SNSD's Tiffany was seen on the History Channel

Recently, Tiffany was seen on the History Channel talking about K-pop under an episode titled: South Korea: A Nation to Watch.

Read  more about it (and the video) here: http://www.allkpop.com/2011/07/snsds-tiffany-appears-on-the-history-channel

Korean Movies

So, recently I have watched a bunch of Korean movies. I recommend all of them, and you can find reviews, subtitles and summaries on mysoju.com. My reviews :) : 


1. Antique Bakery 3/5 stars

     I liked Antique Bakery, but honestly the ending was the best part. The climax of the story appeared too far towards the end and I wasn't really interested all that much until it. I think the gay character in the movie is a little over done, and I could use without the french guy, Jean. Overall, the child/teen character (who, the actor also appears in Sunkyunkwang Scandal) was my favorite character. Also, warning: it will make you want to eat lot of cake. I appreciate the depth the script-writer was trying at, but I don't think it was as effective as it could have been. For fans Of: Kurt on Glee, Personal Preference, Coffee Prince

2. My Sassy Girl 4.5/5

    My Sassy Girl is a nice romantic comedy that shows what Korean movies are about. I found it really funny and enjoyed how playful the characters interacted. Warning: do not watch the American version! I hear it is really bad (I personally have not seen it, but Korean customs just get lost in a new format). One thing to keep in mind while watching this movie is that it was made a while ago (by a while I mean early 2000's).

For Fans Of: 100 Days w/ Mr. Arrogant, Hello Schoolgirl, Marrying the Mafia

3. 100 Days With Mr. Arrogant 4/5 

    I found the start of this movie to be really hilarious, but it lost momentum as it continued on. The relationship between the main characters progress a bit too fast in my taste and I think it would have been better split up into 2 or 3 movies. I did like the characters, especially how mischievous the main boy is, but I am kind of sick of having stupid female roles (e.g. Playful Kiss). I enjoyed the irony of the title and the circumstance that caused her and him to get together. One thing I like is how the main male finds a nicer side to him by the end. For Fans Of: Playful Kiss, My Sassy Girl, Seducing Mr. Perfect

4. My Boyfriend is Type B 2.5-3/5

    Honestly, I couldn't sit all the way through this movie. One reason is because the sound anywhere with English subs is messed up, another is because I really just want to slap the main guy. I know that is the point, but I just can't understand how the female lead could fall in love with him. He's homeless, a jerk, steals her money, etc. Again with the stupid women. I really want to see a movie that is a girl type B and maybe an AB guy, I think that would be interesting. Though the main characters seem to lack depth to me, I really liked the cousin's character. She was the voice of reason for the majority of the movie (mind you, I only saw the first five (5) parts out of eight (8), so my judgement may be a little out of sync). 

For Fans Of: 100 Days W/ Mr. Arrogant, I honestly have no idea, maybe people who like Chris Brown hitting Rihanna.... 

5. Baby and me 4.5/5

    I really liked this movie! I love Jang Geun-Suk, I loved him in You're Beautiful and adored him (not so much his character) in Mary Stayed Out All Night. I think he looks fabulous in this movie! It was made in 2008, so that means he was 21ish so he was adorable. I really liked the ending of this movie; what was a cute movie found some profound-ness and depth. I think the female lead fit the part really well. The only I wish was that the movie was longer so we could see his relationship with the baby a little more. Also, some things are not explained, like how even though he is only left with $100 (watch the movie and you'll understand), he somehow manages to by all these things for the baby. For Fans Of: 200 Pound Beauty, Hello Baby (show)

Movies I am Planning on watching (Tearjerkers): The Classic, A Moment to Remember

Teen Vogue and South Korea

As a reader of Teen Vogue I've been super excited for all the South Korean/ K-pop references that show up in the magazine. This past Feburary 2NE1 was mentioned in the magazine.  They were commenting on the style of South Korea and said “…but the younger set are feeling rock-chic right now and are likely to be dressed in , say, a Junya Watanabe jumper with an Alexander Wang tee (see the pop band 2NE1).”  

Then in June, the Wonder Girls got a whole page to themselves. 

Then, I recently read the June edition, and they interviewed one of their models. She was talking about her style for the first day of school and commented, saying she would love to wear a pair of her own personalized converses that have a skull with star eyes after her favorite band, Big Bang. (FYI she is Asian)

Book: My Most Excellent Year.

Today I started, and finished a book titled My Most Excellent Year by Steve Kluger. It is a story based on the friendship of three teenagers: T.C. who is a boy in love with the Red Sox, whose mom died when he was six; Augie, a ABC (American Born Chinese) who loves musicals, diva-ness and is completly and utterly gay; and Ale (with an accent I can't type) whose father was the Mexican ambassador, and who loves performing.

The book highlights the inner struggle between each character. For example, the three of them act in the school's talent show, Kiss Me, Kate and befriend a six-year-old deaf orphan. They realize things like true magic and that brother(or sister hood)hood is one of the most important things in life.

In his first novel for young readers, Kluger revisits themes in his adult titles: baseball, romantic sparring, and social activism. Boston teens T. C. and Augie are such close friends that their families acknowledge them as brothers. Alejandra has recently arrived from Washington, D.C., where her father served as a Mexican ambassador to the U.S. Written in multiple voices and nontraditional formats, including instant messages and school assignments, Kluger’s crowded, exuberant novel follows the three high-school freshman through an earth-shaking year in which musical-theater-obsessed Augie realizes that he is gay, Alejandra reveals her theatrical talents to disapproving parents, and T. C. tries to make a deaf child’s greatest wish come true. At the center are heart-pulling romances (even a few among adults) and a broadening sense of what family means. A few plot twists will require readers to suspend belief, and the voices tend to sound alike. Still, the appealing characters are bright, passionate, and fully engaged in their lives, and many readers will lose themselves in this original, high-spirited story. Grades 8-12. --Gillian Engberg

for a more in-depth summary:  http://www.linussblanket.com/my-most-excellent-year-by-steve-kluger/
buy: http://www.amazon.com/My-Most-Excellent-Year-Poppins/dp/0803732279

Hottest K-pop Stars

A little note about the fashion choices of my favorite rapper in the K-pop business. Whether it's his tailored suits or old-school hoodies, this man's style is out to win. 


From an article about the top hotties in K-pop (see original article here: http://koreafreeandeasy.com/?p=2312):

1. T.O.PIt’s tough to resist this rapper’s steamy stare, which he whips out in the middle of his jazzy, bluesy, hip-hoppy raps for K-Pop group BIG BANG. Non-fans love to hate on his douche-y Zoolander-esque poses, but true fans know he’s just putting on a show (T.O.P or Choi Seung-hyun is known as his group’s resident clown). Whether he’s sporting his manly tailored suits or is lying low in his favorite BAPE hoodies, this harmonica-playing, beatboxing, award-winning actor oozes "sex appeal" like it’s nobody’s business. T.O.P or bottom? T.O.P, most definitely.

 Prime Examples of his favorite Bape hoodies: 

Kenji

Hey guys, another AA celeb. I actually didn't know this one before I saw it one a little google search for Fort Minor.

Mike Shinoda from Lincoln Park and Fort Minor is 1/4 Japanese, his dad is Japanese-American. One of his songs, "Kenji", focuses on the struggle of the  Japanese living in America during WWII. It talks specifically about interment camps and Mike's family's experience with them.

Asian Grown Website

If you were wondering a good link for Asian American sources here it is:

http://www.asian-nation.org

Happy educating :).

Asian Grown Post Secrets

Please Watch... Support Japan :D

Japan, Fighting!!

How I have Changed Since Kpop Entered My Life

Point 1:

I really never used to conform...at all! In general I would purposefully not do the cool thing. Call it a habit, but I would never get things even if I wanted to, just because of everyone else who has them.


So, point is, there is a type of shoe (TOMS) that I thought were cool, but the only reason I wouldn't wear them is because everyone wears them at my school, so I thought it would be lame to start wearing them. That is until I saw B2st wearing them. 

If you wanted to know:

Yoseob is wearing http://www.toms.com/mens/classics/chocolate-men-s-classics
Kikwang (I think) is wearing http://www.toms.com/mens/new-styles/passport-black-men-s-vegan-classics
Doojon is wearing http://www.toms.com/mens/new-styles/black-velvet-men-s-classics
Hyunseung is wearing http://www.toms.com/mens/classics/navy-stone-washed-twill-men-s-classics
Dongwoon is wearing http://www.toms.com/mens/classics/red-stone-washed-twill-men-s-classics

So now, well, I am going to buy a pair of TOMS :D. And they're really helpful! For each pair bought, a child (in africa, I think) gets a pair of shoes!! Kpop not only made me realize it was silly for not getting something that I liked, but also it's OK to do the "cool" thing if you want to do it, and if it helps people. I'm still not going to be posting picture of Justin Beiber around my walls or anything, but it's not going to be because I likehim, but so does everyone else, it is going to be because it's not what I'm into. 

Steeler Steals My (non-bi-racial) Heart

Super Bowl XLV (or forty-five for you non-roman-numeral-reading people): My team (STEELERS BABY)  is playing/ played, depending on when I post this. A little fun fact for you, one of my favorite player on the team (mostly just because he’s half) is half Korean J. YAY! Who is this NFL player who promotes bi-racial-ness? He’s number 86 on the team so watch out for him on offense as one of the team’s wide receivers. “Ward, who was born in Seoul to a Korean mother and an African-American soldier father, and was raised mainly in Georgia by his mother.” (source link)

Racism in Korea  (and America, for that matter) hurt children as they grow up and put a dent in their self-confidence. Ward tries to help bi-racial kids from South Korea to realize they are just as special as every-other non-mixed person (see the earlier source link).

Mary Music

What's with the music in this show?!?!?! really....

Asian Grown Designers

I'm sorry I haven't posted in a while; I've been busy with school. First, I'd like to start off with saying, if you find this interesting, go to my tumblr, because I post a lot with that :). 


I read an interesting article recently about the First Lady's "Signals in a Red Dress" at the state dinner.  Focusing on designers, the article talks about different people at the dinner, read it here



So today is a spotlight on Asian Grown Designers (specifically the men)! Side Note: I just want to say how awesome Vera Wang is! :). 





>Richard Chai (who, this past fashion week, won for men’s wear) 

I'm actually loving these boots so much!

Hello there! So, leather jackets = :). red pants, slightly questionable

cutie

   
I absolutely love this guy, he just looks good and rocks everything he does! He has a line for target that set out during 2008. His clients include: Kate Hudson, Blake Lively, Sarah Jessica Parker, Christina Ricci. 

After helping launch the Marc by Marc Jacobs line and revamping a tired TSE, Richard Chai introduced his eponymous line of highly tailored, quietly feminine pieces to industry raves in 2004. An Ecco Domani Award followed a year later, but it wasn’t until 2008 that Chai’s work reached new heights—he launched a menswear line, designed a capsule collection for Target, and made it into the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund’s top ten finalists. Referenced as one of the “new Asian” influences on modern design (alongside fellow up-and-comers Derek Lam and Peter Som), Chai creates casual clothes that pair surprising fabrics—like silks mixed with wools and twill with georgette—reined in with architectural touches like French seams and origami folds, earning his work a reputation for minimalist, menswear-inspired touches.

> Jason Wu (most famous for women’s wear)
Many may know him as the man who designed the dress that our First Lady wore on inauguration night.




> Alexander Wang ( a leader in designing accessories). Who also designed the dress on Michelle Obama in the above picture.


 

Some of Wang's clients include the Olsen Twins, Fergie, Demi Lovato, and Lauren Conrad. He focuses on geometric shapes and does a lot with cut-outs! :).




credit: New York Times, http://www.style.com/fashionshows/review/F2009RTW-RCHAI, http://www.suite101.com/content/top-asian-american-fashion-designers-a118667

Watched at Least 100 Times...