Just a little PSA

Listen up, people – I’d like to inform you about something that every international fan should know but that some don’t seem to. I would expect that it would be common knowledge by now but that doesn’t appear to be the case so here goes…

Translators/Fansubbers are doing us a favour, okay? They are regular people just like you and me – they go to school or university, they work, they have lives and they don’t benefit in any (financial) way from what they do. They take an extraordinary amount of time and energy to translate articles or cyworld/iple entries and to sub videos and then upload them and make them available for us, non Korean/Japanese/Chinese speaking fans, to read, watch and/or download and they do all of this out of the goodness of their hearts. They don’t have to do what they do, they could just leave the rest of us to scramble around and beg someone to explain what’s going on but they don’t. They translate and sub these things because they’re good people and they want to help the rest of us fans by making these shows/interviews/articles completely understandable to us, okay?

So please, please do not go to a fansubbing account and complain because you think that they’re too slow or you don’t like how they sub their videos or whatever – I’m not saying don’t say something constructive, like if they use a font colour that makes the subs really difficult to read, well, then sure you can say that – but please don’t go and complain or berate the people. We should be nothing but super grateful towards translators and fansubbers and if you have to tell them anything, please try to be encouraging and supportive and express that you appreciate what they do. If it takes them awhile to sub a show you want to watch or to translate an article, don’t go over there and whine about it, please just try to be patient and bear with them because they’re doing the best they can – and they don’t have to do it in the first place.

That concludes my public service announcement for the day.

Maki

(By the way, I’m not trying to sound like a know-it-all or anything when I write posts like this- it’s just that I see these things and they bother me so I want to address them here. That’s all.)

“I love you, girl!”

You know I find myself wondering more and more these days why there are so many people who like to hate on Big Bang. Dude, I love those boys soooooo much it’s not even funny. Honestly if it weren’t for SHINee’s uber-cuteness, I would probably be a VIP all the way. Anyway, I just watched their Sunset Glow performance for their M!Countdown comeback and now I’m wondering why I don’t watch more of these. I LOVE THESE PERFORMANCES! The boys look so cute and happy and upbeat and they have so much energy and you can really tell that they’re having loads of fun and I’m so happy about that, you know, because it means that they get to end their promotions on a good note, because they can loosen up and really enjoy these performances – they don’t have to worry so much about getting the choreography just right or hitting all the perfect notes (even though I’m sure they still do because they’re just hard-working like that).

Anyway I watched all of the comeback stage performances actually and the Sunset Glow one was by far my favourite. Even though I love seeing them perform the intro, the not-so-great camera work towards the end  plus the weird stage set-up kind of killed it for me, then while I love the Korean version of Remember, I’m not feeling the performances of it because (as usual) they’re dancing to a song that doesn’t really need any dancing. It’s slow enough that choreography isn’t really necessary as far as I’m concerned. It was a good performance though and TOP was super cute towards the end. Ah, I actually ended up watching this comeback stage because I wanted to see their Number 1 performance but then Daesung looked (and sounded) really tired there – I could tell he was trying his hardest but he didn’t have his usual energy and you could still sense his fatigue (darn you, Cats!) and since Dae-Dae’s my favourite one to watch all the time during these performances, I was too busy staring at him and feeling bummed that he was so burnt out to really enjoy the performance – it wasn’t bad though from what I could tell.

And then I watched Sunset Glow – and I cheered right up! because Dae-Dae had his smile back (I seriously cannot stand to see that boy not smiling…he’s like Dubu, I’m just used to him always grinning) and TOP was just so ridiculously adorable – I know some people think he’s scary or intimidating and I’ll be the first to admit that at times, he is like that (it’s his eyes – they’re so intense!) but oppa can really pull off cute when he wants to (and sometimes without even trying) – I mean, hello, the man manages to look cute wearing a muzzle! that has got to be some sort of skill – and then of course, the whole feel of this song/performance is so cute and upbeat! I mean, I know this is supposed to be a sad song, lyrically and whatnot but I’m finding it really difficult to see it like that when the BB boys are bouncing around the stage, making cute faces and totally enjoying themselves. I mean, they didn’t do that with Haru Haru, you know? I think it’s okay though because I know they wanted to come back with an inspirational song and I think they really did that because whenever I hear this song, I just get excited and hyper and start smiling, especially during the chorus. TOP’s “I love you, girl!” gets me every time. So yeah, I really, really like Big Bang and Sunset Glow and their Sunset Glow performances and I think it’s a shame if you don’t and I think I’m going to have to start watching more of these Sunset Glow performances because I really like them. And if you haven’t watched any, then you can always start with the one below. Go on – watch it! I’m off to check out some Family Outing~

credit: BabyBongaholic on YT

Later!

a happy Maki

P.S: My BB bias is so obvious, no? I didn’t even mention Taeyang, Seungri-gun or Mr. G-Dragon (I really liked his hat in the intro!) Don’t worry – I really like them too, it’s just that I find TOP and Daesung (the two dorks of the group!) too adorable for words. I’ve actually been meaning to write a post about Daesung and why I love him now and do not think he’s the weakest member of Big Bang (even though he was initially the member I paid the least amount of attention to) for awhile now – it’s still coming so look out for it, okay?

A name I call myself…

Random post time!

So you know it really annoys me when I see people say negative things towards certain K-pop fans just because they call themselves by their favourite group/artist’s official fanclub name. I see people say things like “you’re so silly/delusional/dumb calling yourself a VIP/Cassie/E.L.F., etc. when you’re not even Korean” and I think that that’s a really silly response. I mean, I understand that these titles were created for the official fan clubs of the groups/artists to use and so it’s perfectly fine if you, as an international fan, choose not to refer to yourself that way but ultimately I don’t think there’s anything wrong with an international fan calling him/herself by that name because in the end, we’re still fans and because we unfortunately don’t have the luxury of being able to be a part of that group or person’s official fan club, calling ourselves by the official fan club name allows us to feel a little bit closer to that artist/group and to the other fans as well. I mean, when the Wonder Girls say that they love all of the Wonderfuls out there, I think that they’re talking about all of their fans, respective of location and when you’ve got an official title for your fans, it just makes it easier for you to talk to them. I’m sure it means more to hear Big Bang thank the VIPs instead of just their fans – it’s the same thing, yes, but there’s a different feel to it when they use the official name, IMO. I can tell you that as a SHINee fan, whenever I hear Onew stick in a ‘SHINee World, saranghamnida!’ into an interview or something, I feel all warm and fuzzy inside. It means something to hear that, you know and I would never think “Oh well, he’s not talking to me because I’m not really a part of SHINee World”. The point is I’m a fan and I support them and that’s what matters. Ah, but that is just my humble opinion. Feel free to disagree.

Maki

Is it getting hot in here or is it just me?

My titles are long, no? Sorry about that. Anyway, you know I remember a month or two ago while I was doing my usual browsing on LJ, I came across this icon made from a photoshopped picture of MinHo with the caption ‘hot much?’ and I suddenly find myself thinking the same thing.

MinHo, why so hot these days? I mean, I thought I saw his ~’Flaming Charisma’~ before but it seems that that was just a flicker or something but things are really heating up these days. (Lol, I love how many puns you can make off of SHINee’s names.) But seriously, I don’t know if he’s just becoming more comfortable in the spotlight or if he’s just coming out of his shell overall or if this was going on all the time and I just got wind of it – in that case, I am late to the party – but I find myself really taking notice of MinHo these days, and not just as my adorable, considerate dongsaeng either. I’m starting to see him in other lights – and I’d like it to stop, please! I was perfectly content only being attracted to one person in the group and very happy that that was one of the eldest of the five. So MinHo, you need to be toning down the sexy, okay? Flaming Charisma off. Please and thank you! (And if you were wondering where this all came from, I suggest you check out this Amigo performance – and by all means, do NOT check out SHINee singing Rainism. Do not. I mean that – don’t you go looking for that performance now but if you insist, the link’s in my previous post). *sigh* Now I’m going to go watch some Big Bang videos and hopefully the sight of TOP oppa and Daesung oppa will take away these questionable thoughts about Minmin.

See ya!

Maki

*dies* Just – too – much – hotness….

SHINee SANG RAINISM AND IT WAS ONE OF THE HOTTEST THINGS I’VE EVER SEEN IN MY LIFE.

Whoa, Rainism is now officially one of my favourite songs, thanks to them – Bling and Key singing and doing the high notes, (Bling – that hoodie – *_*), MinHo doing the sexy whispering and dancing, (Lol at his head bobbing at the beginning), Dubu STILL managing to look adorable even singing this! and Taemin – kind of just being there, he didn’t do too much. Anyway, hotness! Now go watch it! I only wish they’d sung the whole song.

MinHo dancing smexily to Rainism – Judging from the last video and this one, MinHo really likes Rainism – or at least, he likes dancing to it. And I like him to watch him – smexyness alert~

Onew. Singing. Solo. At this point, I really don’t think I need to say any more to get you to watch this video. Do I need to say that he sounds incredible and OMG, I thought I was going to cry – no, I’m not exaggerating – I’m actually serious here? Do I need to say that he’s wearing a pink beanie and looks kind of tired and this performance is from today so yeah, you’ll be one of the first to see/hear it? Okay, so most of those weren’t good things but the point is Onew did another lovely, dreamy solo at a radio station – ShimShimTapa – singing some (most likely) heartbreaking song of heart-ache and sorrow and woe and yes, you should definitely watch it right now so stop listening to me and go watch it.

Oh, and while you’re there, make sure to watch Key’s solo performance – his first, OMG, I’ve been waiting for this! – he sang a rock ballad apparently. I don’t know the song so I can’t say much about how good a rendition it was but just from my limited knowledge, the vocals were inconsistent at times but the singing was good overall. For his first solo, it was pretty good – I’m sure with a little more practice, he’ll be blowing us all away (more than he usually does, I mean). By the way, the others, particularly Onew and Taemin are so adorable in this video – I’ve never seen so much cuteness in my life! I was so busy giggling at the two of them I forgot to focus on Key – as such, I watched it more than once. Oh, and did I mention that Key is wearing that super-cute piano key hoodie of his that I love? So yeah, this was just fun times all around, you guys. I seriously suggest you check out some of these videos or you’ll be missing out!

Maki

An open letter…

SM, cancel your Bangkok concert, okay? Please just cancel it – you can always have another one when things get better but things are so unstable right now, why are you so determined to have this thing?! I mean, I know that it’s going to cause a lot of problems for you and all of the people who were planning to go but the point is that safety – your artists’ safety, the audience’s safety and the safety of all of the staff – is way, way, WAY more important than anything else right now. Please use your head, please cancel this concert. What’s going on in Thailand is not just going to go away in a day or two – you cannot have that concert. Please don’t put all of these people in danger, please.

I’m so scared right now – I really hope they don’t have this thing.

edit:

The concert’s been postponed until the 7th of February, next year. Thank God. – No, I mean, really do that. Cause I surely did. Ah, that’s a serious load off of my mind.

Maki

Bulabulabulablue! Peenkupeenkupeenkupink!

LOL, I’m hoping people will read this just to figure out my weird title. So in honour of the fact that my boys now have their first official CF, I’m going to make a list of my top five Korean CFs. (I’m assuming here that CF refers to just tv ads and not print ones as well – feel free to correct me.) Naturally these all involve celebrity endorsers because those are really the only kind of CFs I get to see (or that you can find on YT). And without further ado:

5. Big Bang’s CYON EDGE CF

Dudes, how could this not be on the list? I mean, hot boys in suits+a cool, floating phone always = AWESOMENESS. This one would have been higher but once you get past the hotness, it’s pretty boring. I mean, nothing much really happens in it besides BB standing around looking hot and feigning flinging that cool phone all over the place. As such as much as I like it, I can only watch it so many times before it gets kind of old. It is a must watch though – if only to see Tabi’s lovely, new pixie hair (I LOVE THAT!) and Dae-Dae’s adorable, random smile at the end of his commercial. (That boy just can’t NOT smile, can he? He’s so cute!) By the by, it’s split into two parts but that video has them both so never fear, you’ll be able to see them both there.

4. Wonder Girls’ Keroro Fighter CF – Version 1, Version 2 and Version 3

Ha, these ads are really cute and funny. I’m not particularly fond of Version 3 but the first one is adorable with the dancing and the second is my favourite by far. It’s so funny! SoHee is supposed to be playing Keroro Fighter while the unnies are trying to help her either by cheering her on or telling her what to do and it’s really frustrating her so eventually she just presses a key on the laptop and one of the characters from the game comes out and zaps the other four. Okay…so maybe it doesn’t sound that amusing when I describe it but trust me, it’s a riot when you watch it. So go on – watch it!

3. SNSD’s Gubne Chicken Dance Battle CF

I really have no idea what dancing has to do with chicken but it doesn’t matter because I can’t stop watching this video – seriously I watch it almost every day and I haven’t a clue why. It’s just a dance battle between eight of the members of the group (Tiffany’s only there for about a second) but I really like this ad – I’m not sure if it’s the dancing or the fact that the girls really look like they’re having fun or because it gives me a chance to see SNSD act some way other than so cute, OMG! (I really hope they drop that cute concept for their next album…) Anyway you might like it, you might not but I do suggest you check it out. I don’t regret it. By the by, this isn’t the entire ad – it’s just a preview. I can’t wait for the whole thing!

2. DBSK and SNSD’s AnyCall Haptic Scandal CF – Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3

Okay, so they’re all nice ads but Part 3’s my favourite. Junsuuuuuuu!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Junsu makes these ads for me – he’s so funny! I love how he’s so out of everything like “OMG! You! Together – like in sets! Arm in arm! Oh, my blood pressure! I’m going to put this on Naver!” OMG, Junsu, marry me! I know I’d be entertained each and every day (if I could ever get him away from his brother, that is). The other DBSK members are hilarious in this as well, acting all lovesick over Yoona, Tiffany and Jessica. Those girls don’t know how good (or not so good considering how this all turned out) they have it, especially Yoona – ah, what I wouldn’t give for some skinship with Micky………he’s gorgeous. Love the fact that the second one has a narrator though – LOL. Narrators are win. XD

And finally…..*drumroll*

Number 1! SHINee’s SMART BLUE/PINK LINE CF!

What – bias, you say? There be none here! No way, this is seriously the most adorable ad! I love the song – had it stuck in my head all day, the jumping, the random poses – Key’s hearts, Jonghyun’s point and crane, Onew’s grin, Taemin’s super cool headphones and of course, the uniforms are cute too. Ah, and those girls seriously remind me of anime characters – their uniforms, their voices, their poses are all so anime like. OMG, am I lame because I keep watching this? I can’t help it – I just love this ad – it’s so random and cute! Please tell me there’s going to be more…XD

Oh, and some Honourable Mentions:

- The AnyCall Haptic Game CF

Yay, this one has all of the members of SNSD in it! And they’re singing and dancing and playing a game in an empty airport with all of the members of DongBangShinKi. It’s cute – it’s adorable – it’s funny and I love the losers – LOL at the losers! I’m so unsurprised that it was those two. Oh, and Yoona got to be with Yoochun again! Lucky~~~

- Big Bang’s Baskin Robbin’s Ice Cream Cake CF

Okay, so this one isn’t actually out yet but I saw the making of it (unsubbed) and I can tell that it’s either going to be extremely adorable or ridiculously funny (or both!) either of which will make me very happy. XD And since the Wonder Girls’ equivalent from last year was pretty cute, I’m certain that this one will not disappoint. Ah, I feel for some ice cream cake now…

That concludes my list – I’ll just leave you with a picture from one of the aforementioned CFs. Adios!

Merry Big Bang!

TOP’s face…ROFL!

Maki

Ah…sweet relief.

So my SHINee World cd finally came today – after however many months (about two) of waiting for it. Apparently it got lost so Yesasia had to reship it – but whatever, the point is my SHINee CD IS FINALLY HERE! I’M SO HAPPY! I’ve been waiting to have it in my hands for the longest while and finally it’s here and in my hands (well, not at the moment but you get the picture). I’m just really happy and relieved right now. Now I’m wondering what I should order next…methinks Remember?

And to make matters even better, Jong-Hyun’s Arirang monologue was released today (well, on YT anyway) and it was really interesting. Jonghyun was really humble here, more so than I think I’ve ever seen him and it really struck me how the very first thing he said was that he had a long way to go vocally. Because he’s already come so far – trust me, he has – and his voice is already so stunning that to hear him say that really resonated with me. He really gave this interview (because that’s basically what it is) a lot of thought and I think you can really see that when he’s going through each segment. I really feel like I saw a different side to him here – he was so quiet and soft-spoken and honest. And all he did was talk about music, I mean, no matter what he was saying, the focus was always on music and I wasn’t really surprised at that because I think that with him, more so than any of the others, you can really see how important and how influential music is in his life. It is his life, it really is and since I honestly believe that music is his true calling, hearing him say that his goal in life is to be a true musician not limited by genre or style, writing and composing his own music is good because I really think that’s what he was meant to do. And he sang – of course, he sang – and it showed me that he’s really growing or already growing, I should say because before he would just sing and sing and they would have to stop him but this time he stopped himself. And I see him stepping back and letting the others get a chance in the spotlight these days, giving everyone a chance to talk and it really says something about the kind of person he’s becoming. I’m really glad – I was afraid that fame would go to their heads or change them for the worse but I don’t see that happening here and I really hope it never does.

I’ll be honest – before, like in the Replay days and the early days of LLO around the time the first few Yunhanam episodes came out, I really didn’t know what to make of Jonghyun. I mean, I liked him well enough and I thought his voice was incredible but I couldn’t figure him out – he always seemed to be in the middle of things and he was always singing even when they didn’t ask him to and he did most of the talking in interviews and such and I was just like “what is up with this guy? I mean, Onew’s the leader so maybe he should back off a little bit and let Onew talk”. I even thought him a bit arrogant but I realize now – well, I realized awhile ago actually – but this solidified it, that that’s definitely not the case. He always seems to be in the spotlight because he just thrives on attention, he can handle it well and as a result, it was probably a bit easier for him back in their just debuted days to take the lead in interviews and so on. And as for the always singing thing, I think he really can’t help it, to be honest – like he just loves singing so much that he really just cannot help himself when it comes to singing something (or I suppose, anything). And well, if I’d still thought that he was arrogant – which of course, i discarded a long time ago – this monologue would have done away with that impression. He’s not like that at all – he’s just trying to follow his dream and become the musician he’s always wanted to be – and I can respect that because as someone who doesn’t really have a dream, watching someone else follow their passion so wholeheartedly is always inspiring. So even though I didn’t get the warm fuzzies watching Jong-Hyun’s monologue like I did while I was watching Onew’s, I still feel like I learnt a lot from it.

Oh, but my point in bringing that up was that he talked about what it was like when he first saw their cd (the mini-album) and he was talking about how it brought back the memories of all of the hardships they had to go through to get there and it made him so grateful and appreciative and hearing that on the day I received my SHINee World cd is really touching – it makes me appreciate finally having this even more and it makes me really happy I made the decision to buy it and support the boys. It was money well spent – surely. Anything I can do to help their dreams come true is all right with me.

So anyway you go watch the monologue (if you haven’t already), I’ll go listen to my cd and we’ll meet up back here later, okay?

Adios! Maki

If I had a million dollars…

So since I haven’t posted in forever, I decided to post my dream Christmas list here – I keep writing it up at work, I figure I might as well post it up somewhere. I’m posting it here though and not on LJ because I don’t want my F-list to think that I want them to get this stuff for me. I really don’t – I’m perfectly content getting just like a card or something, honestly just getting anything would be nice. I’ve never had RL contact with my internet friends before so I’m cool with whatever. Anyway, this is basically all of the K-pop related stuff that I want and that I would buy if I had the money. To make things easier, I’ll go by group. Now without further ado…

SHINee

- Lock and Key earrings

So this isn’t actually under the SHINee section on Yesasia but they’re the same earrings that Key-gun wears and since I’ve thought them adorable ever since I first saw him sporting them, I’d really like to get them. I need some every day earrings anyway and I would probably use these as those – they’re small and inconspicuous, just perfect for work.

- Amigo repackaged CD+DVD

Now like I said, this is my dream Christmas list which is why this is on it. In reality, if I buy this, I’m only going to get the cd because although I was initially excited about the dvd, when I realized that it only had the three music videos on it, I decided that it really wasn’t worth the money. That’s it – just three MVs?! Even if they had just the making of the MVs as well, I’d be more inclined to buy it but since it’s just the MVs themselves, that just doesn’t seem like enough to warrant me spending 64 more dollars on the DVD. I bet it’s going to be packaged really nicely though and the lovely packaging will call to me…*sigh* Evil Sm…

- 1st mini-album

So when I was buying my SHINee World CD, I considered getting the mini-album as well until I saw that it was almost the same price as the full length cd. I decided not to buy it then, thinking that it was uneconomical because you really expect me to pay practically the same price for half the amount of songs? That’s the problem I have with mini-albums – while they mean you get new music faster, they’re really kind of uneconomical. That said, I would really like to get this cd – not just because I want to support the boys but because I love the packaging of it. It’s got a really cute vibe to it and I like that. It makes me nostalgic for the Replay days…(because OMG, they were so long ago!)

Big Bang

- Remember, Vol. 2

Now I don’t know about you but I love this album. It’s a lot slower than their other albums, I think – the sound is a lot smoother, more soothing, more melancholic and for some reason, I really like that. I’ve been listening to the tracks off the album almost non-stop since I got them a few days ago and they’re so nice! So soothing~ I’m quite fond of all of the electronica tracks that are on the album – I don’t think they sound the same or that the synthesizers/equalizers take away from the unique sounds of the boys’ voices in any way. Honestly I was always planning to buy this cd but after listening to the tracks and really enjoying them, it’s a must-have. In addition to that, I saw pictures of the cd itself on Soompi and the packaging is lovely! It’s like the nicest cd I’ve seen in my life – it has stickers and cut-outs of all the members and these cartoon versions of Big Bang that have got to be the cutest things I have ever seen. I squee-d for like five minutes straight after seeing them. Don’t believe me? Look! Down there! (You shouldn’t discount packaging, you know, it counts for a lot.) credit: mimi on Soompi

Colour!

- Big Bang 2009 Wall or Pocket Calendar

(Okay, I blame Big Bang fansite for this – because I would not have even known that BB had a 2009 calendar coming out if it hadn’t been for the fact that Vicky (BabyBongaholic) posted the videos of them taking the pictures for the calendar and OMG, they’re so cute! There were three different ‘themes’ for the calendars – one where they were posing in suits, one where they were posing in regular clothes and one where they were basically lounging around an apartment (their apartment? IDK) and although they’re all nice, the casual, apartment scene pictures are the most appealing to me and would you believe silly me actually thought that all of those pictures were going in one wall calendar? Silly, silly me. It turns out that there are actually three versions – wall, desk and pocket – and the themed pictures are spread out amongst the three of them which is driving me crazy because I really wanted the one with the apartment scenes but I don’t think I’ll get all of those shots unless I buy all three. They’re selling a package with all 3 + a diary on Yesasia but it’s $100 and even I can’t rationalize spending $600+ (exchange rate+shipping) on some calendars and a diary. As such, I’m going to have to choose one – I’m going to wait until it comes out so i can see the pictures in each one and when I see them, i’ll decide which one I want. At the moment, I’m leaning towards the pocket one though – pictures of BB! In my pocket! especially since I love the picture they’ve released from it – it’s so funny!

Wonder Girls

- Nobody – the Wonder Years trilogy

All right, I won’t lie – if I buy this, it’s really just because I want to support the girls (which isn’t a bad reason). I don’t really want this cd, partly because I’m saving up for the full length one but also because it’s really just chock-full of different versions of Nobody – ballad, dance, remix, instrumental. I mean, sure there are other songs, Saying I love You and I Tried but I don’t like those songs so much. I mean, they’re nice but one listen every once in awhile is good enough for me, I don’t feel inclined to listen to them on a regular basis and if I’m gonna buy a cd, i think it should be full of songs I want. I hear the packaging of the cd is really nice though and I’d love to see what it looks like close up. Oh, but Saying “I Love You” – the song that YeEun wrote – is really beautiful though, I’m considering taking Wishing on a Star off of my iPod and replacing it with this. And YooBin sings in it! If that’s not a plus, I don’t know what is.

Epik High

- Lovescream

Beautiful album, to be honest, it’s kind of a must buy. BUT it’s not a must buy right now which is why I don’t plan on buying it anytime soon but I’ll get it though – one of these days…

Dong Bang Shin-Ki (DBSK)

- Mirotic Repackaged, Version C

You know I’m not really a big DBSK fan but I really like the tracks that I’ve heard off of this album (haven’t checked out the new ones yet) and I find myself feeling more and more inclined to get the cd. In a way, that’s why I was so glad that they brought out a repackage because while I like the cd, the packaging, particularly the pictures in Versions A and B did not appeal to me in the slightest. The ones in version C however, particularly this one are much more appealing. I’m excited for this one – I’m thinking about buying it maybe around January. We’ll see.

IU

Lost and Found (her first mini-album)

- Ah, my other little star! My review of her mini-album is still due. I really have to get to that…maybe this week-end…well, suffice it to say that I really enjoyed her mini-album – each track is unique and totally different from the rest and the album does a great job of showcasing her versatility as a vocalist. I’ve finally gotten around to accepting how mature her voice sounds – but seriously, who’d believe she’s just fifteen listening to ‘Feel So Good’? But more importantly, I want to get her cd because I want to support IU in her journey to stardom, especially since unlike my other lovelies, she doesn’t have the biggest entertainment company in South Korea backing her.

Well, that’s about it – I’m now going to see if I can find a way to convince my mother to get me ‘Remember’ for Christmas. Laters! Maki

~Celebrate good times, come on~ MKMF Spazz Post

You know I really love being a part of K-pop and its’ myriad of fandoms. I am so happy that I got into them, really I am. I mean, it’s a fun experience being a part of any fandom and I loved my time in the Saiyuki, Harry Potter and Naruto ones – and even my brief Twilight stint – but I don’t think anything beats being a part of a K-pop fandom where you’re supporting and rooting for real people – not just authors or creators or mangakas. Nothing beats seeing your favourite artist or group shedding tears because they’re so overwhelmed/shocked/happy that their hard work and talent is getting acknowledged and you don’t (or hopefully you do) know how great it feels to hear them thanking their fans or to read the entries they post on their various blogs – cyworld, iple, etc. – thanking their fans for being there for them and supporting them for all this time and hoping that they’ll continue to support them and promising to continue to work hard to present their best sides to them.

While I consider myself a part of the SHINee World – yeah, I’m not Korean – so what? Once I support the boys that’s what matters, right? – I love to pop into other group’s fan sites and Soompi threads – not to bash but to see how they feel about different things, to gauge their responses. It never ceases to amaze me at the level of support and love and commitment I see coming from every corner of the K-pop fandoms. We may not all like the same groups, we may not all like the same music but we all love and support our artists as best we can and I think it’s a really touching thing to see. It’s true that it’s not perfect – there is a lot of bashing and hate going on and some people definitely take things to extremes – but I hope that one day that goes away and that everyone will learn to use their time and energy to just support their artists and be kind to the other fans, even if they don’t always agree with them. I must say it always warms my heart to see how fans rally around their artists when they know that they’re being criticized or when they know they’re having a tough time. That’s why we’re here – that’s what we should do and I know that if I were in the artist’s place, I would be touched. Dude, I’m touched when one person leaves a comment on my blog! And I really have to hand it to international fans (and not just because I am one) but to see the kind of dedication people have to their artists and the way that they try their best not only to follow their artists but to share what’s going on with other fans – fansubbers and video uploaders and picture uploaders and translators and news sharers and so on – it’s really something to be admired and marveled at. It’s amazing what people can do when they set their minds to it.

Anyway, that whole profusion of gushing and appreciation was prompted by yesterday’s MKMF award show and some of the fan reactions that I saw to it, particularly in the SHINee, Big Bang and Wonder Girls camps. Now onto my own account of the show – so I got up early, earlier than my alarm clock even and I turned on my comp and immediately checked my player to make sure that it was working. It was about half past 5 then and even though the red carpet was going on, TVN was showing some old Rain concert. I freaked out at first because I thought that MKMF had already started and I had missed part of it but then I saw the title in the corner and I realized I wasn’t late. So to kill time, I came on WordPress and went over to let’s all eat candy and pretty boy power where they were doing live blogging of the red carpet (and the show). Upon hearing spazzes on pretty boy power talking about the red carpet (and being sad that I just missed SHINee), I decided to dl the GOMPlayer she was using to watch the red carpet there. I started watching it just as DBSK was doing their red carpet interview so I got to see them and Big Bang. Yay! Anyway it’s a good thing I dl-ed the GOMPlayer because the other program I had started sticking and then conked out just as the show was starting. Great….

Anyway so the show starts (after some really interesting commercials, including Big Bang’s CYON EDGE CF – HOT!) and there’s some guy performing a rock version of ‘My Way’ and they show me Big Bang and DBSK and then I caught a glimpse of who I thought was SHINee but I couldn’t be sure because I heard they were in gold but by then they had already changed and were in blue and black and red (which I found out later on), doesn’t matter, I started screaming anyway (silently, of course because my mother was sleeping) and I was like “OMG! I’m actually seeing SHINee live on my computer screen – OMG!OMG!OMG!” and then Rain came out and said some stuff and then Davichi won the Female Newcomer Award (Yay, I wanted them to win!) and they were wearing pretty black dresses and then I saw WG (in Nobody outfits!) and some guy presenting what I assumed was the Best Male Newcomer Award and even though I had initially wanted that to be presented early on, I started to get nervous and wish it was later because “OMG! What if SHINee doesn’t win?” which I immediately counteracted with “But then who would win?” Fortunately, I didn’t have to worry too much because they had the newcomer nominees tribute stage first. Naturally I didn’t understand a thing so I was confused at first because I saw 2PM performing and they said 2PM so I thought “Oh, are they performing one of their songs? But I don’t know this song” and then U-Kiss performed AND I DID NOT EVEN RECOGNIZE THEM, OMG and then on the ceiling monitor thing, it said TVXQ – and by then I’d realized this was the tribute thing – so as soon as I saw the T and V appear, I was like “yeah, this is going to be SHINee” and it was! (I personally think it would have been an insult to let someone else do it, not because they’re from the same company but because I know how much the SHINee boys admire TVXQ) And they started performing to Rising Sun and I was all excited because Rising Sun is one of the few old DBSK songs I know and the one I actually like so I was like “Yes!” And it was so cute how Changmin was doing the moves along with them and Yunho was mouthing the words – OMG, the DBSHINee! – and then they stopped and Taemin’s face loomed on the screen and I was like “Taemin! Of course, he’d be in front” and then it went on to 2AM and they were actually singing the song and then it occurred to me that SHINee didn’t sing Rising Sun and I still don’t really get why. Anyway, 2AM did a tribute to G.O.D and then Mighty Mouth (Mouse’s?) did theirs to someone else and then the H.O.T. guy (Moon Hee Jun?) started performing and I got totally confused again. Who is this guy? And wow, I didn’t realize rock was so big in Korea and then I realized he was from HOT and I was like ‘they were a rock group? Huh?’ and then he went out to the middle of the stage and the stage darkened and then there was cool dancing and I was interested again and then I saw one of the guys from 2AM singing and I was like “What? What’s going on?” And then some other guy I didn’t know sang (Eli from U-Kiss, apparently) and then I HEARD JONGHYUN (!!!) and I started freaking out and then he came to the front of the stage and I was like “OMG HYUNNIE! Yes!” and I realized that this was the joint tribute stage they had been talking about before (you know the one I said I wanted Key to do in my last post) but I don’t mind that Jonghyun did it because he was awesome and on fire and I was staring at my computer scream in awe of his ridiculously gigantic stage presence (and if you don’t believe me, watch this fancam of him during the performance and you’ll see) and I was suddenly very into the performance and not thinking that it was weird in the slightest. AND THEN – the moment of truth arrived, the reason that I got up so early and downloaded a whole bunch of stuff just to watch this live – the presenting of the Best Male Newcomer Award. So they showed the nominees and I was telling myself “don’t get your hopes up, anyone can take it” and then WG and the guy said some stuff and I had my hands clasped together and was staring at SunYe (I think she was the one who announced it) like “Say SHINee, say SHINee, even if it’s not on the paper, say SHINee” and then she said SHINee and I was like “thank you, Lord”. I was so happy! I am so happy! I wanted to jump up and down but I wanted to watch the boys get their award first. So then they came out and Key was already crying, although he paused long enough to do the intro and they took the award (Jonghyun, I think) and then Onew started to give the speech and it was so touching watching him try to hold his tears back long enough to give the speech. I was just like “Come on, Dubu, you can do it” but he couldn’t and when that solitary tear fell, it almost broke my heart. I mean, if that didn’t move you, I don’t know what to tell you. Oh, it was amazing – I saw Jonghyun holding onto Key and Minho with his arms around the two of them and even he shed some tears! Not in a big way but it happened and that alone says a lot – I mean, you know it’s something big if MinHo cried. Taemin, of course, was composed – that boy, he’s something else, I don’t know how he manages to stay so composed and Jonghie was surprisingly well composed as well – I expected him to be as inconsolable as Key. I’ll tell you – being able to watch one of my boys’ dreams come true while it happened however many miles away was definitely worth the effort of getting up. Oh, and it was an added plus seeing how genuinely proud DBSK looked when the boys won, especially Junsu (my fav. DBSK member!) and seeing that they stood up and clapped for them as soon as they announced that they won. DBSHINee is love, you guys, it really is. So then they went off stage and I celebrated by jumping up and down in my kitchen and then I was like “well, yeah, I can stop watching this now”.

But I didn’t! Of course there was still a lot to see even if the best part was over. (I had to stop watching before BB and WG won their awards so yeah, that was the best part for me). And now I’ll just run down the other highlights of the awards (some I saw live, others I watched on YT) since there’s no way I can talk about everything I saw – I’m sure this post is already a mile long:

Seeing Epik High win the Best Hip Hop Group award – Honestly I just wanted them to get something considering that I knew they weren’t getting Best Male Artist against DBSK and Big Bang and because I honestly think it would be a crying shame if they didn’t get anything what with them being
musical geniuses and all.

The Wonder Girls tango version of Nobody with 2PM – I don’t know about you but I thought that was super hot! You can tell they put a lot of work into it and it came out looking great – I particularly liked the solo couple dances, niiiice! The disco version was cool too (and the girls sounded great, especially YeEun!) but the tango impressed me more.

WG winning Best Female Artist, MV and Song of the year – Oh, the girls cried when they got Song of the Year! At first, I was confused – I was like “you didn’t cry for the others so why this one? But I mean, to win ‘Song of the Year’ against groups like DBSK and Big Bang is really something. And the girls were obviously shocked and I saw them crying and bowing to all of their fans after the awards and it was so touching. I was like “WG!” I believe the girls really deserve their success – they’ve worked so hard this past year, it’s nice to see that acknowledged.

Big Bang winning Best Male Artist and Artist of the Year - So I haven’t watched their acceptance speeches yet (although I heard TOP teared up! What -everybody cried this year?!) but I just want to say a hearty congratulations to the boys! Big Bang has worked non-stop since the beginning of the year and I am so happy to see them rewarded like this. They really deserve all of the recognition that they got. Yay, all of my groups got something – and big somethings too!

Oh, and DBSK winning the Album Daesang Award (Album of the Year) – oh, Changmin cried! I couldn’t believe it, tbh, I watched the video just to see that. I was really happy that they got that award though – Mirotic is a good album, DBSK is an amazing group and they deserved to snag one of the big ones (aside from the 4 others they got). So congratulations, DBSK! Oh, I got to see when they got the Auction Netizen Popularity Award live though – that was awesome, they dedicated it to Cassieopeia.

And finally (drum roll, please)….the Big Bang/Hyori special stage collaboration! – So ever since I heard about that a few hours before the show aired, I was anticipating it and I wasn’t disappointed! It was really good – high energy, high octane, fun, lively and as the title said – scandalous! OMG, TOP and Hyori’s Kiss! I saw that live! And I couldn’t believe what I had seen – I wished I could rewind it to make sure. Ah, Hyori, she’s so luckkkky, man. She got kissed by T.O.P. It was quick though – oh, and did you see TOP’s grin afterwards? He looked so smug! You know he feels like he’s all that now. A typical boy…

And that is it for my MKMF post. If you didn’t watch it live, just pop on Youtube and search for 2008 MKMF and all of the highlights I just mentioned (and more!) will appear. Finally, let me say chukhae once again to all the artists who won – Epik High, DBSK, the Wonder Girls, Big Bang and of course, my darling SHINee in particular. And to those who didn’t get anything (like Taeyang for his solo stuff and Taeyeon for ‘If’ – seriously, what?!), better luck next year, okay? Now I’ll leave you with some pictures of the winners…

Big Bang

Dong Bang Shin-Ki

The Wonder Girls

And I don’t know if I made it clear but I am really proud of SHINee for all that they’ve achieved since their debut. Those boys deserve all the recognition, attention and success they’ve gotten so far and I certainly hope this is just the beginning for them. They have so much talent and drive and seeing them work so hard to achieve their goals always inspires me to work harder. They’re so young but they’re already an inspiration. I hope they continue to grow as artists and entertainers and that over the years, they grow closer and come to really regard and treat one another as family. And I’ll be here, following their progress and supporting them all the way, God willing. SHINee fighting!

~Shining SHINee~

To quote my lovely Flaming Charisma – “A formula that will never be broken for a lifetime….. SHINee + SHINee World = LOVE.“

Maki