Back in Asia!

Sorry for my long silence! I am living once again in Asia and loving it! I missed being an English teacher...I've missed living in Asia, and adoreable kids!

Currently, I am waiting for typhoon Megi to hit the area I live in...and living next to a Taiwanese military base.

DoTS anyone?

I saw some soldiers walking around doing some typhoon prep today, it was kind of cool, the military base has been doing drills like crazy the past few days.

There are so many things I didn't know I missed about Asia, it was hard to move back because I knew all of the things that I would miss from America this time, however now that I am back and teaching, I am so happy.

Currently, I am taking Chinese lessons because Taiwan speaks Manderin Chinese, so it's a bit of a mind bend going from Korean to Chinese, but I am glad to be learning another language.

I've been trying to watch more Kdrama's lately just to keep in touch with the Korean language.
I am head over heels in love with Moonlight Drawn by Clouds. Park Bo Gum is NAILING his part in so many ways and all of the leads are pulling heart strings.
I jumped from Episode 3 of Cinderella and the 4 Knights to episode 10 with a friend and didn't feel like I missed much...though I am sure I did...but there were enough flashbacks so I could figure out what was going on.

Hopefully, I'll be around more often.

Drama on!

Unnie

Korean Lesson 1

I am actually working on my second Korean lesson....but the first week was introductions and this past week was my first "work" week

For class, we have to choose a subject about Korea that we want to learn more about.

I started brainstorming and the first things I thought of was Roy Kim's song 봄봄봄 (spring spring spring), from there it went to cherry blossoms and I was soon running around the internet trying to figure out how to pronounce things and how to put together a presentation on 봄!


Besides Spring, I wanted to look up four other words/things that had to do with well SPRING!
One was cherry blossoms. I am sort of captivated by them. I am not sure what it is but Cherry Blossoms in Korea are certainly on my bucket list, as well as here in the US, but especially, Asia, I think it might be all of those romantic scenes in Korean dramas with the cherry blossoms falling that make me dream of blossom scented breezes and walking and yet feeling all alone in a crowd and yet whole, or moonlit petals falling to the ground that has me completely captivated. That and when I was in Asia I was too sick to enjoy much of the flower seasons. Sick, through both Cherry and Plum blossom season...well, I feel like I missed out.

I spent a good part of my week trying to figure out how to pronounce 벚꽃 cherry blossom  and stumbled across this song by Busker Busker about cherry blossoms


Other words on my list were pink and white because I was curious if they followed the Chinese pattern of adding the word "color" on the end. THEY DO!!!!
So I found out that 복홍색 and 히얀색.
The characters 색 = color.

So three words down on my list, two more to go.

There are a lot of Cherry Blossom Festivals so obviously that had to go down on my list.
Festival 제천

Last I think cherry blossoms are beautiful, and I've long wanted to know what the word for beautiful is. So when I looked it up I felt baffled, those were sounds I wasn't even sure how to assemble in English, much less Korean I felt that way with Cherry blossoms too.
아름마워 <- try saying that!
So I went and found a song! THANK YOU SHINee!!!!


And that was my FIRST week in Korean class with homework!

Pig Rabbit, You're Beautiful - Genuine Merch Advice

Well, if you get obsessed over Korean dramas like I do...

Where you suddenly desire to have everything in the drama.
My obsession with Pig Rabbits from the drama You're Beautiful has led to a remarkable collection, that I am not sure...if it's a good or a bad thing.

Meet my Pig Rabbit Family.

I've you've watched. You're Beautiful. 

And you CRAVE a Pig Rabbit.

If you love it. 

Secretly want one.....

REALLY REALLY BAD...

Buy the big one. 

I bought a bunch of little ones over a few years thinking they'd cut the bill. 

NO. 

THEY DON'T.

 BUY THE BIG ONE!!!

But don't buy just any big one.

The one on the left I bought off of amazon for about 10.00 and was very disappointed, at his non-genuine appearance and feel. Fluffy, soft, pig-nosed he was but, his cheeks didn't have that slight puff, his body and nose were just too big, and he wasn't the right sort of fuzzy.

Some markers of genuine Pig Rabbits are...

Removable bow tie

beautiful tag--see the cute pig rabbit???

genuine = smaller and brighter

fake = larger and more faded

VS.

Also, my large Pig Rabbit from China had this weird thing attached.

Like he was a carnival toy or something. 

Noooooot genuine. 

If you want a genuine Pig Rabbit, be willing to shop around and pay the big bucks.
I found mine on eBay through a seller based in Korea who had a list of things and photos to show exactly how it was the genuine merch, and not a sad, dinky, China rip off.

There are other stores online that sell great merchandise such as YesAsia.com

Where I got this cute little Hanbok Pig Rabbit.

The Habock PR faces all look a little weird
but the hanbock's are BEAUTIFUL and silky

Can you tell which is not genuine? 

One of these is not like the others!

Here is my entire collection of 8 Pig Rabbits.

If you are curious here is my complete list from right to left BR

Genuine PR 55cm

Recordable PR 23cm...I think

Gigantic PR. 

Front row

Hanbock PR
Tiny PR (keychain size -the middle kid)

Love PR

Screen Wiper Pink PR (super tiny)

Ungenuine Tiny keychain size

So what you do think? Have you ever bought drama merchandise?

DRAMA ON!

Unni

Hello Monster a.k.a. I Remember You

Remember Me.

Rating 4.5 Stars

Cautionary notes: Physical violence, human remains related to police work. Overall, not bad considering content. PG 13.

Chemistry and Romance: 5 stars! Sweet and clean. 

I will always remember...Remember Me.

It’s the theme, the reason, the why, the how.

It’s subtle but sweet, painful, but perfect.

Very, very perfect.

The cast, the story, the script, the plot twists that leave you gasping and in mental agony and trying to catch your breath.

Hyun, a brilliant criminal minds specialist and professor, is called back to Korea by a mysterious e-mail of a crime scene. The story quickly progressed as Hyun (a.k.a. David Lee), assisting a special group of police officers clamping down on criminals.While tracing his own Korean roots, that he had left behind several years earlier. Memories that were frozen, forgotten, and trapped...are slowly melted like time capsules, recalled and released. Freeing Hyun to be even more of an amazing person, and more himself; as he solves the riddles around his childhood, his father’s death, and little brother’s disappearance.

Cha Ji An, an earnest police detective, whose life has been affected by the same serial killer that took away Hyun Lee’s father and brother. Finds herself working with the man, she’s followed most of her life. Instinct telling her if she follows Hyun, she’ll find the man responsible for her father’s disappearance—and be able to redeem her father’s reputation, removing the badge of shame associated with her own. Ji An was delightfully human, strong and yet needing rescue, fearful but courageous, imperfect and perfectly loveable.

Min. Ah, Min. Where does one begin?

Strangely, he was the one character, I found myself relating to, loving, and won his way into a cherished characters place, in my heart. His story, his humanity, and struggle were palpable, and I wanted to reach out, hold his hand, be his friend, and tell him to hold on, be strong.

"Three Points"

The Special Police Task Force was delightful.

Team Leader, earned my love and respect—even with his long speeches.

“Three Points”, and the rest of the team, especially the junior officer; love and justice are the same for him.

Team Leader

I am not fond of moralizing stories, or tacking on a zillion scripture verses and hidden meanings where things are often very plain and can speak for themselves. So often people twist words and poke them at others when they do this. However, as I watched Remember Me, it spoke truth to me in a way only a handful of movies can claim.

this expression...oh it killed me!!!

As it played its last few moments on my screen, I found myself feeling that 16 episodes were really too short as I tried to catch my breath and grasp that it really was ending. The beautiful theme of salvation that ran through this story, with a vein of brotherly love. How love, can open hearts that looked so closed. It showed the power of the lies that we believe, there were parts in the show I wanted to scream to Min not to believe the things in his head, to take his hand and say hold on, be brave, the end isn’t like this, and it seemed as if black holes might swallow them all.

For Min, it was an uphill battle, the struggles the lies, the desires and cravings he had in his heart to be known for who he was, to not be forgotten, and the choice he makes at the very end.

To face the world.

As he is.

To be remembered.

As Min.

Be My Un-Un-Un-Un-Believable Valentine.

Don't feel so single this Valentine's day.

You leave me so stunned, like vegetable!

MY GIRL YOU ARE UN UN UN UNBELIEVABLE!!!!!

Annyeonghaseyo

Welcome to my blog!

Soon I'll be launching a sister blog with two of my best friends, we'll be focusing on all kinds of dramas and drama related things.

However, there are all kinds of other stuff that I want to talk about, that is the Dreams part of this blog. Cooking, lifestyle, jewelry, culture, and my dream of one day teaching English in Korea.

Stay tuned in for some fun, and adventures.

Starting in March, I'll be taking Korean classes and learning Hangul! Yay! My handwriting will look like I am a two-year-old once again, however, it's going to be a great experience. I'll make sure to pass on all of the tips and tricks I've picked up along the way.

Drama on!
Unni

Valentine Dramas

Looking for a loveable drama to curl up with this Valentine's Day?
Dramas can be hard to curl up with since they run on for hours, so unless you're up for a cuddle up with ice-cream and chocolates me time for 16 hours...I suggest these two Korean movies.

Werewolf Boy

Keep the kleenex handy for this one. Song Joong Ki delivers a beautiful performance that will have you gasping for air, and forever make a place for him in your heart, if he isn't already there.
Originally, since I don't do werewolf, vampires, magic, etc. I was against watching this. However when I watched it with my friend they use science to explain this wonderful werewolf boy...I own a copy. So sit down, grab a shock blanket and some good chocolates and dig into this drama.

Splash, Splash, Love

Also translated: Splish, Spalsh, Love.

This two-hour piece of beauty had me melted into well...a puddle. 

A fusion story between modern and Joseon Korea, this will give you all kinds of wonderful warm fuzzies. A girl who has little faith in herself falls into the reign of King Sejong, and his invention of Hangul...and finds not only herself but something more.

Drama On!

Unni