Music Video: Hyun Young (Rainbow) & Sool J "Honey" (English Subtitles)

I think this video is cute. I like the lyrics on the screen and the message of the song.

My Favorite Korean Music of 2014

Every year I like choose my favorite Korean music from the whole year. Sometimes I choose a song because there was a great video. Other times I choose the song because I liked the song itself. These are my top songs in no particular order:

1. Crush "Hug me" (Korean Rap)

I chose this song for the music video and the song. The song had a great beat and sound. I liked the message of the song. The music video was neat also. The dancing was great! I liked his white outfit-white coat, white pants and a black hoodie. I've been listening to this song over and over since it came out! This was a song on Crush's first regular album.



2. 40 "black" (Korean R&B)

I chose this song for the video and the song. 40 has a great voice!



3. 2lson, Ailee- "I'm in love" (Korean pop)

I liked this song mainly for the video although the song is very nice. I like the opening where they have people talking. I like the view of the city in the video. I like the message of the song and the clips of people in love and helping others.




4. Jung Joon-young & Younha "Just the Way you are" (Korean Rock/Ballad)

I chose this song for the video and the song. The song has an inspiring message. I really liked the video. It gives a good message just to be who you. We are different, but its okay. I like the storyline with the kids.




5. Mblaq "Be A Man" (Korean pop)

I chose this song for the song and the video. Mblaq is one of my favorite groups (I'm disappointed that they are losing 2 members). The song is great and I love the dancing. My favorite part was Mir's rap.



6. 2bic "Walk Backward" (Korean R&B)

I chose this mainly because these 2 guys have AMAZING voices! I love all their songs! I have played this song many times! The video is neat also. I like the filming location. They are just out playing the piano and singing in an open field.



7. 2bic "Love Game" (Korean R&B)

My 2nd song by 2bic. As I said before, I LOVE their voices!! I have played this over and over! I need to buy their albul! This video is cute also. The guy waits so long, but he finally gives up.



8. Electroboyz "Bang Bang Crossroads" (Korean Hip Hop)

I really like the beat of this song. They have good voices.



9. Troy "Green Light" (Korean Hip Hop)

I chose this song mainly for the video. I really liked the vintage feel.



10. High4, IU "Not Spring, Love, or Cherry Blossoms" (Korean pop)

This video was High4's debut. I really like the song. The video is very cute.




11. Nu.D "Insane" (new dimensional kpop)

I really like this song! It has an awesome beat and I'm digging the use of traditional Korean instruments.

Music Video: 2Bic "Don't Know Her?" (English Subtitles)

another video from 2Bic! They are one of my favorite groups these days!

Their voices are amazing and the video is cute.

Music Video: Yeoch "Zipbob" (English Subtitles)

cute video. They miss their mom's cooking.

 (Zipbob?. The Korean translation is 집밥 (home meal) but would be pronounced jip bap).

Music Video: Roy Kim "It's Christmas Day"

Music Video: 2lson "The End" (English Subtitles)

Featuring Jo Hyun Ah and Giriboy

I like the rapping and the dancers

Korean Movie: Declaration of Idiot 바보선언

This is number 9 on the top 101 Korean movies list made by the Korean Film Archive. My goal is to watch them all. 6 down....95 to go!

Year: 1983
Length: 97 minutes
Genre: Social Drama
Where to Watch: https://www.youtube.com/user/KoreanFilm

Main Cast:

Lee Bo-hee 혜영

Kim Myung-kon 동철

Lee Hee-sung 육덕

Plot:

동철 has lived a life of crime. 동철 sees a girl that he likes (혜영). He follows her around and one day 동철 and 육덕 (a taxi driver) try to kidnap her. They find out that 혜영 is a prostitute. They do errands for her. They get kicked out after fighting with a customer. All 3 of them go to a beach resort. 동철 falls in love with 혜영. 혜영 gets a job in a high-class restaurant in Seoul. She is killed when a customer forces her to drink too much alcohol. 동철 and 육덕 dress her up nicely and bury her.    


**This movie was so odd to me! I can't understand why it is in the top 100 movies. Maybe you have to understand the Korean culture in the 80s to appreciate this movie.

There isn't much dialogue in the movie. The dialogue doesn't start until about 40 minutes into the movie. A lot of the movie is silent with a kid narrating.

It was neat to see how Korea has changed over the years. The cars, fashion and buildings have changed a lot since the 80's.

Korean Movie: Love Fiction 러브 픽션

I watched this movie on the plane home from South Korea. The movie was the 16th most watched film of 2012.

Trailer:



Year: 2012
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Length: 121 minutes

Cast:

Ha Jung-woo - Goo Joo-wol / Detective Ma Dong-wook

Gong Hyo-jin - Lee Hee-jin / Kim Hae-young

Jo Hee-bong - Publisher Kwak / Detective squad chief Kwak

Lee Byung-joon - M

Ji Jin-hee - Goo Joo-ro, Joo-wol's older brother

Yoo In-na - Soo-jung / Kyung-sook

Kim Ji-hoon - Hwang / Detective Ryu

Seo Hyun-woo - Yi-gyu

Choi Doo-ri - Kyung-ja

Kwak Do-won - Director Hwang / Murdered senator

Kim Seong-gi - Dr. Pyo

Choi Yoo-hwa - Min-ji / Veronica

Park Young-soo - Young-shik / Director Jo

Jo Yong-joon - Sysop

Lee Joon-hyuk - Professor Jeong

Kim Hye-hwa - Ma-yi

Kim Jae-hwa - Joo-hee

Park Joon-myun - Baek Sun-young

Choi Won-tae - Baek Seon-il

Kang Shin-cheol - Hee-jin's ex-husband

Son Byung-wook - Joo-wol's high school gym coach

Jeon Soo-ji - art teacher

Kim Hye-ji - beauty salon hairdresser

Chi Woo - Joo-wol as a high school teen

Yeom Hyun-seo - little girl Ye-ja

Plot:

Goo Joo-wol is a writer who suffered from writer's block for a few years. His publisher asks him to go to Germany for a book fair. While he is in Germany he meets Hee-jin. Hee-jin is a film distributer who is there to check out the European film market. Its love at first sight for Goo Joo-wol. He writes her a love letter to ask for a date. They start dating and he uses her as a character in his story. As his story becomes popular he learns more than he wants to about his girlfriend's past with men.

**I liked this movie!

Music Video: Starship Planet "Love is You" (English Subtitles)

K. will, Sistar, Junggigo, Mad Clown, Boyfriend, Jooyoung

cute song....so many young cute Korean men!

Music Video: 2Bic "Marry You" (English Subtitles)

Music Video: GD and Taeyang "Good Boy"

Music Video: Loco "Thinking About You" (English Subtitles)

Featuring Jay Park

I really like this video.

Music Video: Nu.D "Insane" (Clean version) (English Subtitles)

Nu.D stands for Nu. Dimension. Nu.D is a new artist, but he isn't represented by any label yet. He offers a new dimension in Kpop. He debuted on November 18, 2014 with his self produced album called Insane.

I like this video. The song has a nice beat and I like the use of traditional Korean instruments.

This is the clean version of the song. Now I'm curious to see the other version.






Another Version (age restricted):

Music Video: Kkakku "Aspiration"

I really like the beat of the song!

Music Video: 2BiC "If We Love Again" (English Subtitles)

Music Video: 40 "Hold Me" (English Subtitles)

I love his voice. I need to check out more of his music.


 

Amazing Time-lapse video of Seoul by expat

Noe Alonzo is a Mexican-American who lives in South Korea. I've been a subscriber to his YouTube channel for a while. He makes videos about his life in Korea. For the past 3 years he was working on a time-lapse video. A year ago, I saw his video of deleted scenes that weren't good enough for him. I've been waiting to see his video after seeing the "bad" scenes.

He finally released the video on November 20.




He is currently working on a series about how to make time-lapse videos. Check out his YouTube channel here:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuL1GWkbvpgilb-wQ-Uwk5A

Music Video: Lim Chang Jung "Shall We Dance with Dr. Lim"

I like this. Its so happy and upbeat.

I'm back in the USA

I arrived home on November 22, 2014.

My time in Korea has finally ended. I'm not going back to teach again. My journey started in December 2008 and ended in November 2014.

I had a great time exploring Korea. I'm really going to miss it. I had so much fun living in a foreign country. There were a lot of hardships, but I'm glad that I had this experience. I think it helped me to take more risks and learn about other cultures.

Traveling home was rough! My total travel time including layovers was 25 hours. 18 of those hours were spent on 3 different flights. The 14 hour flight was tough. You are in such a small space and you are trying to entertain yourself. I watched a few movies and tried to sleep. I couldn't sleep for long. Its very uncomfortable!

I went to see my nephew shortly after I arrived home. I surprised him. I went to his apartment when they weren't home. Then when they came home I surprised him at the door. He was happy to see me, but he didn't know what to do when he saw me. He wouldn't even look at me at first. After I left his house he asked his mom if I could come back. haha. I spent some more time with him the next day. Its so good to see him again. And now I have to build a connection with my niece. She is 4 months now and was born while I was gone.

This week I will start babysitting my 4 month niece and 3 year old nephew at the same time while their mom (my sister) is at work. Its going to be a tough job but I will enjoy it!
___________

I think I'm going to keep this blog semi active. I'm going to keep up with Korean music and continue my goal of watching the top 100 Korean movies.

My top music of 2014 is coming up soon in December.

There won't be any new videos about Korea. I have posted all that I have filmed.

I will occasionally post about my life after Korea.

I hope to continue studying Korean. I want to find some Korean friends.

D-4

On Monday I started telling my classes that I was leaving. I can't believe no one has told them! I told some of the middle school students, but this was the first elementary students that I told. Some of my classes were disappointed and some didn't really seem to care. I took pictures of a few of my students. Some of the boys wanted to take photos of me on their cell phones. One of them told me "your skin is so white". haha. Other students wanted to play with my camera. They took a few photos of me.

Some of my classes are now over. There are 2 classes on Monday that only met once a week. I have 1-2 classes left in all of my other classes.

I wonder how the rest of my students will react to the news.

D-5

This was Sunday's post.....

Sunday I had to say goodbye to my church friends. We had a good time together. After church we went out to eat Korean food at NC Department store. Afterwards we went to the noraebang. I sang a few songs. My friends were so funny. 2 of the guys like to dance to k-pop songs. It was so funny. Some of my friends have nice singing voices.

After I left my church friends I wanted to see my friend who introduced me to them. He told me on Monday that he would be at church so I messaged him to see where he was on Sunday. He was at work. I messaged him later to see if he was finished with work. I met up with him in Yeouido. It was good to see him one more time. He was very opinionated that night. He was saying all sorts of weird things. He had been drinking before so maybe he was drunk. He was saying all kinds of bad things about his friends He was a little too comfortable around me on Sunday. I won't even talk about what he asked me. I'm still not sure if he was joking or if he was serious.

I don't know if I ever shared the story of how I met this guy. I'm not going to share any names, but we will call him A. In July my boyfriend broke up with me on our 2 month anniversary. I was lonely so a week later I was ready to get out in the dating pool. I am very adventurous so I decided to put up a dating ad on the personals section of Craigslist. I was specifically looking for a Korean man (I'm attracted to Korean men). I was looking for monogamous short term dating. A responded to my ad. He was a 26 year old who went to high school and college in America. He spoke perfect English so communication was no problem. I started talking to A on kakao. We talked on the phone for about an hour before we met in person. He really wanted me to come meet his friends at church to play sports on a Saturday afternoon in July.

I arrived to the station early. He was still on his way so he sent 2 of his friends to meet me at the station. I met him a few minutes later. That day before I left to go home one of his friends invited me to the Sunday service. A told me "I won't be there." (He doesn't go to church on Sundays) I decided to go anyway. I met a lot of cool people at church on Sunday. They were so welcoming and excited to meet a foreigner. I was the first foreigner to visit their church. Some of them said I was the first foreigner they had ever talked to. A few of them spoke English. Some were good at English and others were less skilled. There were a few people who spoke no English at all. I really enjoyed meeting them and I decided to go every week.

I had a lot of fun interacting with Koreans. The other times that I came to Korea I didn't really make Korean friends. I feel like they were true friends and very interested in communicating with a foreigner. They introduced me to Korean culture and some new foods I hadn't tried. We went out to eat every week after church. I always enjoyed going out with them. I went to that church for 4 months.

I only got to see A a few times. He came to church about 3 times in that time period. I'd still chat with him some on kakao and we spoke on the phone a few times. Although my original intent on Craigslist was to find a date, I ended up meeting some great friends through a series of events. Me and A never dated. I had a feeling that he was only looking for friendship. After spending time with him on Sunday I know that he wouldn't be a good fit anyway. Occasionally he would ask me if I had any single friends to set him up with.

__________________________________

D-6

I can't believe I'm leaving Korea in 6 days. I only have to work for 5 more days. I'm happy and sad at the same time. I'm happy to be going back home to see my family. I'm sad to leave Korea. Korea has become like a second home to me. I'm going to miss the friends I made. I feel like I made some true friends this time around. I have to say goodbye to them later on today. I have to say goodbye to my students this week. I think a few of my students might be disappointed that I'm leaving, but I think some of them won't really care.

I've had a great time in Korea. I've seen so many things. I've learned all about the customs. I've made Korean friends. I've learned some of the language. Korea really is a great place. I had a wonderful opportunity to live here for almost 2 years in total.

I regret that there was so much that was left undone, sights unseen, and there were so many foods that I didn't try. I did a ton of stuff, but there was so much that I wanted to do that I didn't have time to do it all. I wish I would have learned more of the language. I first came to Korea in 2008. I should be fluent by now, but I was lazy. Honestly, I don't like studying.

I'm not coming back to live here anymore. It's time to move on. Teaching English is not my calling. I should have realized that after a year, but Korea kept drawing me back in. I fell in love and I couldn't stay away! Now that I have a nephew I don't want to be away from him for long. We are really close and he sees me as a 2nd mother.

I'd really like to come back for the Olympics in 2018. I'm really hoping that I will have a chance. I know about it a long time in advance. When I find the right job I'll put in my vacation time as early as possible. I need to save up a lot of money for the trip. Hopefully I'll have time to spend a few days at the Olympics and a few days seeing some sights that I missed on my other trips. I hope I get to meet up with some old friends, too. So much will have changed in 3 years!

At this time next week I will be in the USA. wow. Time really did pass quickly! I remember when I started counting at 92 days! Now I'm down to 6!

Korean food: 오므라이스 (omurice)

inside the Omurice

Cheese Omurice (5,500 won)

omurice isn't technically a "Korean" food (its Japanese), but its served in Kimbap Heaven. Kimbap Heaven is a popular korean chain that is open 24 hours.

Omurice is an omlete with rice inside. It is so good. My local Kimbap Heaven has different versions of omurice. I've tried all of them except the sausage one. I think my favorite was the chicken omurice.

Kimbap Heaven (this one is in Seoul, but they are all over Korea)

dongas omarice (pork cutlet on top)

돈까스오므라이스 7,500 won

chicken omarice (chicken on top)

치킨오므라이스 7,500 won

shrimp omurice (large shrimp on top)

새우 오므라이스 7,500 won

Pizza in Korea: 59 Pizza

This is the Haengsin-dong menu

I like to eat pizza in a shop in my neighborhood called '59 Pizza'. I always order the small super combination pizza with cheese crust. Combination is the closest to supreme pizza in America. The small combination pizza is 5,900 and has 6 small slices. Cheese crust costs 2,000 won extra. The pizza usually takes about 10 minutes to cook so I just wait in the shop.

Combination (small 5,900) cheese crust 2,000 won

Last time I went I decided to try something new. I got the small bulgogi and shrimp pizza with regular crust. It was definitely interesting, but it tasted very good. This pizza costed 10,000 won. Half of the pizza was bulgogi and half was shrimp.

Shrimp/Bulgogi (small 10,000 won)

Funnel Cakes in Seoul: Sweet East Dessert Cafe (Itaewon)

I am a member of a group on Facebook called "Seoul Eats". People post a lot of restaurant reviews in the group. The other day I saw a review of a restaurant that sells funnel cakes. The restaurant is called Sweet East Dessert Cafe and is located in Itaewon. I've never seen funnel cakes in Korea before. Funnel cakes are a popular carnival and festival food in America. Its been a long time since I had one. I wanted to go check it out before I left.

I ordered the banana chocolate funnel cake. It was a funnel cake with pieces of banana, white powder, whipped cream, pieces of almonds, and drizzled in chocolate. It also came with a scoop of ice cream. The funnel cake costed 10,000 won.

Banana Chocolate Funnel Cake 10,000 won

It was good. Afterwards I was so full because I had just eaten barbecue at another place. The funnel cake is a good size for 2 people, but I ate it all by myself.

Directions: Noksapyeong (Seoul Metro Line 6) Exit 3 (The station is the brown dot on the left hand side of the map)

Map:

American BBQ in Seoul: Linus BBQ

On Facebook I'm a member of a group called "Seoul Eats". A lot of people review restaurants in Seoul. I always see a lot of people recommending a place called Linus BBQ. I decided I had to check it out before I left Korea.

Winter M*A*S*H tent

funny: "If it goes in greasy, it comes out easy"

The restaurant is owned by a Korean who comes from Alabama. The owner goes back to the states regularly to train with the pros. He competes with a top 10 team in bbq cookoffs.

The BBQ is made in the Alabama style and is smoked "low and slow" with hickory and apply wood.

Its a very popular restaurant. I went on a Saturday night around 6:15pm. I was told there would be an hour wait. I decided to wait because I don't have time to come back any other day. I ended up getting a table after about 45 minutes. The place was packed and the waiters were constantly running around. It was definitely worth the wait! If you go on the weekend I recommend making a reservation.

I ordered the pulled pork sandwich (12,900) , crack tea(6,000), and fried okra(4,000). The sandwich comes with fries and slaw. I was excited to see sweet tea on the menu! Sweet tea is a staple in the south and isn't served in any Korean restaurants. I was also glad to see fried okra on the menu. I haven't had that in a long time. My mom usually makes it during the summer time.

The pulled pork sandwich was so good! It was tender and had a good flavor. The fried okra was good. The sweet tea was delicious. I liked that they had almost a whole lemon in it. I like lemon slices in my tea for extra flavor.

Crack Tea 6,000 won

slaw

The sandwich comes with fries and slaw (12,900)

Fried okra (4,000)

Pulled Pork Sandwich (12,900)

Directions: Go to Itaewon Station (Seoul Metro Line 6) Exit 4. Walk straight about 5 minutes till you see Mcdonalds on the left. To the left of Mcdonalds there is a staircase going down. Go down and straight through the building and out the glass door. That brings you right out to Linus.

Hours: Everyday 11:30-3:00, 5:30-10:00

Price: $$

Korean Food: 갈비탕 (galbitang)

갈비탕 8,000 krw

갈비=galbi=beef short ribs

탕=tang=soup

갈비탕=beef short rib soup

I got this dish at a small restaurant in Ilsan near Jeongbalsan station. It was 8,000 won ($8). It was so good! The meat was tender and had a good flavor. I also liked the side dishes. I even tried some of the spicy ones!

soup with side dishes

a close up of the short ribs

You can eat the meat off the bone or cut it off of the bone

Koreans add their rice into the soup

Burgers in Seoul: Left Coast Artisan Burgers (Itaewon)

I have visited Left Coast about 4 times, but I never got around to blogging about it.

I keep returning to Left Coast Artisan Burgers in Itaewon! The restaurant is ran by some Americans from San Francisco.

The burgers are good and I like the other side dishes also. The place has a nice vibe and great service. I have tried 2 different burgers and 3 different sides. My favorite burger is the regular cheeseburger. I really love a simple cheeseburger. It comes with lettuce, tomato, American cheese, onions, ketchup, mustard, and pickles. There are some homemade potato chips on the side. The classic burger is 12,000 won (about $12)

I love the fried pickles! They come with a homemade ranch sauce. The fried pickles are 5,000 won.

I also tried the Juicy Lucy. This burger includes a cheese stuffed patty, lettuce, grilled onion, and L.C. sauce. The burger cost 14,000 won. I liked it, but I prefer simple cheeseburgers. It was a little messy to eat.

The lemonade was good. It costed 5,000 won and was served in a mason jar.

I also liked the baked mac and cheese. It costed 6,000 won. Its a three cheese blend, baked to order with Parmesan crisp.

The handmade tator tots are also excellent, but I do not have a picture of them. They cost 5,000 won.

Left Coast Artisan Burgers is located in the Itaewon neighborhood. Go to Itaewon Station (Line 6 Seoul Metro) and take exit 4. Walk about 100 meters. Left Coast is on the right hand side on the 2nd floor.

They are open Sun-Thurs 11:30am-10pm and Friday, Saturday 11:30am-11pm.

Burgers in Seoul: Chili King (Itaewon)

I visited Chili King back in August, but I never got around to blogging about it.

I love a good burger. Lately I've really been into expensive burgers. In America I'd never pay over $10 for a burger, but in Korea I do it often.

I enjoyed the burger at Chili King. I got the regular cheeseburger. It came with cheese (of course!), lettuce, tomato, onions and pickles. Chili King gives you the option to customize your burger so I changed the cheese to swiss instead of American. The burger also came with fries and slaw on the side. They knew exactly how I liked my fries. I like them crunchy and brown! (I didn't request it..it just came out that way).

The regular cheeseburger with fries and slaw costed 12,900won. (about $12.90)

Chili King is located in the Itaewon neighborhood. Take Exit 1 at Itaewon Station (Line 6 Seoul Metro).

It is open 11am-11pm.

2014 Lantern Festival

The Seoul Lantern Festival is from November 7-23, 2014.

The Seoul Lantern Festival began in 2009. There are hundreds of paper lanterns on display at Cheonggyecheon Stream. The lanterns are made by local and international artists.

I went on November 9, 2014. There were a lot of people visiting that night. It was so crowded and hard to move around at times. Sometimes you had to wait for a good moment to get a good photo because of the crowd. It was good to see all the lanterns. The artists are very talented! This was my 2nd festival. I went to the first one back in 2009.

More Pictures: https://plus.google.com/photos/106518880659515557565/albums/6079743848472791265

Saying Goodbye to my ex

He's very handsome and nice.

Me and my ex have kept in contact since the breakup. We usually meet once a month for dinner. Last week I messaged him to tell him I was leaving in 2 weeks. He suggested that we get dinner on Sunday (11/9). I knew this would probably be the last time I saw him.

We met in Seoul to have dinner. I could tell that this was a restaurant he frequented. The workers were talking to him and they wanted to know who I was. They were happy to see him. They were speaking in Korean, but I understood when they asked him if I was his girlfriend. He told them I was just a friend. It was good to have a meal with him. He cooks the meat while I watch. He is always helping me and sometimes feeding me. Yes, I can do it for myself, but he wants to take care of me. I think its sweet. He always pays for the meal when we go out. If people see us it seems as if we are a couple from the way we act, but we aren't. We are just close friends now.

 It would have been easier just to move on and never talk again, but I'm glad we stayed friends. I wasn't ready to let him go completely. I think there is a part of me that wishes we were still together, but I know it wouldn't work out. It will be easier to "get over" him once we don't see each other anymore. I feel very comfortable around him and there isn't any awkwardness. He doesn't even laugh when I'm having a hard time with my chopsticks. haha. I'm getting pretty good at using chopsticks, but I was having trouble. I kept dropping things!

After we ate I told him I wanted to go to the Lantern Festival down by the stream. He came with me. When we go out he likes to take a lot of pictures of me. He took some on his phone and some with my camera. We walked along the stream and talked and I took photos of the lanterns. He would stop along the way to take photos of me with my camera and take some photos of the lanterns.

Afterwards he walked with me to the subway station and we said goodbye. I'm going to miss him. He's a really nice guy. I don't have any bad things to say about him. He was just too busy to include me into his life. I don't think he's busy by choice, but its a part of Korean culture. They have to work long hours. He keeps talking about how much he hates Korea and wants to move away.

 It's sad to know that I might not ever see him again. My mom asked me if I cried. Actually I haven't cried about saying goodbye.
___________________________________

In the next 10 days I'm going to say goodbye to a lot of people. This time I don't have any plans to return. I am really finished with teaching English. I might visit again, but it will be a long time. I really want to come back for the Olympics in 2018, but that's still over 3 years away.

I'm going to have a hard time saying goodbye to my church friends this Sunday. I've become really close to them these past few months. I can say that I've made some genuine friends here in Korea.