those songs and dance the choreography meant so much to their B2UTY fans, trust me.  The other songs that BEAST performed so marvelously were 'Special', 'Fiction', 'On Rainy Days', 'I Knew It', and 'Freeze'.  Right after that, a new but familiar tune was played.  I immediately screamed joyfully when I heard the introduction music of one of BEAST's new songs, 'Will You Be Alright'.  I could tell that a few of the audience members who were near me turned their heads to look at me.  They must be wondering why I suddenly shrieked.  It was another special treat for B2UTY in Malaysia because that was the first time the song was performed overseas, and the second time it was ever performed live.  The first time the movingly sad song was performed was during B2UTY Party event at Maru Park, Seoul, South Korea.  Oh yea, now I remember something!  During 'Will You Be Alright', Jun Hyung missed a tempo and ended up giggling while doing his "Stay with me babe, stay with me babe.. Don't go, don't leave me babe.." part.  It was so cute!  Their last performances were 'Beautiful' and the encore song 'VIU'.  The members had lots of fun on stage, running around and making each other wet by splashing drinking water from bottles.  In fact, the members seemed to be in a very good mood from the beginning of their appearance on stage.  That made fans extra happy.  One of the things that the members said that I particularly remember is Dong Woon's "[Translated] Now I know why Malaysia is so hot.  It's because of your passion."  *o*  Smooth move, Son-Nam-Shin!  Another one is in Yo Seob's advice for everyone to take extra care of their health because of the haze, "[Translated] Please stay healthy.  Because you exist, I exist." *o*  Very sleek, Yang-Yo!

That evening is definitely a memorable evening for me.  I am sure many fans think so too.

We will continue to stand by your side, United Cube!

[FAN ACCOUNT] 130524 - K-pop Dream Concert Live in Malaysia (Cube Entertainment's Fan's POV)

[FAN ACCOUNT] 130524 - K-pop Dream Concert Live in Malaysia

(Cube Entertainment's Fan's POV)

The Evening Before (May 23rd)

My family and I arrived at Genting Highlands, Pahang on May 23rd.  Our flight was delayed for about an hour, so my energy was mostly drained by the time we arrived at the lobby of our hotel.  Before entering our hotel room, I had to first meet up with a few Melodies (Melody = Fan Name of BTOB's fan) to pass them their slogan towels and lightsticks.  (For those who did not know, the slogan towels and lightsticks that I am referring to are the official support merchandise produced and sold by the talent management company.)  The first day of the concert was happening on that evening.  The tickets that I bought for my family and I were for the second day. 

From our hotel room, we could hear the songs that the artists were performing.  Our hotel was right next to the main entrance of the concert venue.  I could particularly hear BTOB's 'I Stole Those Lips (Irresistible Lips)', 'Wow', 'Second Confession', and G.NA's 'Oops!' because when those songs were performed, my family and I were walking somewhere outside, looking for a place to eat. 

It was about half an hour past midnight and my family members were already sound asleep but I was still up, watching TV.  I then received a text message from a fellow Melody-and-K-popper.  I was supposed to pass her some slogan towels too but we could not meet up before the concert that evening because of my delay in arrival.  We then made a quick appointment to meet up outside of a coffee house near the lobby of the hotel where the artists were staying at.  There are a number of different hotels at Genting Highlands and those hotels are connected by walking paths and buildings.  So, I just followed the sign boards and some directions from that Melody friend of mine to get to our meet up place.  I finally reached the place and I knew that I was at the right place because I could see a number of people gathering and waiting outside of a coffee shop.  At that time, the artists were having a break after the first day of concert at the coffee house.  I met my Melody friend there and passed the slogan towels to her.  We had a little chat and I met some other K-pop fans.  I was told that BTOB, my favourite group out of the performing line-ups, had already gone back to their rooms.  I decided to wait with the other fans to try my luck at catching a glimpse of the other artists who were going to come out of the coffee house sooner or later.  BTOB's senior label-mate, G.NA (pronounced as "Ji-Na"), came out of the coffee house with a manager from Cube Entertainment and  some security guards.  They walked towards my direction, making me feel more excited but I tried to contain my excitement and I took a step back to give way.  G.NA was literally about one metre away from me.  I blurted out "Hi, G.NA~" and she looked at me while smiling, waving, and saying "Hi!" back.  That made me feel so happy and thankful!  She is not only a very beautiful woman, but she is also kind and genuine towards her fans and others.  Not long after that, 4Minute, also BTOB's senior label-mates, made their way out of the coffee house.  A manager went out first with a cake from 4Minute's fanclub.  The girls followed after that, surrounded by security guards.  The girls were all-smiles as they walked pass fans.  Like G.NA, they really looked like porcelain dolls up close.  Apart from BTOB, G.NA, and 4Minute, the other artists in the line-ups of K-pop Dream Concert Live in Malaysia were Sistar and Brown Eyed Girls.  I was not sure if Sistar and Brown Eyed Girls had already gone back to their rooms earlier on or not, but I decided not to wait any longer and walked back to my room. 

G.NA coming out of the coffee house and walking towards my direction(!)

4Minute coming out of the coffee house and walking towards my direction too(!)

The Concert Day (May 24th)

From the afternoon, I joined the other fans lobby-stanning (Lobby-stanning, a.k.a. hotel-stanning, is a term used to refer to fans waiting at the hotel lobby where their favourite artists are staying at, hoping for a chance to see the artists with their own eyes when the artists go out to have a meal, walk somewhere else, or off to a rehearsal or show.)  Of course, security guards were there to make sure that fans did not go overboard and that the other guests of the hotel would not go through too much of a difficult time because of the hoarding of fans.  I felt bad for the other guests because there were times when they had to squeeze their way through the fans to get to the hotel lobby.  Fans were kind enough to make way when necessary but still, the overwhelming number of gathered fans at a hotel lobby can be quite frightening to anyone who is not used to that.  Nobody got hurt, though.  We patiently waited and queued at the hotel lobby for hours.  Our biggest 'enemy' at that time was not the long hours of standing but the cold highland wind that occasionally blew in from the front entrance of the hotel. 

The concert was about to start in a couple of hours, so G.NA walked out to the hotel lobby first, surrounded by an entourage of staff members and security guards.  Sistar and 4Minute then came out one after the other.  My Melody friends and I were anticipating BTOB the most.  We kept waiting.  The authority at the hotel lobby announced that BTOB (and Brown Eyed Girls) would not be coming out soon.  Some even claimed that they were already at the concert venue since rehearsal, but fans knew better that they were not at the venue yet because some fans really waited at the hotel lobby since morning.  Nice try but you cannot easily fool fans, okay?  Fans are extra alert, extra attentive, and extra informative.  Most fans were already on their way back or to the concert venue but a number of fans remained at the hotel lobby area.  I even had some time to briefly followed and 'stalked' managers from the talent management companies, especially Cube Entertainment, when they wandered at the lobby area.  My Melody friends and I wanted to stay at the hotel lobby until BTOB came out but it was already ten minutes before showtime.  We did not want to miss the start of the concert, so we decided to make our way to the concert venue, which was about fifteen minutes away by foot.

The managers

On the first day, the order of performing artists was BTOB-G.NA-4Minute-Brown Eyed Girls-Sistar.  I expected the order to be the same for the second day but it turned out that Sistar was the first performing act.  My seat was at the front row and the two seats on my right as well as the two seats on my left belonged to fanboys.  So, I was surrounded by fanboys!  I enjoyed Sistar's performances since I knew some of their songs.  In fact, I was familiar with all of the songs that the group performed that evening.  After Sistar, it was G.NA's turn to perform.  I screamed my lungs out especially when BTOB's Il Hoon came out to perform his part in G.NA's 'Oops!'.  G.NA also performed the English version of her debut song, 'I'll Back Off, So Live Well', among other songs.  Then, 4Minute went on stage to perform their songs.  4Minute is one of my top K-pop acts.  The second last performing act was BTOB!  Woohoo~~!  As expected, I went insane when BTOB came out.  From the first song, 'I Only Know Love', to 'Secret (Insane)', to 'Second Confession', to 'Wow', I gleefully sang along and followed some of the dance moves.  The guy sitting next to me was surprised and asked me, "Waa... You even know all their dance moves?".  I smilingly nodded and continued cheering.  Brown Eyed Girls was the last performing act.  I was not very familiar with some of their songs but I still enjoyed their performances.  During Brown Eyed Girl's turn to perform, the group's manager came to the front of the stage area among the security guards and stood near my seating area.  At one point, he briefly scanned the seating audience area and I happily waved at him.  He saw me and nodded.  

Sistar

G.NA

4Minute

BTOB

Brown Eyed Girls

When the concert was over, I walked to my hotel room, feeling tired but happy.  I simply love it when I can smile after a concert no matter how exhausting the day has been. 

Do you really know 귀요미?

** 귀요미 = Gwiyomi, pronounced as "ki-yo-mi" **

I've been wanting to write about this for weeks (probably a month already) but I've been heavily tied to back-to-back tasks and assignments.  So, here I am, stealing some of my scarce time, to write about an internet phenomenon called "귀요미".  And there's a reason why I want to write about this.  It's because the creator of the original 귀요미, the counting (known as 귀요미 Player), not the song, is none other than someone I adore as a fan of K-pop.  You'll see.

귀요미 is a slang used by netizens to refer to someone cute.  So, I guess you can say that the English equivalent to the word is "cutie".

My purpose of writing this post is divided into these:-

(1) To introduce the creator of 귀요미 to those who had no clue

(2) To distinguish between 귀요미 Player and 귀요미 Song

(3) To justify what 귀요미 is supposed to be about

All in all, I'm doing this because I feel like some individuals are taking it the wrong way and this 귀요미 deserves some justice.  It's my own two cents and it might differ from yours (except for the facts on the creator, player, song, etc.).  So, if you feel that you want to know the real 귀요미 just to get the record straight, read on.  ^o^

--- The 귀요미 Prince ---

K-popper, particularly Melodies, already know this.  The one who first introduced 귀요미 in the form of 귀요미 Player (Cutie Player), the addition counting, is the main rapper of BTOB named 정일훈 (Jung Il Hoon).  He's a charismatic rapper on stage but when he's not rapping or beatboxing, he's such a darling with his boyish face and personality.  In fact, he's the second youngest member of BTOB, born in October 1994.  The first time his 귀요미 Player was publicly broadcasted was in a variety show by SBS MTV called "MTV Diary".  In episode 24, [**Starting from minute 5:50 in the hyperlinked variety show's episode**] which was broadcasted in South Korea on the 9th of August 2012, 일훈 showed the "1 + 1 = 귀요미~" gesture till "7 + 7..." while all of BTOB members were signing their first mini albums at their agency building.  He was then often requested to do the counting in other variety shows or talk shows.  The counting went viral among idols and other celebrities in South Korea.  Then, it became worldwide, thanks to the lovable and addictive gestures in it.

--- 귀요미 Player & 귀요미 Song ---

So, 귀요미 Player was created and introduced by the main rapper of BTOB.  Since the counting was frequently shown on shows and interviews, other K-pop idols started to do their versions of it.  Then, it spread to other celebrities, including actors, actresses, hosts, announcers, and so on.  On the 18th of February 2013, about six months after the first public broadcast of 귀요미 Player by the 귀요미 Prince, a female South Korean singer named 하리 (Hari) from Danal Entertainment released the song version of 귀요미 and named it 귀요미 Song (Cutie Song).  The song was inspired by 귀요미 Player and the addition counting gesture is also included in the song.  By the time the 귀요미 Song was released, the "Gangnam Style" fever was starting to cool down.  Quite a number of those who came across the 귀요미 Player and subsequently the 귀요미 Song decided to do their own covers of the 귀요미.  On February 24th, Cube Entertainment revealed a video of the male version of 귀요미 Song by the 귀요미 Prince himself.

--- The True 귀요미 ---

In one of their interviews in December 2012 [An interview with 8TV Nite Life in Malaysia when BTOB came for Asia Super Showcase 2012 **Starting from minute 5:10 in the hyperlinked interview footage**], the 귀요미 Prince explained that he got the idea of doing the 귀요미 Player when a trainee friend suggested some time before his debut with BTOB that he should prepare something special for the fans.  He thought of doing something new as a fan service, so he came up with the addition counting in his own style after his trainee friend showed him some 귀요미 moves.  [Note: To non-fangirls or non-fanboys, a fan service is a gesture or a brief action done by an artist or a celebrity to tease or reward fans.  Examples are winking, making heart signs, blowing flying kisses, giving intense eye contacts, showing peace signs, etc.]  Since August 2012, 일훈, and sometimes the other BTOB members, often gets requests to do the 귀요미 counting on stage, during interviews, and on variety shows.

These are BTOB members doing 귀요미 poses.

The member with a cap, sitting in front, in the middle, is the 귀요미 Prince, 정일훈.

[Pictures are from Haru Hana magazine, vol. 16.]

Now, there are many versions and re-interpretations of 귀요미.  It has indeed become viral, especially in Asian countries.  Some covers by various individuals are really adorable and make you go "Kyaa~~!" while some others are unfortunately off track and make you go "Err~~".

Regardless of how people remake the 귀요미 and how the viewers react to it, the original 귀요미 counting is the most brilliant and refreshing to me.  Well done, 일훈!

***** ***** *****

On another note, here's the music video of BTOB's 'Second Confession', a feel-good song that gives a warm and sweet feeling.

[Note: The first member to rap in the early part of the music video is 정일훈, the creator of 귀요미.]

There's Something About 서은광

Yes, there's something about 서은광 that gives me a tingly feeling every time I see him in a video or a picture.  You know, that kind of churning feeling inside that instantly makes you have a certain reaction upon seeing someone or something?  In Korean language, it would be described as "두근 두근".  That's "dugeun dugeun", pronounced as "du-gun du-gun".  In English, you can call it "thump thump" or "thumping" for short.  Like seriously...it's not just having 'butterflies in the stomach' kind of thing.  If I may alter that phrase, it would be 'butterflies in the heart' in my case.  It's because I feel more warmth in my heart rather than my stomach when I think about 은광이.  (Haha...somehow the sentence sounds funny.  "More warmth in my heart"??  xD )  And it's not exactly the same as the normal situations where I get excited on my own when I see other namja idols who catch my eye.  My friends and family know well enough how I am when I get excited because of those eye candies (but I see more than their outward appearances, believe me).  Really, it's a little different.  I don't know why yet.  You may say that it's nothing unusual especially since I'm a fan of the group BTOB who is a junior group of BEAST.  So, I'll try to keep silent and post about it instead.  ^o^

[Credit: Glitter Boy]

// Please do not edit fantaken photo. //

I've come up with several reasons why 은광 has a special spot in my heart.  (P/S - BEAST's 현승 has been staying in my heart too ever since I knew BEAST.  Just FYI.)  It's not very hard for me to list out some of the things that I find captivating about this currently blonde guy.  (P/S again - He bleached his hair blonde for the group's debut and his hair remains bleached with occasional variation of pinkish shade or lighter tone.)

Reason #1

His Refreshing Look
I put this as my first reason because I was first attracted to 은광 before I heard him sing or saw him dance since he had not debuted yet at that time.  The first time I saw 은광 (not live, just in a video ^^) was in the sitcom 'I Live in Cheongdam-dong' where he played his character as a member of a 5-guy group of aspiring singers.  The others who played the characters of the remaining members of the group in the sitcom are also in the same agency, Cube Entertainment, in real life, not in the sitcom.  Although I didn't watch the sitcom, I watched clips of this particular group compiled by fans.  From there, I started noticing 은광 and I was drawn to the refreshing vibe that I got from him even though I didn't know his name at that time.  Then, the group BTOB officially debuted and I got the chance to watch their debut showcase live on YouTube.  In the showcase, BTOB members were introduced one by one in a fashion runway style.  은광 was the first to come out and I was *_* 'ed by his smooth yet subtle move as he walked towards the front of the stage.  His gaze shot right through the laptop screen and caused me to +_+ .  And then he smiled, making me #_# .  Yeah, I can't find the words to substitute those emoticons right now.  Can you help me?

By the way, some have said that 은광 resembles 현승 but I didn't realise that.  I still don't see the close resemblance of those two.  It's funny because 현승 happens to be my bias in BEAST.  Do they really resemble one another in any way?  Hmm...maybe.

Reason #2
His Vocals

Have you heard him sing?  If  you haven't, you should.  And prepare to be amazed.  He's definitely one of the best vocalists ever existing on this planet.  It's not just my opinion, it has been said so many times by many individuals.  He himself knows that too and he aims to become one of the greatest singers known.  I would love to learn how he can control his voice projection and breathing technique.  Teach me, 은광이~  On a side note (since this post is about 은광), the whole of BTOB members, which consists of seven members altogether, are undeniably talented in singing, rapping, and also dancing.  Acting can be in it too but that's not their focus right now.  Let them be the BTOB that serenades fans with their voices and excites fans with their moves.  So, BTOB really is a group that is well equipped with impressive talents that can do wonders if polished and maintained in the long run.

Reason #3

His Dance

Who isn't attracted to people who can dance wonderfully, right?  But 은광's moves when he dances captured me (as if he didn't capture me already way before I saw him dance) like an arrow that was steadily released from its bow and found its way to me.  Every person has his or her own style or tendency when dancing.  은광's style is by far one of my favourites.  Just like how he was "smooth yet subtle" when he walked the runway during BTOB's debut showcase, he does the same every time he dances.  I don't know if anyone else realises it but I seem to notice the extra smoothness that he has when he dances.  Okay, I shall not talk more about this because you might not be able to imagine it well yet I'm the only one envisioning it perfectly and being crazy all by myself.

Reason #4

His Brotherly Love with BTOB Members

I love it when members of a group get along well and looks after one another like best friends or close siblings.  BTOB is one of the groups that have great bonds with each other.  They remind me of BEAST members who are close with each other and has each other's back.  In fact in a survey conducted by a TV programme (I think), BEAST was voted by fellow entertainers as the group with the best teamwork.  BTOB made it in the top list too!  And A Pink too, from A Cube Entertainment.  I'm so proud of these CUBE talents.  :')  은광 isn't just the leader of BTOB.  He's the big brother, which makes prefect sense since he's the oldest among the seven.  Oh, did you know that the seven members of BTOB share one bedroom with three bunk beds?  The youngest member, 성재, once said that it allows them to become closer but in the morning, their washroom becomes a war zone.  Cute!

Reason #5

His Giggle

I'm so in love with 은광이's giggle that I recorded his short but contagious giggle from their debut showcase and saved it in my phone.  Now, the recorded audio is in my Galaxy Tab too.  Enough said!

Reason #6

His Pronunciation

은광 might not be very fluent in English yet but he's getting there.  His English pronunciation might not be the best out of all idols but he's really not bad.  As a matter of fact, I like how he pronounces some English words.  It's like hearing a Korean speaking in simple English and then suddenly a particular word is pronounced so beautifully in an accent that it makes you think "Wait?  Was that the same person for a second there?" when you hear him speak.  It doesn't apply to every English word that he says but just some of them.  From his singing and interviews, some of the words that he has pronounced remarkably well (according to me) are "pain", "point (from "point of view")", "pursue", and "leader".  Peniel, teach him more!

You know what?  The list can go on because I can be as detailed and thorough as I want to but I'll have some mercy and stop here.  ^^  So, those are the top reasons why I adore you-should-know-who-by-now.

[Credit: btob-confessions.tumblr.com]

This was requested by me, actually.  I'm not kidding.  I requested for it about a week after BTOB debuted.

Thank you for your time and please support our blooming love.  What the...  LOL.  I'm just being me.  Okay, bye for now!

K.O.R.E.A., The Song

: :  A Supporting Entry for Touch Korea Tour Blog Contest (Korea Plaza KL)  : :

Hello!
This is my supporting entry for Touch Korea Tour Blog Contest, which I create to complement my previously submitted main entry.
Click here to read my main entry if you have not.

For this supporting entry, I've decided to make a rendition of Nat King Cole's ever popular song called 'L.O.V.E.' and turn it into my version called 'K.O.R.E.A.'.  What is special about this rendition is that it sums up exactly what Korea means to me in a short and straight-forward song.

I hope you enjoy listening to it.  Even better, why not sing along?

[Tip: If you want to listen to the audio clearly, you may stop the embedded background music of this blog, which is located on the left panel, by clicking the pause symbol button or muting the music.]

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Lyrics:

K is for how KEEN you make me feel

O is oh so ORNAMENTAL scene

R is REFRESHING

E is EVERLASTING

A is anyone who loves you keeps ANTICIPATING

Korea, you are the one I see

Korea, you make me feel at ease

K.O.R.E.A., the way your name rings in the air

Korea for you and me

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So, these are precisely what the alphabets represent:

K for Keen

The shining star power and quality in Korea often makes fans feel excited about discovering what more Korea has to offer.

O for Ornamental

Places in Korea delight visitors with enchanting and mesmerising settings and decorations.

R for Refreshing

The delicacies that are hard to find outside of Korea make enjoying them in Korea that much more fulfilling.

E for Everlasting

Younger generations can still be entertained by Korean traditions that continue to be preserved.

A for Anticipating

Local and international fans of Korea never get tired of waiting for the day when they can get closer to the aesthetics of Korea.

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For your information, I'm also a participant of Touch Korea Tour Video Contest.
The mission that I chose to do is "Watch the [M/V]Touch Korea Tour or listen to the Touch Korea Song and make your own version of it."

Look Beyond the Hallyu Wave

: :  An Entry for Touch Korea Tour Blog Contest (Korea Plaza KL)  : :

This post consists of two parts - how Korea inspires me, and why I should be picked to join Touch Korea Tour 2012.

Sit back, relax, and immerse yourself in the endearing Hallyu wonder.  Enjoy!

-- Okay, let me admit it here that before I became interested in Korea, the country, I was first mesmerised by the stars from Korea, particularly the singers as well as the actors.  In fact, the very first group of Korean singers that I got hooked to was BEAST from Cube Entertainment.  Like I always said, it was "destined" that I conveniently took the time and effort to sit back and watch BEAST's pre-debut documentary when I happened to come across the promotional advertisement about it.  There was something about the members' humility and dedication that made me feel attached to them.  The next thing I knew, I started to buy their albums and merchandise.

Even though BEAST is my number one K-pop group, I figured out that I am indeed a K-pop fan in general.  When I see any K-pop performances, I pay attention and instinctively cheer the performers on.  I also enjoy watching Korean movies and dramas.  From my several years of being a fan of Korean pop culture, I have been noticing a center value that the stars possess - aura.  Other people might have different terms to describe it but that's the word I'm using.  Aura is like an auspicious energy that is emitted from within an individual, right?  Korean artists seem to know how and when to flaunt their charismatic aura.  This is likely due to the enforcement and training emphasis that Korean talent management companies take very seriously.

The entertainment industry in Korea is well-bloomed and it keeps growing.  Of course, many have already known the "Big Three" of Korea's talent management companies - SM Entertainment, YG Entertainment, and JYP Entertainment.  Apart from these three companies, other companies are also getting active in their artists' development and promotions.  Those who are not fans might be wondering why international fans are so into these artists even though they speak and sing in a foreign language.  The answer is pretty simple - fans notice and appreciate the constant hard work that the artists portray in order to provide entertainment to their fans, be it their Korean fans or international fans, while doing things that they have always been passionate about.  From these diligent stars, I have learned an important lesson on perseverance.  Life may throw you lemons at times but what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger.

-- I'm sure many will agree that Korean language is very much different from English language.  They don't just differ in terms of alphabets and words but also in their sentence structures.  Since English is the international language, a lot of people are already used to the subject-predicate pattern of English sentences.  Non-Koreans may find it quite tricky to learn Korean sentence structure, not because it's more complex than English sentence structure but because it's actually simpler and more straight forward than what English-speaking individuals are used to.  Yes, you've read that right.  Korean sentence structure is not complicated. To demonstrate what I mean by that, I'll provide a few examples.  Take note that I am not a certified Korean language instructor or specialist, though.  I've been learning it on my own with the help of books, dictionaries, and online communities.  Worry not, I will not put examples that I, myself, can't explain confidently.


In English: "I am a singer."
In Korean: "나는 가수 입니다."  (Na-neun kasu ibnida.)
where 나(는) = I, 가수 = singer, 입니다 = am


In English: "My younger brother is cute."
In Korean: "내 남동생이 귀엽습니다."  (Nae namdongsaeng-i kwiyeopsubnida.) 
where 내 = my, 남동생(이) = younger brother,  귀엽 = cute, 습니다 = is

In English: "My friends went to a karaoke place."
In Korean: "내 친구들은 노래방에 갔다." (Nae chingudeul-eun noraebang-e katsda.)
where 내 = my, 친구들(은) = friends, 노래방(에) = karaoke room/ place, 갔다 = went

In English: "I like that boy group the most."
In Korean: "나는 그 보이그룹가 제일 좋아해요." (Na-neun geu boi geurub-ga jeil johahaeyo.)
where 나(는) = I, 그 = that, 보이그룹(가) = boy group, 제일 = the most, 좋아해요 = like

See the difference?  The verb is put at the end in a Korean sentence.  I find this interesting.  Why?  When you look at the structure carefully, it's like the sentence unveils the most important point towards the end, like a climax.  You  know, when someone is talking to us about something, we listen and anticipate the main point of that someone's sentence, don't we?  Even in an English sentence, when someone tells you "Last night, I painted a portrait of myself.", your initial reaction upon hearing the sentence would most likely be "Oh, you painted last night!".  Similarly, when someone tells you "My dog ran away while I was bringing it out for a walk this morning.", you would respond "Oh dear!  It ran away?".  Therefore, I think that it is fair to say that in most conversations that we go through daily, the verb makes up the most meaning.  So, do you see the idea here?  In a Korean sentence, we save the best for last.

Have you ever noticed how "melodic" Korean speakers sound like when they speak?  I'm referring to casual conversations, not very formal ones.  They have this distinctive tone, especially towards the end of their words or sentences.  This kind of tone makes them sound extra adorable and engaging.
Here are a few examples of typical Korean tones:

"What should I do?"

"Really?"

"How cute~"

"Oops!"

"I got it."

"Hello!"

-- Another unique thing about Korea is its writing system.  Instead of using the common Roman alphabets, Korean language uses its very own hangul characters.  Again, I can say that reading and writing in hangul characters are not that difficult.

[hapkidoselfdefense.com]

What's important is that you practise bit by bit every now and then.  Sooner or later, you'll get used to the characters and they won't seem so foreign and scary anymore.

Here's my very own hangul exercise book.  ^^

-- Food, glorious food!   When learning about another country's culture, the food is one of the must-know things that we should find out about, right?  Korea has plenty of delicious cuisines.  So, I'll just mention some of my personal favourite ones.

- Nurungji -

[Annie @ bonappegeek.com]

"Nurungji is the nutty crunchy flavorful crust that cradles the rice as it cooks. (Annie, 2006)"

- Tteokbokki -

[monikazhoon @ koreataste.org]

"The original tteokbokki was a stir-fried dish consisting of garaetteok (cylinder-shaped tteok) combined with a variety of ingredients, such as beef, mung bean sprouts, green onions, shiitake mushrooms, carrots, and onions, and seasoned with soy sauce. (monikazhoon, 2011)"

- Bulgogi -

[Jaden Hair @ steamykitchen.com]

"Bulgogi is paper-thin slices of rib-eye, marinated. (Hair, 2007)"

- Kimchi Jjigae -

 [Kevin @ kevineats.com]

"Kimchi jjigae, basically a spicy stew of kimchi, tofu, and scallions. (Kevin, 2009)"

-- I'm also attracted to the fashion style of Koreans, especially youngsters.  My idea of a Korean-style outfit is "cunning and comfy".  In other words, an outfit is best when it makes the one wearing it look cuddly cute, and at the same time, the outfit has to make one feel free to do whatever he or she plans to do.  This is my personal preference, though.  I know that different people have different views and fashion taste.

I don't own a lot of Korean-inspired outfits for now, but I would love to have more in the near future.

~~ When it comes to getting things done, I practise the "all or nothing" concept.  I would only be able to produce above-average results when my heart is in it.  It's not any different with fangirl-ing.  [Fangirl-ing: A term used by fangirls, which refers to the commitment that they willingly get themselves into when supporting their favourite stars.]  So, my point here is that I will put my heart into everything that I do if it is about things that I am passionate about.

~~ Like many fans, being given the precious opportunity to step my foot on Korea's ground would be a dream-come-true.  To make it even better, this Touch Korea Tour programme adds sparkles to it.  The chosen ones would have the chance to travel to one of the most captivating countries in the world, and learn more about the culture that makes the country so fascinating.  Letting go of this opportunity would be simply foolish.

~~ I am fortunate enough to become part of the staff members of a couple of K-pop fansites in Malaysia.  It may not look like a big deal to some, but knowing that we can joyfully and voluntarily contribute to the on-going and growth of a fanbase is a fulfilling thought.  The fansites that I'm currently involved in are MYB2UTY and MYBTOB.  Sometimes I wonder, what else can I do for the other fans in the fanbase?  Updating or sharing information is crucial, but if I can contribute more, that would be a whole lot better, wouldn't it?  The word "value" came to my mind.  Now, how does this word relate to anything that I've been writing about?  This is the answer - if I, or any other staff member as well as regular member, could add value to the information and activities that our fansites carry out, it would make the fanbase that much more meaningful and functional.  Sharing about the country where our favourite stars live is a valuable thing to do.  What better way to do it than going to the country and learning more about it first-hand? 

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That is all from me for this special blog post.
Until we meet again~ 뿅~