i HATE saying goodbye~~

those of you who know me already know how terrible i am at saying goodbye. i loathe the concept so much that i usually just avoid the entire process.

saying goodbye just seems so...final. especially when it's the kind of goodbye where you know that you'll never see the other person again. in my mind...i feel like if i never actually utter the word "goodbye" that there's still a chance that i'll see the other person again. even when i know beyond the shadow of all doubt that that's not true. i lie to myself.

when i left for korea, i only said goodbye to three people: my mom, my dad, and my brother. but, they're family, so they kind of have to see me again.

this week has been a week of goodbyes. i taught my 6th graders again...for the last time. ever. ever.

before, i was super excited about moving to my new school and starting a new life in seoul. but, now, my students are making it so hard to leave.

it's so hard to say goodbye. especially to my sixth graders. of all my students, i've taught them the most and for the longest time. they're the only students i have that i've taught all 2 years since i've been in korea. i've been on school trips with them, taught them in english camps, and taught them in advanced english clubs.

my hardest goodbye was yesterday. it was the very last time that i will ever teach my favorite class: 6-6. this group includes the students that were my favorites when they were in grades 4 and 5. they always come visit my in my office. many of them were regulars in my english camps. a few of them were in my english club. and this was the class that was always excited to see me...like, they would cheer every single time i walked into their classroom.

yesterday, we played english review games, because their exams are next week. i ended class a few minutes early to say goodbye to the kids. and then, the 2 class leaders--one boy and one girl--came to the front. they had prepared a special card for me...decorated with bigbang stickers^^~~everyone in the class had written a note on it. many of my other classes had made special letters or gifts for me...but this time, it was different.

the boy, who's nickname is california [that's where he's from], thanked me for teaching them, and wished me good luck, etc etc. then, the girl [her english name is stella] was about to hand me the card, when suddenly...she dropped it on the ground and threw her arms around my neck. she started sobbing--literally, sobbing--uncontrollably. in between sobs, she kept repeated "teacher, don't go...teacher, don't go!" over and over and over.

it was at this point that i also started crying. as in, actual tears were streaming down my face. i had no idea that the kids were this attached to me, or that they even liked me that much.

so there i was, trying to say goodbye to my students...standing there, with tears and mascara running all down my face. which was a completely new experience for me. i don't cry in front of people.

and also, i don't cry. EVER. [i'm pretty sure most of my friends and family thought i was completely devoid of emotion.]

and then i cried again 3 times today, just not as much.

and now i have a headache because of it.

and this is why i never say goodbyes.

아이고~~

from an activity in today's grade 5 class:

the president of korea is: ___kimchi_______

umm, what??

for your viewing pleasure~

so i'm trying to avoid posting thousands of pictures of bigbang, like i used to.


but this...this...ASJFKLADKLADFKLAFKL.


yes. that is all.


please enjoy this delicious piece of eye candy. [but not too much, because i already called dibs.]

above: all of the reasons why i love korea.

lady gaga, america's president

last week, i was playing a random trivia quiz game with my 6th grade students. my coteacher just wanted me to plan 40 minutes worth of games, not based on what they had been learning from the text book.

the object of the game was simple: i had about 100 cards with random things, food, people, and places written on them. i would pull a card of of a box, and describe it through words and/or actions and students would guess to earn points for their team.

at random, i pulled a card from the box. it said "obama" on it.

me: america's president.
students: lady gaga!
me: no...the president of america.
students: lady gaga!!
me: no...not a singer. president...leader...
students: beyonce!
me: NOOOO! like lee myeong-bak [south korea's president], except in america.
students:lady gaga!
me: NOT LADY GAGA! president~!!
students: ..................

at first, i thought they were just trying to be funny. but i asked my coteacher about it after class, and she said that those students told her that they actually believed that lady gaga was the president of america...and they had no idea who obama was.

i should probably add that the rest of my 6th grade classes had no problem differentiating between obama and lady gaga.

dancing queen

this week in fourth grade, we were learning about "she/he is a _[job]___."

today, we played a hidden picture game, where i showed the kids a picture of various jobs, covered with squares so they couldn't see what it was. i removed one square at a time, revealing a part of the picture, and as soon as they knew the answer, they could make a guess.

they were only supposed to say the key sentence as their answer.

one picture had been almost entirely revealed. a boy got super excited, and his hand shot up in the air. so, i called on him to answer.

his answer: "he is a dancing queen."

it was a picture of a doctor.

life and etc.

i realized that my posts have become few and far between. and that i haven't really said anything in any of them.

진짜 미안해요!!

i've been super busy lately, at school...and after school. i teach a bunch of extra classes now--advanced english. which means that i'm grading essays. and trying to make sense of essays. and i'm disappointed with my korean skill. so i've been studying super hardcore. and now i'm trying to go to the gym twice a day [5 days a week] and once on weekends. so i get negative 234869 hours of sleep. which may or may not be a slight exaggeration. and then my poor kitty had to have surgery last week, which was an absolute nightmare. because she screamed [not "cried", not "meowed", not "whined"...screamed is really the only way to describe those horrifying sounds] the entire way there, and the entire way back. and then she escaped from her carrier somehow. but luckily she jumped onto me instead of onto the street.

in other news, i'm in the middle of looking for a new job to start in september. i've applied to private kindergarten/elementary schools in seoul exclusively. i've talked to 4 potential employers, and now i have to go in for face-to-face interviews sometime within the next week or so.

also, during one of my classes this morning, a boy sitting towards the back of the classroom spent about 5 minutes trying on glasses, and taking off glasses, and fixing his hair, and smiling, and puffing his cheeks, and making "cute poses". finally, i called him out and asked him what in the world he was doing...his response: "teacher, i'm practicing cute poses for my selca". only in korea...
[selca=a picture you take of yourself...this practice is infinitely popular in korea, probably because of 얼짱 "ulzzang" (best face)...basically, this is ridiculously cute people who take ridiculously cute pictures of themselves doing different poses. people actually become famous this way.]

i'm just another girl~

i've been trying to post a lot less about kpop and focus more on things that i actually do in korea.

but, i reallyreallyreally love this song.

kimchi museum

this week, i had monday and tuesday off of work, due to buddha's birthday being on tuesday. even though korea is traditionally buddhist, it seems like a lot of people these days are either christian or not religiously affiliated. since i am not buddhist, and i don't know anyone who is [well, i don't know anyone who is a practicing buddhist], i'm not sure what people traditionally do on this holiday.

so, my friend and i decided to go to coex mall and check out the kimchi museum. coex is a ginormous mall, build underground, and it's quite famous in the seoul area. it has tons of stores, an aquarium, casino, kimchi museum, and a large food court with a variety of different restaurants [and a sbarros--heckyess]. the mall is also arranged like a giant maze, and i'm pretty sure that i've never walked around the entire thing before...

jen and i had never visited the kimchi museum before, although we had been curious about it for a while. we decided that it could be something interesting and cultural to do for buddha's birthday.

the museum itself was much smaller than i had anticipated. the displays detailed the history of kimchi, as well as how it is made [then and now]. it also explained the importance of kimchi to korean culture, and how the taste is different between the different regions.

all-in-all, it was an interesting experience. although, i wouldn't recommend travelling all the way to coex just to see the museum...but if you happen to be at the mall already, it's definitely worth checking out.

coex mall is located on seoul subway line 2 [the green line] at 삼성 [samsung] station, exit 6. the museum itself is a bit trickier to find. it's on level B2, but you should look for the signs inside the mall. the museum is closed on mondays, and the entrance fee is 3,000KRW.

hello kitty cafe~

yesterday was children's day, which is apparently a pretty big holiday in korea. i think that children are supposed to get presents and/or money on this day. since i am [shockingly] neither korean nor a child, i received nothing. other than a day off of work, which is a pretty great present.

to celebrate, my friend reallywally and i went to the hello kitty cafe at 대학로 [daehakno]. there are several hello kitty cafes sprinkled around seoul, and last year i went to one in 홍대 [hongdae]. but since this one was brand new, we decided to check it out.

the menu was virtually the same as the other HK cafe, and the interior was very similar. pink, girly, kitty. cuteness overload. [basically, it's like my dream house.]

the cafe had two floors, which looked pretty much the same..and the world's cutest bathroom. there was also a separate room for couples, although i can't imagine dragging my boyfriend there [assuming i had one]...

i enjoyed a delicious iced caramel machiatto, and we shared a choco-banana waffle. [it was shaped like hello kitty!!]

it's definitely worth a visit...especially if you're a kitty fan^^

YGEntertainment

a few weeks ago, i went to the YG building in 합정 [hapjeong--an area of seoul located a covnenient 30 minutes from my apartment]. YG is the record label that produces BIGBANG, 2NE1, SE7EN, Psy, and Gummy. [but most importantly bigbangㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]

anyways, i was totally not creeping because bigbang wasn't even there at the time. and i knew that they weren't gonna be there. [they had another concert at that time...and for some reason i didn't goㅠㅠ] and, it's not creeping if they're not there, right??

anyways, i had wanted to drop by the building because i'd heard that it was really cool, architecturally. [ok, and also because i wanted to see bigbang's workplace...i'll admit it...]

there's a convenience store right next to it where fans have written messages for YG artists [although it appeared that most of them were for bigbang]. apparently, fans usually wait outside of the building for the artists to come out, but on the day that i went, there were only 3 [probably middle school aged] girls waiting. my friend and i only hung out for maybe 15 minutes or so...just enough time to enjoy our convenience store ice cream and take a few pictures. and it's possible that we may or may not have also written a message for bigbang.

anyways, it was cool to visit once. and i'd recommend stopping by to see the building [especially if you're a fan of YG]. but i'll probably never go back again unless i have a specific or legit reason to be there. mostly because i don't want my future husband [*cough*T.O.P*cough*] to catch me creeping. because that would be embarassing.

i hate this love song~

so, lately i've been trying to avoid posting bigbang fangirlishness, and instead post about the other [less interesting things] that i do, which for some reason most people find more interesting to read.

but i reallyreallyreally like this. a lot.

a couple of weeks ago, bigbang released a special edition of their newest mini-album, with love song as one of the title songs. and yesterday they released acapella versions of three of the songs. they are seriously amazing, and this one is my favorite. [ackkkk~~T.O.P's voice at the beginning!!]



and here's the official music video for the song, if you'd like to hear what the song sounds like with the instrumental accompaniment.

it's spring~!!

spring is finally here!! after weeks of bleak coldness, the sun has come out at last~~the air feels warm, and beautiful flowers are blooming everywhere.

to celebrate spring, i went to the cherry blossom festival at 여의도공원 [yeouido park] in seoul this past weekend. from there, my friend and i walked to 여의나루공원 [yeouinaru park] to relax by the 한강 [han river]. the weather was perfect, and i took entirely too many pictures [mostly of myself...i'm vain, i guessㅋㅋㅋ]. the only downside to our adventure was that approximately 50million people also ventured out to the park on that day.

happy black day~~

april 14 is black day in korea…it’s supposed to be a depressing singles’ holiday, following valentine’s day on feb 14 [the boy’s holiday] and white day on march 14 [the girl’s holiday]. so i guess it’s only fair that they should have a holiday for the remaining 5% of the population that is not currently in a relationship. [seriously…i’m pretty sure that everyone in this country is in a relationship…either that, or singles never leave their homes…whatevs.]

anyways, on black day, singles are supposed to gather together in depressed little groups and eat 자장면 [jajangmyeon], which is a black noodle dish. oh, and they’re also supposed to cry bitter tears into their jajangmyeon, as a horrible reminder that their lives apparently suck so much.

will i be celebrating black day? ~only absolutely.

will i be crying bitter tears into my dinner? ~ummheckNOO. and here’s why

1. jajangmyeon is freaking delicious as is.


2. quite frankly, i’m just excited that there’s a korean holiday i can celebrate.


3. OMYGOSH BIGBANG’S NEW MV CAME OUT TODAYYYYY. i’m too busy spazzing about that to be sadㅋㅋㅋ

rain.

it rained today. i'm told that it was radioactive, and that it's bad if it touches you. this morning, i was more concerned with putting in my headphones than putting up my umbrella. so i got rained on. just a little bit. i hope that i wake up with cool superpowers.

my cat does not like bigbang~~

as you may [or may not] know, i've had a cat since october. [her name is 채린-->chae lin.] she's super cute, occasionally sweet, and she loves watching TV.

she also hates bigbang. which is rather unfortunate because i love them so much.

she especially hates T.O.P~~which is also quite unfortunate. and very disappointing.

one day, i came home from school only to discover that she had not only [somehow] ripped my T.O.P poster off the wall, but she was also trying to eat it. and tear it apart with her claws. and i'm not talking about just the corners or edges of the poster...she was viciously attacking his face. she also really hates his voice [probably because it's so deep]. whenever i listen to bigbang music, she'll scrunch up in the corner and hiss every time he has a solo part. [i realize that she's not smart enough to put his face with his voice, so it's kind of ironic that she would hate that voice so much and that face...without realizing that they belong to the same person...]

anyways, yesterday, i was watching MNet Countdown [it's exactly what it sounds like...artists perform their new songs, and at the end they'll announce the winner who had the number one single for that week]. 채린 really enjoys TV, so she was just sitting on the edge of my bed watching...but then she did something unusual...

the second C.N.Blue started performing, she jumped up, right next to the TV, and she sat there completely immobile until their performace was over. [she especially seemed to like 정용화-->jung yong hwa, the guy in the picture.]

immediately after C.N.Blue, BIGBANG performed. 채린 was absolutely not happy about this. the second T.O.P started singing, she literally ran away from the TV...as fast as her little legs could carry her.

despite my best efforts, i could not get her to come back to the TV again. and i tried everything. i put treats in front of the screen. i put her favorite toy next to the TV. and i even dangled her ribbon from the top of the TV. but to no avail. she would have none of it.
however, ever since she was a tiny baby cat, i had noticed that she really likes taeyang's voice. i guess it's soothing for her, because she'd always stop and listen to him singing, until his part was over, and then she'd go hiss in the corner again.

so yesterday, when taeyang had his solo part, she went racing back to the TV...and then she started licking his face on the screen.

so, i guess she has a little crush...

PRAY for japan~

doctor webmd

yesterday, while i was sleeping in the office, the 6th grade head teacher came in, asked why i looked like i was dying, and then told me to go home early. [this was at 4:15.] so i got to leave a whole twenty minutes early--yay??

i decided to go to the doctor near my school. [the reason i had been wanting to leave school early to go there is because this particular clinic closes around 5-ish. i normally can't leave work until 4:40, so depending on how many people are waiting in front of me, i can't be guaranteed to get in to see the doctor before closing time. also, since i've been to that doctor twice before, they already have all of my information which makes it a lot easier since i'd have to go alone without a korean speaker.]

i managed to handle the entire ordeal in korean. i'm assuming it was successful because i now have some sort of medicine which may or may not be helping anything.

since this is the only doctor i've been too since arriving in korea, i'm not sure what other korean doctors are like. but after talking to my friends, i feel like he may not be the most legit doctor on the planet.

i like to call him "dr. webmd".

i've seen this doctor on three separate occasions, but every time, the visit goes the exact same. it has never taken more than three minutes. first, he will look at my throat. next, he checks my breathing [only one time] with a stethoscope. finally, he asks me to list my symptoms, which he types into a computer. after i've told him all of the symptoms that i think i have, he'll click a button on his computer which then shows a bunch of various random diseases in list form. [ever used the webmd symptom checker?? it's exactly like that...] everytime, he's had me look at the list of diseases, and he'll point to a few things and ask me which one i think i have. [umm...who's the doctor, here??]

i don't think it really matters which one we select as the final answer, because every single time, i've gotten the same pills from the pharmacy. every time. regardless of the diagnosis. and every time, i've been "diagnosed" with completely different things. [including one illness that i can only assume was either a typo or a make-believe disease called "pharylyngitis". ok, so i've heard of "pharyngitis" and i've heard of "laryngitis". but i'm pretty sure that a weird combination of the 2 doesn't exist. i googled it.]

but, i'm pretty sure that all pharmacies are like that, because even my friends have gotten the same 6 pills that come in little plastic packets. it's kind of sketchy, but since i haven't died yet, i'm gonna go ahead and assume that it's legit.

in other news: yesterday while i was sleeping, my coteacher decided to switch offices, for some reason. [so, i have no idea where she is now...]
operation: FLU GERMS was an epic fail.

sick

this week i've been really sick, and with each passing day i've gotten progressively worse. according to webmd, i've been stricken with either: a.) certain death, or b.) the flu.

i feel [and look] like i've been run over by a bus, dragged for a couple of miles by the aforementioned bus, and then hit by several very large trucks. my entire body aches [especially my head], i have chills, a fever, and i'm pretty sure there's enough pressure built up in my face that an explosion will almost certainly occur in the very near future.

somehow, i've been able to muster enough energy and strength to drag myself to school and teach my classes as enthusiastically as possible. i've never asked my school for anything, aside from permission to sleep in peace at my desk in the afternoon [this week, i don't have any classes after lunch time].

however, this morning [due to the fact that i felt particularly crap-tastic, and incredibly dizzy] i asked my coteacher [who shall remain nameless] if i could leave for only 30 minutes after lunch to go to the doctor. i didn't think it was asking for much. i mean, i wasn't asking her or anyone else to come with me. my intention was to struggle through the doctors visit using my limited korean skills + my bangin' charade skills. [i'm pretty much left to fend for myself anyways...so i'm used to it...] also, the doctor's office is literally a 2 minute walk down the street from my school. the entire trip could not possibly take more than half and hour. [i planned to return to school after the doctor visit, which i told her.]

when i asked her on tuesday, she told me [in no uncertain terms] that "suffering builds character". [although, i think that whoever said this quote originally intended it to mean suffering from persecution, not illness. whatevs.] but today, i suppose she lost all of her patience with me. about 5 minutes after what i thought was a perfectly legitimate and innocent request, she got all up in my face and said the following: "i have a real problem with you being sick. if you're going to keep being sick, then i'm going to write you a negative performance review."

seriously, what the heck. i mean, it's not like i can really help being sick [aside from living in one of those plastic bubbles so that i never come in contact with the outside world]. also, it's not like i wanted to be sick, or purposely became sick. i wasn't even asking to take a sick day. i wasn't asking to sleep during my classes instead of teaching. i'm obviously legitimately very sick. i mean, you can pretty much tell by looking at me. so i don't know what her problem is.

additionally, it should be noted that during the past [almost] 2 years of teaching at this school, i have only ever taken ONE FREAKING SICK DAY. why?? becuase i had the SWINE FLU. i had a note from the doctor and everything, that explicitly said [in korean, to avoid any language confusion] that i was to have a full week off of school, to avoid contaminating students and teachers with the swine flu. however, this same coteacher only allowed me to take one day off of work. ohh yeah, and to prove that i was dying and needed the day off, i had to walk all the way to school so that she could watch the nurse take my temperature. the thermometer reading? 104 degrees. and after seeing that i had a super high fever, she still had the audacity to ask the nurse if i could teach. the nurse looked at her like she was a crazy person. so guess who inadvertently started the swine flu epidemic at my school?!? yeah, it was me. [i should add that, during that hellish week of teaching with a 104 degree fever, i cried every afternoon while sleeping at my desk, and i passed out while teaching a class of 3rd graders, who have now probably all been scarred for life.]

the thing that makes me the most frustrated is that whenever this same coteacher even has a slight headache, she leaves school. but she won't even allow the same consideration for me. i mean, i can work with headaches. but fever and chills?? a little bit harder to put up with. also, according to my contract, i'm supposed to get 9 sick days. [i've taken a grand total of ZERO since renewing my contract.]

so, for the duration of my illness i have come up with a brilliant plan for revenge. she forgets that i have one thing that she doesn't have: FLU GERMS!! therefore, in between teaching and sleeping, i plan to use my free time coughing on her//her stuff as much as possible, as well as blowing my nose//sneezing and touching her things. mwahahaha.

happy white day^^

today is white day in korea. which is [yet another] lovey-dovey blahhhh holiday. it's so nice being a single girl and living in a country that's obsessed with coupley-mushy-disgustingly-romantical things.

and i don't even care that this post is going to reek of cynicism. meh.

basically, white day is the opposite of valentine's day, which in korea, is when the girl should give candy//flowers//random tokens of affection to her boyfriend//crush//whatever.

so on white day, it's the boy's job to display disgusting tokens of affection and love.

candy, chocolates, flowers, stuffed animals, etc. are literally EVERYWHERE in the days leading up to white day. so thank you, korea. thank you for rubbing my singleness into my face.

so here's to hoping that someday...maybe someday...i'll get disgusting white day flowers from a guy like this:

i'm just hoping that he won't eat the flowers first...

llama face?!?

since last week was the 1st week of the new school year, i had monday and tuesday off. then, i had to spend the rest of the week...desk-warming.

desk-warming is the horrible phenomenon that occurs when foreign english teachers in korea [like myself] find themselves with no classes to teach, due to a variety of outside circumstances [usually tests or school trips]. despite having no classes to teach, no lessons to plan, and no real work to do, the schools and coteachers don't know what to do with the foreign english teachers. therefore, these teachers are forced to come in to work anyways, and sit at their desk all day long. with absolutely nothing to do.

having no real work to do [aside from tefl and korean homework], i found myself with an overabundance of free time last week. so, i did what i usually do in my spare time: look at pictures of bigbang.

during my search, i came across this picture:

T.O.P's facial expression looked too ridiculous to be true, so i had to zoom in for closer inspection...and that's when i uncovered the horrifying truth...my boy totally looks like a llama!!

to be clear, T.O.P is the one on the left. or maybe it's the right...

however, i also came across this picture during my search, which totally redeems him, as it's one of the most supersmokinghott pictures ever:

also, i totally have that hoodie. and it's pretty much the greatest//most comfortable thing ever.

good news!!

the good news for you, dear readers, is that this post has absolutely nothing to do with bigbang^^

the good news for me is that i don't have to teach with yzma-englishee-no. this morning, as soon as i arrived at school, this amazing news was delivered to me.

the woman is afraid of me...that's what she told me coteacher. sooo, apparently i'm truly terrifying. [it's gotta be because my eyes are abnormally large. that must be it. ohh, or maybe i'm intimidatingly cute...??] seriously though, i have no idea what i did to scare her away...but, CONGRATULATIONS, ME!!

maybe this new school year will be pretty great, after all^^

BigBang The 4th Mini Album CD Review

V.I.Ps, and kpop fans alike, rejoiced when it was revealed that BigBang would return once again to the korean music scene. aside from solo projects and numerous cellphone ads, the 5-member group had virtually disappeared from korea for a long 2 years and 3 months. instead, they turned their attentions to an overseas market, releasing several jpop mini albums. because of this long absence, fans [like myself] were ecstatic about their comeback...counting down the days until the mini album's release date: february 24.

way back in 2008, BigBang released "remember"--an album that was practically perfect in every way. [and my personal favorite BigBang CD.] but since then, the kpop market has changed with the emergence of many new super popular boy bands [2PM, b2st, etc etc etc]. however, i believe that BigBang's 4th mini album--while being reminiscent of old BigBang--also shows that they have grown and matured as a group. it shows that they've still got "it"--the ability to dazzle audiences and dominate music charts.

like previous BigBang albums, the 4th mini album showcases their unique talents and abilities. and that's the primary reason why i like BigBang so much--they stand out against other kpop boy bands. because they [well, g-dragon...] write their own music, they are able to create unique, meaningful lyrics. additionally, they have shown both the unwillingness to compromise their creative integrity and the refusal to conform in a notoriously cookie cutter industry. [don't get me wrong, i LOVE me some kpop...but these days, they've been deputing so many new bands in a relatively small time frame, that everyone begins to look and sound the same...]

that being said...i was somewhat disappointed when i discovered that the new BigBang album would be just a mini album containing only 6 songs [one of which is an intro track]. i am impatient...greedy for more BigBang--NOW. however, the cd definitely lived up to my standards...and the hype that was created for it.

the album:

ok, so the cover art is a silver, metallic skull wearing headphones. umm, it's kind of creepy, not gonna lie. except for the sparkly-ness, i'm not sure that it exactly fits with their image...i mean, it's more like something i'd expect to see on a death-metal cd, not kpop. but, whatever.

the actual cd booklet, on the other hand, is super colorful. love it. the bright designs break up the monotony of the black/silver exterior, and their fashions are bold and unique.

the songs:

intro (thank you and you): even though this is only a short intro track, i really love it. the beat is super dance-y...it makes me excited to listen to the rest of the cd. which is kind of the point of an intro track anyways.

however, the hook--"i'm fine, thank you and you?"--is pretty much the entire english repertoire of most korean students [in my experience]. so thank you, BigBang; i now get to spend the rest of my esl teaching career listening to students sing this at me every time i ask "how are you?". [also, i'm pretty sure that the majority of my students only know kpop english...they can only recite the days of the week to the tune of "mazeltov" by ze:a, and any time they try to apoogize for something it's either sung as "sorry sorry sorry sorry" ("sorry sorry" by super junior) or "i'm so sorry but i love you" ("거짓말"--"lies" by bigbang). but i digress...]

hands up: this song was previously released on one of their japanese mini albums [last fall, i believe]. at the time, i didn't particularly care for the song...but i fell in love with it after hearing it performed live at the YG Family concert in december. other than the obvious fact that the language is different, the korean version on this mini album doesn't sound very different. it has a classic BigBang feel to it music-wise. the biggest difference that i noticed [between the japanese and korean versions] is in T.O.P's rap--which sounds better in the korean version--because he does a different thing to his voice; it's super hott.

tonight: this is the main title track from the album, and it is brilliant. the musical part is pop-y and dance-y, but at the same time it has a more mature, darker feel to it. they blend the contrasting tones of each of their 5 voices to create a uniquely beautiful song. the highlight of the song is towards the end--the music climaxes and suddenly stops, leaving a lone acoustic guitar playing the haunting melody, accompanied by vocals. i really love the use of falsetto during the chorus; it fits perfectly with the mood of the song.

somebody to love: this track was also a previously released jpop song [i think it was on the same mini album as "hands up"]. i loved it when i first heard it in japanese, and i still love it now. this song also has a classic BigBang feel to it. it's dance-y, pop-y, exciting, and fun. the chorus is essentially them declaring that they "want somebody to love", which i'm pretty certain has every girl screaming "I'M RIGHT HEREEEEE--LOVE ME!!" [or, maybe that's just me...]

what is right: this song reminds me of something that i'd listen to while driving in my car on a warm summer day with the windows down. it's a cute, fun song. it's not brilliant, and BigBang has certainly released better tracks [umm, "하루하루", "거짓말", "마자막 인사"..."day by day", "lies", "last farewell"...]. but it definitely gets your foot tapping, and it is legitimately fun to listen to.

cafe: ok. so this is probably my favorite song on the entire mini album. the very appropriately named "cafe" begins with a jazzy-sounding piano, accompanied by T.O.P's deeply sexy voice 13 seconds in. [i've literally listened to that part probably a million times...for optimum listening experience, i recommend earbuds, not speakers...it sounds like he's speaking right into your ears. not gonna lie, i died a little bit...] this song features silky smooth vocals from all 5 members--definitely showcasing their undeniable talent. taeyang's and g-dragon's falsetto parts do not disappoint, and they sound amazing together. daesung's voice sounds raw and passionate when he declares "you don't need me anymore". and seung ri's voice has a pure, yet mature quality to it [after all, he is only 20...]. i'm pretty sure this song has made me fall head-over-heels in love with all 5 of them. and it also gives me a craving for caramel machiattos...

my overall assessment of BigBang's The 4th Mini Album is that it is a great cd. i would definitely recommend it for both diehard V.I.P's and casual kpop fans. it features a great mix of old and new BigBang sounds. each track is different, and presents different emotions. both the music and the lyrics show how the boys have grown up and matured since the release of "remember", yet they still remain true to the unique style that made them famous to begin with.

good job, BigBang...your newest mini album definitely does not disappoint!!

[as an added bonus, here is "cafe" from the new mini album...listen to it, fall in love with them, and you'll understand what i was talking about...]

BIGBANG Big Show 2011

yesterday, i had the privilege of seeing the 1st of the 3 Big Show concerts. [the other two are today and tomorrow.] due to luck and my sheer amazingness at acquiring excellent concert tickets, i was able to secure standing spots on the first floor, by the side stage. unfortunately, i was unable to take any illegal creeper pictures//fancams due to the fact that i was unable to move my arms during the majority of the concert, and i was in plain view of a security guard. [this is because i ended up being right against the gate by the stage due to will power and determination--and unnaturally sharp elbows.]

the concert was every bit as amazing as i had expected. bigbang definitely knows how to please their fans and excite a crowd--their performances never disappoint.

i went to the concert with my friend, jen. [our friendship and shared love for bigbang works because i'm in love with T.O.P, and she's in love with G-Dragon.] we arrived at the venue really early because we wanted to check out the concert merch. which was a fail because the line was super long and we didn't want to wait. however, our early-ness definitely paid off, because we were interviewed on tv!! the camera guy just wanted us to say a few things in korean; so we said that we loved bigbang and were excited about the concert. and then we pulled out the signs that we had worked so hard to make [jen's for GD and mine for T.O.P~~obvi], and i said that i loved T.O.P because he was handsome, and the camera guy laughed. SCORE.

after braving the semi-coldness outside, and the crazy middle school fangirls inside, it was finally time for the concert to start!! the lights dimmed, and on the big screens, they showed the premiere of GDTOP's music video for "집에 가지마" [don't go home]...omygosh. best music video everrrr. after the video, it got really dark...music started playing and the crowd rushed forward towards the stage. bigbang was coming! they opened with "hands up", one of the songs off of their new mini album. it was sooo much fun being on the floor--everyone was jumping and screaming from pure excitement.

seung ri was the first to perform his solo stage, singing his new songs "V.V.I.P" and "어쩌라고" [what can i do]. i think he's always really entertaining to watch because he has a lot of confidence and charisma while performing.

the next solo stage was taeyang, who sang "where u at" and "i'll be there". amazing, as always. my only complaint was that he did not rip off his shirt and reveal his famous rock hard abs.

daesung performed a brand new song for his solo performance, "baby don't cry". omygosh. i CANNOT wait for his solo album to be released!! the song was probably one of my favorites during the concert. the performance was simple, but that just allowed to audience to focus on daesung's amazing vocals all the more. the song had a pop-rock feel to it, which suited his voice perfectly.

finally, it was GD&T.O.P's turn. they began with an amazing performance of my personal favorite, "뻑이가요" [knock out]. i had seen this song performed live 3 times previously, and this was most definitely my favorite. their outfits were amazing, the dancers were great, and the audience interaction was perfect. the duo came out on segways [GD rolled right past where i was standing!], and they even had an army tank on the stage...just like in the music video. next, they sang "oh yeah" with 박봄 [park bom] from 2NE1, and finally, "high high". all of bigbang joined them on the stage for their last song.

about halfway through the concert, bigbang showed the parody they had made of the incredibly popular kdrama, "secret garden". [it was seriously the best show of all time.] the parody was absolutely hilarious.

bigbang sang a lot of old favorites, including the acoustic version of "하루하루" [day by day]--which is my favorite version of my favorite korean song [which just so happens to be the song that got me hooked on bigbang]. they also performed all of the songs from their new mini album, which was released on thursday. i particularly enjoyed the performance of "cafe", because the song is super hot and [almost] everything about the performance was super hot as well. [the song showcases T.O.P's deep, sexy voice. ummheckyess.] the only thing that confused/bewildered me about the performances of their new songs were the outfits...seung ri and G-Dragon were wearing [wait for it]...

...SKIRTS. i mean, WHAT THE HECK?!?!??!?!?!? i have no idea what they were thinking when they decided that this would be a good idea. seung ri wore a freaking pleated black mini skirt over his jeans. [i read in an article online that they were trying to copy the fashions from the movie "300". it did not work out too well for them.] however, GD was wearing a straight up, legit skirt. like, it fell just below his knee. and it was gold. and sparkly. G-DRAGON THIS IS NOT OKAY!!!!!!!!! T.O.P was wearing some strange half skirt thing [it was literally half of a skirt. it covered only one leg...actually, it looked more like a weird apron]. i mean, at least he wasn't trying to rock a skirt-skirt, but still. not ok. at least daesung and taeyang resisted--they wore pants. like men.

i wasn't really surprised in GD's wardrobe choice [i mean, last year, he tried to rock a man skirt during the big show...at least this time he wore jeans underneath his skirt. last time, he was wearing what i can only assume were leggings]. however, i was surprised that he somehow managed into talking seung ri to go along with it. and that he was able to halfway convince T.O.P that it was a good idea.

fortunately for G-Dragon, he started playing a guitar halfway through the song "tonight", so i was willing to overlook and kind of forgive his fashion mis-hap. [this is because guys playing the guitar while singing are SUPER hott.]

the concert ended with the unveiling of bigbang's music video for their new song "tonight". and then the crowd began to chant: 사랑해! 사랑해! 사랑해! [we love you! we love you! we love you!] not gonna lie, i screamed my heart out with all those middle schoolers. after about five minutes of nonstop screaming, bigbang came back for the encore [that we all knew was coming]. they sang "always" and "볽은 노을" [sunset glow]. amazing. yet, at the same time sad...because it meant that the concert was ending.

my only disappointed with the show was the lack of T.O.P love that my side of the stage received. daesung and taeyang each came over once. seung ri came over a lot. and lingered. [and once again, saw me//waved...next time i'm making a sign for him haha] and GD rode by on his segway. but T.O.P didn't even come over once! [sad face ㅠㅠ] the only time he was kinda close was at the end, when all of bigbang came over to that side, but not on the side stage...they stayed on the main stage [it was during a part when they were talking]. they were probably 30 feet away from where i was standing, but i waved my sign around in the air anyways. i'm not sure if T.O.P saw it, although it's possible [i was the closest person to him with a sign]. sigh. oh well. there's always next time^^

after the concert, jen and i met up with allison, and the three of us were on tv...again!! the guy just wanted to know our thoughts on the concert, as well as which member was our favorite. once again, jen and i pulled out our signs...the camera guy seemed impressed//amused.

so basically, i'm kind of like a celebrity. or something like that...

today's the big day!

8 hours and counting until the bigbang concert!!

i can't freaking wait^_______^

their new cd is banging, and if the concert is anything like last year's big show, then it's for sure going to be the greatest concert of my life~~EEKKKKK!!!!!!!!!

BIGBANG IS BACK!!

[most definitely incredible. hey, move.]

b to the i to the g [bang bang]

today, after having made V.I.Ps wait for 2 years and 3 months, BIGBANG has finally made their korean comeback *^_____________^*

i'm listening to their new mini-album now, while making my sign for tomorrow's concert [to be unveiled to the public later]. best day ever.

well, until tomorrow...because i get to see my boys up close and personal [1st floor standing tickets HECKYESS!!], and tomorrow is the official release date of their new cd [in hard copy form...today was the digital release date].

omygosh i'm going to be so close to this hottness, i might dieeeeeeee~~

ALMOSTALMOSTALMOST!!

bigbang's comeback...it's almost hereeeeeee^_____________^

also, on friday, i'm going to the bigbang big show 2011~~and i can't freaking wait!!
i'm gonna be among the first to hear NEW bigbang liveeeeee~~excitement!!*^^*

the new teacher

since the new school year officially begins next wednesday [2 march], all of the new [and old]teachers are at school today, moving into and out of classrooms, redecorating, etc etc etc.

also, today i met my new coteacher.

my first impression of her was: "holy crap, she strongly resembles yzma from the emperor's new groove". however, i was unwilling to let my initial prejudice against the woman effect my judgment of her character, teaching abilities, etc.

and then, i met her.

it's probably not a good sign when the FIRST thing your english coteacher says to you is: "englishee. no." while making a giant X with her arms.

she then proceeded to give me a double thumbs up and say: "you. me. BEST...[insert long pause here] together."

i can already tell that it's going to be a terrific year.

BIGBANG IS BACK...almost

YG has been teasing V.I.Ps for months regarding BIGBANG's comeback album [as a group, they've been missing from the korean music scene for about 2 years...although they have released quite a few japanese singles, plus g-dragon, taeyang, gdtop, and seung-ri have released successful albums/mini-albums during bigbang's korean hiatus].

after pushing back the official release date just enough times to drive fans absolutely crazy, the official word is that bigbang's 4th mini-album will be dropped next thursday.

earlier this week, they teased us with the offical tracklist.

and today, concept photos!! YAYYYYYY!!

T.O.P's new hair looks kinda...fugly. but whatever, he's T.O.P and therefore will always be supersupersexy regardless of his hairstyle. also, HOLYCRAPDAESUNG. he looks...ahh-may-zing.

[승리//seung-ri]

[태양//taeyang]

[대성//daesung]

[지드래곤//g-dragon]

[탑//T.O.P]

[빅뱅 화이팅!!]

graduation

today, my precious little 6th graders graduate and move on to middle schoolㅠㅠ

it just hit me today that this is actually happening, and--not surprisingly--i'm really sad about it...

these students have been my favorites ever since i first started teaching at buwon--back when they were in fifth grade. i mean, they were just really, really good students. they were fun, smart, and they always tried hard and seemed interested in my classes [ok, so maybe they weren't really interested, but they sure did a good job acting like it].

anyways, i'm really bad at saying goodbye. like, horrifically bad. usually, my m.o. is just to leave--no goodbyes necessary. but today, i'm obligated to attend the graduation, and say goodbye to my 300 favorite students.

and now i'm wondering why i wanted to be a teacherㅠㅠ
this sucks.

oops...

i totally forgot that yesterday was valentine's day, lovely readers.

oops.


since i live in korea, and koreans are obsessed with stupid lovey-dovey holidays, they celebrate it much differently people do back home in america.



in korea on valentine's day, the girl should buy candy or chocolates to confess her love to her husband//boyfriend//crush//whatever. blahhhh. [yes, i'm bitter...]



in case you're wondering who i gave chocolates to this year, the answer is...



...no one!! [surprise, surprise]



ohh, and in the spirit of valentine's day, here's a picture of T.O.P wearing pink*^^*

i'd give chocolates to him...

vacay: in pictures

jen and me...soooo ready for vacation!!

[and yes, we are wearing sunglasses...in an airport...]

intramuros [manila]

dancing on the wall at intramuros

[because i'm just that awesome.]

manila [as seen from intramuros]

the old spanish prison [manila]

cebu city

bluewater beach [mactan island]

we're on a boat!

[island hopping adventure^^]

the absolutely gorgeous beach at costabella

[mactan island]

the resort we stayed at for the last 3 days of vacay

[and we absolutely LOVED it]