My Story and Children's Hanbok

2 Years ago I made a post about Hanbok and I promissed a whole Habok-Series...2 years sounds like a VERY long time, but considering that 2 months after my post I was traveling through Seoul and 2011 was a very hard year for me and my family, I feel like it was just a few months ago that I was posting the history of Hanbok, honestly I feel a little bit lost and I feel my blog has been reflecting how I feel... I'm having some very bad days and I've forgoten why I have my blog... for almost 3 years this blog has helped me change my mood and it was something I was always looking to do but lately I feel like I have nothing to say :( 

As some of you know (I've writen about this before) my mom had Cancer and a month ago she left my sister and me, I know she is now in a better place and all the pain is gone for her, for the past month I've been trying to avoid my feelings, for fear or maybe is just plain denial, my sister and I have been way to busy to be true and this has helped a lot to hide those feelings... I'm not sure how I feel now, the only thing I'm sure about right now is... I miss my mom, I miss her laughter, her kisses and  just her being moody, sometimes I feel so selfish I wish she was still here even if she had pains I wish she was still with us and this just causes some worst feelings around me and if that wasn't enough my birthday is 5 days away and the only thing I can think
about is that she will not be the 1st to congratulate me and hug me anymore...not only she will not be the 1st one but I will not receive another hug from here and that just kills me... 

But I also realize it's time to move on, this does not mean I won't be thinking of her or missing her, but It's time to re-take my life who sort-of has been on Pause or Slow motion ever since February 7th 2011... it's time to press PLAY again and just make her proud of me wherever she is at :) (Moomin I miss you!!!) 

So I decided to get back on blogging and this time you are forced to be my Therapist :), and since my brain is not 100% focused I would like if you can give me any suggestions on what would you like to read here. 

So.... Hanbok!, last time I talk a little bit about the history of the Hanbok and Women's Clothing, this time is time to talk about Children's Hanbok, if you have ever been to an important event with Kids I bet you have seen how cute they look with their Hanboks. 

A few months ago I went to the Openning of the Korean Cultural Center in Mexico and saw the cuttest kid wearing his Hanbok and automatically thought about this post and my forgoten Hanbok Series. 

In the old days the Kkachi Durumagi was worn as Seolbim, new clothing and shoes were worn on Seolnal (New Year's day in the Korean Calender), but now it is worn as a Ceremonial garment to celebrate Chuseok or the Baby's 1st Birthday (Doljanchi). The clothes is also called obangjang durumagi  which means "an overcoat of five directions". It was worn over the jeogori (jacket) and jokki (vest). The Kkachi Durumagi was also worn
with Bokgeon (Peaked Cloth hat) or Hogeon (Peaked Cloth hat with a tiger pattern) for young boys or Gulle (decorative headgear) for young girls. 

A boy usually wears a pinkish jeogori (jacket) with a long blue goreum (cloth strings). Girls usually wear a rainbow-striped jeogori for special occasions. Currently, the trend is for girls to wear a dangui, a kind of ceremonial coat.

Hanbok 

-Gisela V. 

K-Pop Cupcakes

It's been a while since my last baking recipe for you guys and this time it was time to combine Korea and Baking... So it was turn to make Chocolate cupcake with Kpop decorations.

For the chocolate cupcake here's the recipe:

1/2 Cup of Cocoa Powder
1 Cup of water
1 1/3 Cup of all purpose flour
1/4 Tea spoon of Baking Powder
1/2 Cup unsalted butter (room temperature)
1 Cup granulated sugar
2 Large eggs
2 Teaspoons vanilla extract

Pre-heat oven to 375F (190 C).
Get your muffin cups ready!!

Wisk together flour, baking powder and salt.

In a different bowl beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs 1 at a time until smooth. Beat the vanilla and add the flour mixture until incorporated, then add the cocoa mixture and stir until smooth.

Fill each cup about 2/3 with the batter a d bake for about 16-20 minutes or until risen. Insert a toothpick and if it's clean your Cupcake is ready!!!!

For the White Icing I got this recipe from Martha Stewart's website

1 1/2 Sticks of unsalted butter (very soft)
3 2/3 Cups of Icing Sugar

Beat the butter until fluffy and add the sifted sugar 1 cup at a time until smooth, if the icing is to thick add 1 or 2 spoons of milk until you get the consistency needed.

For the decoration you'll need food coloring paste or liquid, divide your icing according to the number of colors needed and start decorating!!!

After my last post I've been listening to more BigBang and GD&TOP (I'm kind of addicted now... Its a very good distraction lately)

So, here are a couple of cupcakes I made, hope you like them and try them on!!

Chocolate Cupcakes

Food Colouring!

                

BigBang - SuJu - I <3 Kpop - Girls Generation - SS501 - 2NE1 - I <3 ELF - Ukiss - FT Island

-Gisela V.

BigBang - 빅뱅

Hi everyone!,

I'm back....I feel like it's been forever since my last post (mine....not guest post) and also in life in general but I won't talk about it now because I'm still not strong enough, anyway lately I've been listening to BigBang, as you know I don't know much about Kpop and I can only recognize 2 or 3 bands but I'm getting there... so far I'm pretty aware of Super Junior, 2PM and now BigBang (I still can't tell the difference between SNSD and Wonder Girls....I'll get there soon)...so... BigBang I had a few songs on my iphone but nothing that I wanted to play over and over until last week when I was reading a blog and saw the video "Fantastic Chicken" which is apparently a parody of "Fantastic Baby"... and just like 2 years ago I couldn't stop repeating "Lucifer" by SHINEE now I can't stop playing "Fantastic Baby" I obviously can only sing the English parts but it's just fun :) 

Check it out .....

Fantastic Baby - BigBang

BIGBANG (빅뱅) is a Korean Hip Hop/ R&B band with 5 members, each one of the contributes with different Vocals or RAP. Just when the band debuted they were considered the new face of the YG Family (Online name for YG Entertainment).

The song “Lies” was BigBang’s first hit and not only had they started to gain popularity with their music but also for their Fashion.                                             

Lies - BigBang

Before BIGBANG each member had gained some popularity at the Entertainment business.

The (now) leader Ji-Young and Tae-Yang (Main voice) had been training with YG Entertainment since they were 12 years old, T.O.P. was already known as Hip-Hop/Rapper while Seung-Ri was 1^st introduced to the industry through “A Cokeplay Battle Shinwa” (A reality show in which Shinhwa attempted to create a boy band that could be a "second Shinhwa”), Dae Sung was the only unknown member of the band.

Mtv Korea transmitted a 10 Episodes long documental of each of the members (They were 6 members)  and the process they went through to make BIGBANG, an 11^th episode was then added when the FINAL (5) members were chosen.

Before the name BIGBANG several names were proposed by the members like “APEX”, “STUMP” and “DIAMOND”  but YG Entertainment’s Yang Hyun Seok thought the names where too childish and decided to name the band BIGBANG and that’s how finally on YG’s Family concert BigBang debuted on August 19^th 2006 at Seoul’s Olympic Park.

Before Bigbang’s 1^st album the group released 3 single albums, their 1^st single was “The first Single album” with a Remake of “This Love” by Maroon5 was recorded this single debuted with over 17.000 copies sold and later will hit the 40.000 copies. The 2^nd single was “Bigbang is V.I.P”  and their 3^rd (and last) single was “Bigbang 03”. It wAs the same year that the Official Fan Club was founded and the fans called themselves “V.I.P” (Because of Bigbang’s 2^nd Single), it’s known that fans wear a Black and White tissue with a BB on it for their concerts.

VIP - BigBang

On December 2006 BigBang had their 1^st concert “The Real”, one month later will release a new album called “Since 2007” later that year ad after a Tour through Korea the members decided to take some time to work on their Solo activities.

After taking some time apart, the group got together to release their 1^st mini album “Always” and in which G-Dragon (Band’s leader) was in charge of the production and wrote some of the songs for the album” this album contains “Lies” (Their most popular song) and was composed by G-Dragon and it was thanks to this album that they won the “Daesang” award at the 17^th Seoul Music Awards.

By 2008 Bigbang releases their 3^rd mini album “Stand Up” where the big hit “하루하루” (Haru Haru – Day by Day) is included, again under G-Dragon’s production it was then they managed to have 5 singles of the same album at the Top 20. Later that year they released their 2^nd mini album “Remember”.

Haru Haru - BigBang

BigBang will get the “Artist of the Year” award in 2008 at the M.Net KM Music Festival and later on they will gather on with 2NE1 to collaborate with the single “Lollipop”

On August 18^th G-Dragon releases his solo album “Heartbreaker” and Taeyang will also release 2 digital singles to promote his new album “Solar” to be release in 2010.

T.O.P joined the cast of the Drama “Iris” and his character was a mysterious killer called “Vick”

 

On January 2010 Bigbang offered a concer “Big Show 2010” at Seoul’s Olympic Stadium, later this concert was released on CD and DVD

At the end of May 2010 the group is awarded at the MTVVideo Music Awards Japan for “Best Video Pop” with Gara Gara GO!, “Best New Artist” and “Best Colaboration” for “Rain is Falling” by G-Dragon ft W-ind.

On June 2010 T.O.P released “Turn It Up”  being the 1^st Korean Artist to release a song on iTunes.

By the end of November YG Entertainment announced that GD and T.O.P will create a sub-group called “GD&TOP” and will release an album on December 24^th.

On January 2011 Seungri releases his 1^st mini solo album and BigBang reunited by February 2011 with the “Big Show” concert.

By the end of September G-Dragon was announced to make a comeback in October but later was involved in a Marihuana scandal where it was said that on May of the same year he consumed small amounts of the drug while being in Japan, later In July this information was confirmed and G-Dragon had to stop his activities.

On 2011 BigBang won the “Best Worldwide Act” at the MTV Europe Music Awards against Britney Spears. 

-Gisela V. 

Images taken from  www.ygbigbang.com 

BigBang's Facebook Page

Thank you to VIPProyectos BigBang for helping out with the BIO / Twitter: @vip_p_bigbang