My trip to Korea-Soul of Asia (Day 2-Seoul & Jeju)

The thing about waking up and stepping on cold floor really irks me but in Korea, I don’t have to worry about it. The floor is toasty warm. :3 Breakfast was in the hotel where I’m not too surprised to find Kimchi being offered with porridge. For day two, I would be going to Jeju Island in the afternoon so we spend half the day touring Seoul.

First activity for the day was to knock on the doors of Kyongbok Palace. It wasn’t open when we arrived there. So we just stand outside and watch the morning traffic. I was eager to visit this place because it was the place that most of the Korean dramas were filmed including my favourite “Queen In Hyun’s Man”. It is the biggest royal palace built by the most successful dynasty of Joseon. My new tour guide (A Korean) reminded us to stick close to him because we can get lost. He wasn’t joking. The palace has many doors and gates that lead to other buildings in the whole palace. It is a labyrinth in there. 

The walkway leading to the royal court was once only allowed to be walked on by the Emperor himself. No other people can grace this stone path. I can’t really remember what the tour guide said but I remember him bringing us into the royal court to see the dragons engraved on the ceiling of the court.

“An interesting fact: Korean dragons have 7 toes because only China is allowed to have dragons with five toes. Plus, the Emperor of China is the only one that can wear yellow so the Emperor of Korea wears red instead. This shows how influential and powerful China was.”

We proceeded inside the palace to look at the Emperor’s office, chamber(bedroom) and his guard’s chamber. The room of guards surrounds the Emperor’s chamber to protect him. The Empress’s chamber is behind the Emperor’s and no men can enter the place. Behind the Empress’s chamber is a small garden, it used to be pretty and well kept not like the messy state it is in now. The Empress is forbidden to leave the palace grounds so the Emperor had a garden built behind her chamber so she won’t feel bored. But well, to modern day women like us, I can understand why the Empress and consorts tend to have secret lovers and sneaking out of the palace (or is it just in movies?). It must be awfully bored and lonely just staring at a small garden with no one to interact with but servant girls that fear you.

  We finished touring the palace but it’s not the end yet. The palace ground is huge.

They rebuilt the palace after the Japanese took over and destroyed part of the palace. Now there is an extra new wing behind the palace, the National Folk Museum. Inside is a whole exhibition full of Korean cultural display from clothes, historical house, medicines, cutleries, pots, musical instruments, traditional marriages, deaths and other important phase of life. You get the picture. It’s the perfect place to learn about Korean Culture. Everything you need to know is there. I spent too long inside to notice the autumn drizzle outside. I don’t remember the significance of this pagoda in the middle of a pond. It seemed important that the tour guide needed to mentioned it and encourage us to snap some pictures. Probably the Emperor loves to take a break and sip tea there with his Empress and consorts?

The palace ground as I mentioned is so vast and you can see small paths that leads to different parts of the palace. I can imagine the palace guards riding on their horses while patrolling the grounds, or the Crown Prince practicing sword skill and archery in the within the palace. It was nice to let my imagination run wild for a while. That’s the essence of visiting historical places, it gives me such joy. We end the tour of Kyongbok Palace by taking pictures of the Blue house (Looks green to me). It is where the prime minister stays (same function as the White House in USA). We can only see and take pictures but we can’t enter. However we did visited this exhibition centre or the Blue House museum (I think)? I took picture with the prime minister (She’s a lady) or a computer version of her, I can email the picture to my mail but so far I haven’t receive any mail from the “Blue House”.

Visiting the palace and Blue house took so much of our time, that it was lunch time. Let’s try the most classic dish- Bibimbap (Mixed rice). I had bibimbap many times before so I was a bit disappointed that I don’t get to eat bbq pork or beef instead. But we have bbq pork and broth too. The broth was a bit similar to the dinner I had the first night. It was also delicious, nothing can go wrong with meat!! Nothing. So here it is…..

After lunch we visited a more traditional street- Insadong. Less fashion shops and more traditional galleries, shops, tea houses and café. It is an art lover’s retreat because you can find paintings, sculptures and other fine arts being sold. As for me, I prefer to still visit the beauty product shops and souvenir shops. 

 I wanted to walk longer in Insadong but the time allocated to us was short and I was suddenly in need to use the washroom. I really hate my stomach at times, it always choose the wrong time to go wrong. Luckily, Korea public toilets are much clean and convenient to find. Thank the heavens. I thought I was going to die was pain. Again, I missed out on the street food. Then we left for Gimpo airport to board the plane to Jeju. Gimpo airport is a domestic flight airport while Incheon airport is an international airport.

While waiting for the flight to Jeju, my sister thought that the litter bins are cute so she snapped some pictures. It’s in the form of luggage bags. The plane we used to Jeju was Jin Air. Their service as okay, I guess it is Korean policy to smile 24 hours at guest. But the plane taking off and landing was a bit rough. Again, upon landing we had to fight our way to stick in a group because of the sea of China tourist arriving around the same time at Jeju International airport. 

They're litter bins!

Jeju Int' Airport

It was around 7pm when we check into the hotel and were whisk straight into the restaurant for dinner. Jeju was unbelievably hot compared to Seoul weather because they do not have seasons. The tour guide lied! He told us to wear warmly. Liar!!! It felt like home to me but I didn’t like the weather at home so I was actually begging to go back to the chilly air Seoul.

Since Jeju is a hot spot for seafood and famous black pig pork, our first dinner there was seafood stew with a varieties of shellfish and tones of beansprouts. I don’t know what’s the deal between Koreans and bean sprouts, they always have them and it’s not in small quantities (I don’t like bean sprouts) like KimChi to them. The way of eating this stew is to finish all the ingredients in the stew and leaving the broth last, throw in a piece of instant noodles and finish it like that. On the menu was also some mackerel like fish on the house (At least it tasted like mackerel). It was filling.

Seafood stew anyone?

Night came and there was nowhere else to go so we decided to return to the hotel but not before stopping by the convenient store to pick up some snacks. I predicted that I will get hungry soon. Funny thing about my eating schedules in Korea, I get hungry fast. Like I just had dinner at 7pm, I will be hungry before midnight again. Meh~~ My sister developed an obsession for their Banana milk and I don’t blame her, it’s addictive. You can’t get enough from just one bottle per day so we bought some back. We stayed in Jeju Palace Hotel, it’s near the waterfront. After refreshing, we took a walk along the seaside. The night wind was cooler so walking there was relaxing. I see plenty of youths still playing basketballs and cycling, while cute kids with tricycles passed by us with their poor parents chasing after them.

At the end of the path were rows and rows of seafood restaurants with all their fresh live sea catch in aquariums outside the shop. The restaurants were so brightly lit with neon lights that I can see it from a mile away. Some old men were fishing at the rocks, casting their lines in the dark waters with just a tiny LED light attached to the bobber. It’s interesting to see their activities at night. So unlike mine. Then again, their food source are majority from the sea, it is their job and their life. In Jeju, you must try their seafood, it is really as fresh as it looks.

Cool off by taking a walk.

 Some McDonalds ice-cream to gratify my itchy mouth. We saw a street called “Black Pig Street”, it is a small street full of restaurants serving black pig of course. From barbequed to sautéed, all types of black pork were served and you usually drink Soju while eating them. I was tempted to go in and try, I really do but no one wants to eat it with me. How sad~~ I had them the next day anyway. We saw many drunkards walking down the streets. Boy do they really live their life to the fullest. Envy? Not so. I am amazed at how everything is so real as in the movies and dramas. Before that it felt surreal, now it finally hit me. I’m in KOREA!!! Proceeding to another street selling apparels and accessories, I managed to get myself some street food!

Do you fancy some blood sausage and liver?

 Soondae is pork blood sausage and it is stuffed with noodles and rice mixed with pork blood, served with a side of pork liver and pickled radish. I like it although it can sound disgusting to some like my sis who refuses to eat more than two. I had to finish the whole thing- not that I mind. :D After that, retire for the night.

My trip to Korea-Soul of Asia (Day 1-Seoul)

Annyeonghaseyo from Korea. It has been a wonderful week for me because I just came back from Korea, a place which I always dreamt of going.Well, my dream has came true thanks to my parents. I really don’t know how to repay them with enough love and dedication. It was cute how they tried to hide it from me in case I got too excited that I can’t fall asleep. They are right, I did stay wide awake. Who wouldn’t? It’s like accepting an award for an outstanding performance, although I have no idea as to what I did to accept it. Okay, I do. It’s sort of like a present for my sister’s graduation and I was just happen to be there. It was an amazing experience for me and I enjoyed every minute of my 9 days stay in Seoul and Jeju Island. We took a tour package of course, since it was my first time there. We were suppose to meet another group in Seoul and we will go on this tour together. But until then, it is just me, my sis and my lonely tour guide. She’s a lovely lady.

I remember taking the 6 hours trip to Incheon Airport and boy was it torturing. I can’t sleep at all. I saw how some people can just sleep in any position in that hard seat, I envy them-A Lot. It was night time when I board the train, so I had a supper of croissant with wine, in hope that the alcohol and help me sleep. But NO, I still can’t sleep. I can’t exactly roll in the seat so I flipped here and there the whole trip. I hadn’t even managed to catch a wink when breakfast is served, at 4AM mind you! Then I gave up on the prospect of ever getting sleep. So yeah, I stayed awake for more than 12 hours if you count in the hours after my last sleep.

Day 1

I arrived at Incheon Airport around 7am. I was hoping to catch a glimpse of any Korean celebrities but meh, I didn’t see any. My sister for some reason was really grumpy, complaining about everything I do. I let my tour guide do her stuff- getting us transport and figuring out what and how to get to the city. The air was cool and I couldn’t be more grateful after being cramped in the airplane for such a long time. If my memory serves me correctly, it was 16˚C. Just good enough. At first we had problems finding the right airport bus to get to the city but after asking around we managed to get the right one. The staff’s managing the buses are kind enough to point out which place are we suppose to stop and haul our bags into the bus. I was pretty much knocked out for the entire journey in the bus. The journey to the city takes nearly an hour I guess. It was much more comfortable than the plane-smooth running engine so there’s not much noise, spacious seat and not bumpy road. It’s a haven for someone who’s deprived of sleep like me. The public transportation in Korea is so convenient and I find it impressive. The shuttle bus reports every station that they are approaching in 4 different languages- Korean, Japanese, English and Mandarin. The bus stops are build in the middle of the road and they have an entire map or route (in English) that each bus would take. So you can pretty much go anywhere easily. Unfortunately for us, we missed our stop but the kind driver made a round turn after dropping the last of the passengers. We still got off the wrong stop anyway. I was already so dead tired and I had to pull my luggage bags around streets to find the hotel. In the end, we took the taxi.

Under the maple tree~

Just one of the many coffee shops in the area.

I thought we could check into the hotel right away and I can finally catch some sleep but the hotel was full until after noon. I almost burst into tears. Reluctantly, we kept our bags in the storage area and went out for lunch. We didn’t know where to go since we’re all new (including my tour guide). It was pretty busy during afternoons, we sat under maple trees and just enjoy the breeze. It is just the beginning of Autumn, the tree’s were just turning a little red. I was a little disappointed actually because I was hoping to see the leaves fall in flames of red like in the Korean dramas. Then I can pretend to run along the trees playing peekaboo with God knows who. First thing I noticed about Korea? There’s a lot of Hyundai Sonata. Since Hyundai is their major automobile contributor so I don’t find it that astonishing, it just surprising how it’s all Sonata model. Moving on, I like their attitude towards others. I remembered a shop keeper bowing to me. It feels awkward but then again, it is their culture, so I bowed back. Then there’s a lot of small café’s and coffee shop. Looks like Korean’s can do without coffee. They like to just sit of the tables outside, sipping coffee and watching the world go by.

Feeling a little hungry later on, we went into a cozy little café named “Café Mum and Brunch”. The chef/owner is a really cute American raised Korean guy, I don’t know his name but he was lovely towards us. Of course I can’t miss this chance to promote to us his all organic and healthy cakes, pies, jam and juices. He’s a friendly guy, kept us occupied while he prepared the meal. I had pancakes and a blueberry smoothie; he even gave us banana jam on bread on the house. It was a lovely meal, until I paid the bills. Let’s just say I didn’t expect that amount but then again, he loves to emphasize on how it’s organic and free from magic powders (you get what I mean). Anyway, I promised him I’ll promote his shop.

 After lunch, I could finally check into the hotel. FINALLY! I can hear my head screaming for a good rest. But first thing to do when entering a hotel room is to of course, check out the room. It’s not exactly a hotel, the name is QV residence and the setting of the room is really like an apartment equipped fully with washing machine, stove, dresser and huge fridge. It even has a second floor for such a tiny apartment. The second floor is probably where some people lay out the futon and sleep on the floor, since the floor is installed with a heater. No cold feet! Yay. I love the automatic locks on the door, it’s so convenient for lazy people like me who leaves the door open after I enter. It also has intercom systems just like a modern higher end apartment. Apparently a lot of the apartments in Korea are like this. I’m loving it even more. A quick shower and then I went to take a long nap. In the evening, we met up with the main group for dinner. First dinner in Seoul was some barbecued pork belly and squid in some broth-I have no idea what it’s called. It was delicious plus you get unlimited refill for the side dishes. Yay for more Kimchi!! Oh by the way, their bean sprout is huge.

First activity after dinner was sightseeing in Seoul’s Cheonggyecheon stream next to Dongdaemun. It is a stream in the city itself, the water is clear and even walking along it feels really fresh. There are many people sitting near the stream just talking after a hard day’s work. At night, it is illuminated by lights. A nice place to take a break with nature while in the city.

Dongdaemun is one of the tourist areas, it is the biggest fashion town in Jung Gu. The roads are just filled with tourist buses and cars stuck in the after work traffic. Instead buying clothes and shoes, I indulged in buying beauty product from Korea. It is dirt cheap compared to the price I get in my country. Tony Moly, Etude House, Skin food, Face shop, Nature Republic, Missha etc you name it. All the beauty product are offered at a cheap price and they give freebies after purchase. Double hooray…. After buying all the stuff, I took to the streets which are also filled with tourist, mainly from China. I can see some street food that I was dying to try but then my dinner still wouldn’t digest so I just watched. How sad~~~

Since it was getting late and there is nowhere left to go, we went back to the hotel. On the way, we saw Namdaemun (aka Great Southern Gates), which is one of the fortress walls that protected the city during the Joseon Dynasty. A nasty fire set by a crazy man 5 years ago razed the building and it took the government $23 million to rebuild their precious national treasure. Now, you can see the walls, restored to its former glory. It’s even more beautiful during the night. It’s a shame we didn’t stop by to take a good picture.

Back to the hotel, splayed out my goodies and marvel at it. Lol~  just kidding, I slept like the dead but not before browsing through the numerous channels they have. I don’t understand what they are talking about but I can still watch.

Definition of a successful marriage: Sean and Jung Hye Young

     I have shown my concern regarding marriages nowadays because people don't seems to take importance in it. One silly conflict and they'll be up to the judges neck about a divorce. Therefore, there aren't much quality marriages these days. Young people are taking marriages for granted.
     I really admire married couple that manages to love each other everyday and take marriage as a sacred union. One that requires full commitment and responsibilities. In Hollywood, there's not much i can look up to. I heard that the Eastern culture are now overtaking the West in terms of divorce rate, i'm not sure how true is that. I think that Asian's are bound to cultures and traditions, so I don't think they are likely to take marriage as a joke. 

     That aside. I see some good examples of a successful marriage in some korean couples. I'm not saying all Korean are good partner material. It's just that I observed this particular couple and I admire their spirit. Yes, as the title suggested. It's Sean and Jung Hye Young. They are perfect as husband and wife. Harmoniously working together like a team to bring up their four children and still manages to do so much for charity. 9 years of marriage and still going strong, I say that's really impressive especially with 4 small kids on tow. If you don't call this a successful family then I don't know what is. If only the people nowadays still practice habits like this, divorces wouldn't be a global issue. <le sigh>

They look sweet don't they?

     But of course there is many other blissful marriages in the world but i chose this as an example because they just shine, through the works they are doing. Occasionally we will hear love stories about old couple that has been married for 50-60 years and still love each other very much and would die together too, well, that is a successful marriage too. If a husband and wife can be loving, committed and responsible in a marriage, the family they brought up are also successful.
    I consider Hollywood couple to be a bit unpredictable, they can look so happy one minute then divorce the next. Take for example Seal and Heidi Klum. I thought that is one couple that can last forever, then they disappoint me. I don't really know if it's because of media exposure or the desire to hog the limelight that caused a lot of Hollywood stars to get married hastily and divorce within a few months. The most horrible example is Kim K. I really hate her, not just her whiny attitude but she's vain. And an attention seeker.
     I think Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale is going pretty steady too. So hope they stay that way. As for korean celebrities, here are a few that looks promising. (Sean and Hye Young included) At least, i would say that, at least they don't really let the media influence their marriage, which i think are what mostly caused a marriage failure in Hollywood.
http://www.soompi.com/2013/02/14/happy-valentines-day-soompiers-top-10-married-celebrity-couples/

Personal opinion on Kara- Ji Young & Hara Controversy

     A recent hot topic in K-pop world revolves around what happened during the show "Radio Star" between two of Kara's members- Ji Young and Hara.
     As of what happen? I don't wanna mention, read it for yourself at
http://www.soompi.com/2013/09/05/karas-goo-hara-and-kang-ji-young-shed-tears-during-radio-star/
http://www.soompi.com/2013/09/06/karas-han-seung-yeon-and-mc-yoon-jong-shin-apologize-for-kara-and-radio-star-controversy/

     Reading all the comments of netizen bring me such satisfaction to know that at least people has the eyes and the brain to judge the situation without being blindly biased because of the girls. Don't get me wrong, i don't hate the group. In fact I like Nicole and Gyuri because they are such down to earth and modest people as i observed during shows. Seung Yeon I'm not sure but at least she's being smart when it comes to acting in public. As celebs, I agree that they should at least watch their attitude. 

Yes, that is a bottle Hara threw at him

     I don't hate Kara but I DON'T like Hara and Ji Young even before this controversy. For one, I could see that they are diva's and seriously, i think they are being brats most of the time. Other than faking their "nice attitude" during shows, the way these two speaks does sounds rude too.
     I agree with netizen on the way they react during the show. They are being childish and diva like. There should be a way to deal with the so called "Evil-prince" or host with a sarcastic mouth in a more professional way. They should know better than to throw an object at the host in a hissy fit. Even if the person is being too nosy for comfort, you could have counter it by telling them honestly and firm that the topic is close. AND it just ridicules me that Ji Young dares to cry because she is forced to do "Aegyo" which she does it so often its beginning to be a routine. She could have done a half hearted one and everything would be fine. Plus, it is absurd at how the other member, Seung Yeon is the one who apologize for their behavior instead of the crying brats that stole the show. Cry babies!
     They have been in reality show for so long, they should see this coming and deal with it like an adult. So what if people call you a "Relationship" idol? Dating isn't wrong. Look at Taylor Swift, and she's doing it with grace. Dating is a way to find the right person for you, its not wrong if your intention is right. Unless Hara has something to feel guilty at. I am really speechless about Ji Young crying over things like that, it's not like people are insulting you. 
     Yes, the host went overboard and they would be scorned by die hard fans of Kara. So? They were warned about the possibilities. The least they can do is be prepared. As some people say, being one of the top stars does spoil you. I quote someone who said about the girls "being held in a high position for so long it is turning them into diva's". Can't be more true.
     Overall, I am totally appalled at Ji Young and Hara's behavior. They manage to damage their reputation instead of promoting their new song "Damaged Lady". Well done I say, they really did tainted their image. I am just sad that Nicole and Gyuri (and seung yeon too) also get dragged into this mess because of two immature brats.
     The show producers try to make the entire conversation during the show look like they are jokingly squabbling with each other but everyone with eyes can see that there is tension during the entire show. Poor JYP chose the wrong time to be on that show cuz the attention isn't at all on him.

What's on my playlist~

1. The Weepies- Same changes (Accidentally found it while watching EPIC)
2. Cho Yong Pil- Bounce & Hello (Somehow this old Korean singer reminds me so much of Phil Collins. He's like a Korean version of Phil Collins)
3. San E- Story of someone I know (Despite the controversies he's been involved recently, it doesn't stop me from liking this song)
4. Leessang- The Boy Who Can't Break Up, The Girl Who Can't Leave & Rush (Don't blame me, but I am biased when it comes to them)
5. Shinee- Selene 6.23 ( I don't know what does the title have to do with the song)
6. Tasha (Yoon Mi Rae)- As time goes by (Classic and never dies)
7. Colbie Caillat ft Gavin Degraw- We both know (Loved it from Safe Haven)
8. Ladies Code- Hate You
9. Vixx- G.R.8.U
10. Beast- Shadow & I'm sorry

K-Pop: Staying true to culture

     Before you read on, you might want to watch this first: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekJ-ldOD0TQ . It's some American YouTuber's including Ryan Higa reaction to K-Pop.

     At first I didn't get what they were trying to say but after some consideration, I do agree with what they say. K-Pop is slowly expanding globally and I think they are trying a bit too hard to please fan's all over the world. I didn't notice this before because I'm so used to it and because i don't mind. 

     The problem? They like to add random English words into their mostly korean songs. Now most of their songs has english titles to be convenient to people who doesn't speak korean but in their songs, they'll add in some english and to some people, it's unnecessary. One of the youtubers was confused because he understand some of the english words but mostly, they don't get what they're singing. I think that they should stay true to their culture and if they want to sing a song in korean then don't add any english words into it. If they want to do it, then sing the entire song in english. I came up with this conclusion after i heard one mandarin songs with a mix of korean in it. And i was seriously thinking like, "Whut? Is this Korean song or Mandarin Song".

     In the video, the youtubers were scrutinizing their songs because they don't get what they are talking about. For example, Girls Generation's "I got a boy". One of them heard, "let me introduce myself" then the rest is continued in korean and he was saying what are they saying. Then there's "I got a boy---" continued by korean again. They heard "I got a boy in my chin" because they korean words sounded like that. So in a way, i understand their frustration. It IS irritating. 

     For me, i've learn a little korean through drama's and reality show. When i listen to K-pop songs, I have to switch my attention at times. I had to focus on what they are saying in Korean at first and when they throw in English, I have to change my attention to understanding them in English and it's a tedious task after some time. I give up mostly. Since I've been studying Cognitive Science recently, I understand that this situation can be linked to Stroop effect. You can google it if you want to know what it is. 

     Because K-pop is SO popular these days especially among Asia and South East Asia, their demands grow. It seems to me that every year, at least few idol girl/boy groups are debuting. I lost track of them. They are mushrooming at an alarming rate , they are starting to lose their uniqueness. All of them looks exactly the same, with the same hair style, same fashion, same face and they even sound the same. And the songs they produce now are mostly mixed with some english words- i don't wanna exaggerate but i think ALL of the songs has at least one English word in it. It might be due to demand or it might be because they want to show of they know at least some english. 

    As for K-pop fashion, I have no comment. They want to be unique and eccentric, that's fine with me as long as they don't overdo it. They might have to reconsider their songs though. If they are proud of their culture, then show it in their songs. I think K-pop can attract global attention even without trying to put in english words in their songs. Though I do agree that by doing that, they will improve their english but it's just this little bit. They should learn proper english sentences if they want to communicate with the world. I find it appalling and amusing at the same time when the celebrities try to construct sentences in english while talking to foreigners. They really should put in some effort in that.

    What they are doing isn't wrong. I am a K-pop fan and I love their language, even sometimes i would blurt out a korean word when talking. I'm not trying to be judgmental cuz i learnt 3 languages since young and I am still learning korean language. I feel emphatic towards those who doesn't get what they are singing about. 

The sweet guy next door: Kang Gary

 

     Some of you might ask: Who's he? It's normal. Lemme introduce you to Korean Hip Hop artist, Gary of Leessang. Now, I never knew who he was until i watched Running Man although i did listened to his album Asura Balbalta before. He doesn't have the best look and he has the typical Asian face as some say. His Running Man co-workers sometimes call him ugly to his face. 
     But i do believe personality beats looks for his case. After watching him for more than a hundred episodes on Running Man, i think he's the most charming person as girl could ever wish.
     I won't say he has the temperament of a saint but his patience is most admirable. Even though his friends loves to joke about his looks, he's still cool about it, even joined in making fun of his own looks. So for someone to really make him angry, I'd say that person has gone overboard. Though i never seen him angry before, so i'm not going to comment on that. 

     Gary from what i can conclude, could be a very loyal and loving partner. He's considerate and real sweet towards his make believe partner Song Ji Hyo. I consider him to be romantic. It's cute seeing how he would try to impress Ji Hyo or grab her attention. It's a shame though that they couldn't be a real couple.  
     Although he looks blur and even serious at times, he does occasionally makes jokes. Gary doesn't try to outshine everyone, as in he is so down to earth, he's always being taken for granted. He mostly looks blur and even the way he talks is slurred but really, he's pretty intelligent when he needs to be. It's sad that he doesn't have confidence in himself even though he's pretty talented. If you watch Running Man, he shows his hidden talents at times. 
     His little actions at times really reflects his caring attitude. He is worth keeping. I will say, his loyalty is.... precious. Hmm... he likes to call himself "Dog" (His name sounds like Dog in Korean) and i guess i can link his loyalty to a dog's loyalty. Like the boy next door, he will be looking out for you from a distant and help you when you need help. 
     I admire his work. I guess you can say, it's because of Leessang, I was exposed to hip hop culture and I love listening to their songs. Most of their songs are composed by Gary and if you take the time to read the lyrics, it does carry certain messages. It's meaningful, unlike other artist who would throw in random words into their songs and it doesn't make sense. I would recommend hip hop lovers to check out their songs. I personally love: The Boy Who Can't Break Up, The Girl Who Can't Leave, You are the answer to a guy like me, Recall, The pursuit of happiness & My Love. I know what you are thinking, "why are the titles so long?", I don't know. Check out some of the lyrics and quotes from Gary, I find it really meaningful.

For more quotes, see here: http://theletters.org/index.php/home/letter/273  or http://chirpstory.com/li/53002

Personal thoughts on book sequels

     I have been reading the Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare recently. It's not bad but I tend to find Clary annoying partly because i can't stand that she's so pig stubborn and do unnecessary idiotic stuff. I do like the character of Magnus Bane cuz of his carefree and diva-like character. I find what he does and say cute. Anyway, that's not the point.

     After reading the first book, i was left hanging there so i thought that the second book can fill in the blanks. But i found it quite disappointing, not only i was i more confused, it was damn boring. So it got me into thinking about the Twilight series, the second book was also so excruciatingly boring that i skipped the entire book. So my question: Are all the second book for every series this boring? It's like the author is writing it just for the sake of prolonging the story instead of just giving me the story straight. Ok fine, so the City of Ashes is only boring for the first half of the book. But it's still boring. 
     The third book was fine, it answers the question to the first two books. So yeah. Now that I'm finished with the third, I was reluctant to read the fourth. The third book ended with a happy ending but in the fourth, conflicts happen again and i really hate it when it get's complicated. It makes me lose interest fast. 
     The beautiful creatures series was entirely boring for me. Though why i bought 3 of the books is a wonder to myself. This is the boring of all to me. I thought the film adaptation was going to be okay but I was wrong again. It's totally bad. Not only does the guy fail to bring out the character of Ethan, Lena Duchannes was also bad. It's a huge disappointment to me.
      As for Discovery of Witches, I hated Diana so much that I quit reading it. It has been some time since i last read, so it's a blur as to why I hated the character so much. All i remember was, she's stubborn and annoying. I never hated a book protagonist so much as i hated Diana.
     I hate stubborn, really really hate. It's not like you have to follow everything people say, it's okay to be stubborn for some reason but to be stubborn for the entire time even for small matters, it irks me. I remember being so annoyed at Clary (Mortal Instrument) in the City of Glass that i felt so damn glad when Luke and Jace scolded her. If she were real, i'll tie her up and make her into a pinata just to knock some sense into that head of her's. Other than stubborn, I hate character who does overly stupid things like running out of a perfectly good hiding place just to be chased by a psycho. It's like they don't have a brain. They don't filter things they say and don't think about the consequences of what they do. 
     My point is, I found out that for most series I read, it's usually boring for the second book but the third one would be more interesting. As it drag longer it might be as boring. 

Celebrity and their wedding dresses

     Being in the spotlight on your wedding day might be a good thing and then, it might be a bad thing. If you're any normal person, people wouldn't judge much about what you wear during your wedding as long as it's white. But being a celebrity, i think they do have it hard, even on wedding days. It must be quite stressful trying to please others and at the same time wear what you like. I read an article in soompi lately on celebrity brides and their dresses. To me it's pretty cruel and unfair to scrutinize what they wear during their wedding day. For further info, refer here.
http://www.soompi.com/2013/08/24/the-best-and-worst-celebrity-wedding-dresses/

This looks more of a lingerie than wedding frock.

     I don't know what's their problem (the person doing the criticizing). The dresses on them looks fine to me. Yet they don't spare the brides. And i was ridiculed that it's the wedding planners that were doing the criticizing. Sure there are dresses that makes you look like a cake and some doesn't really flatter your body but seriously, leave them to wear whatever they want. It's THEIR wedding, not the public's. In a few years, they'll look back and probably regret it or not. Leave them be. It's suppose to be a happy day for them, once in a lifetime not a casual day of "fashion police". It's enough that they are constantly being supervised on what they wear normally, the public need to cut them some slacks on wedding day. 
     It's not like they don't have a conscience. They still wear a proper wedding dress, not like they're dresses up for Halloween. Though I wouldn't deny that some Hollywood brides went overboard with their dresses. Still, they want to be unique, go ahead. But how bad can a wedding dress look? As long as it's still under the category of wedding dress, it should look like a wedding dress (unless they wear lingerie).
     I wouldn't even want to bother about Avril Lavigne's wedding dress. It's gothic sure, but its not that bad. So people, just leave your vicious comments unsaid. It's not our job to judge what they wear. They feel comfortable, so why not?
     To me, it isn't the dress that's the problem but the unnecessary accessories and badly done tan job. Surely you don't want to look like a bedazzled orange during your wedding. That'll just make you a laughing stock.

This even isn't so bad. It's unique.

I will admit, this looks bad. The dress looks half done.