My first Kpop concert (sort of)

Eh eh eh eh eh eh eeeeh 2NE1

What's up we're 2NE1!!!

Top: Our free Polaroid / Bottom: KU Gym

Most (if not all) Kpop fans know that phrase, and me being a YG fan was eager to see them live and when I read about their miniconcert at the Young Samsung ~ Passion Talk event, I knew we had to be there, this is where the complicated part started. First of all the whole website was in Korean, not only that, the text was in image form so my friend Google Translate was unable to help me, after going back and forth between the computer and my google translator app on my phone, we managed to figure out how to apply for tickets and so we needed a Korean phone number, ugh, we were going to as a friend if we could use his number but before he could reply we pressed "SENT" without knowing what we were doing, therefore, my friend was kind of upset about us using his number (Again, Sorry!!!!!!!!), anyway, we didn't hear anything about it for a couple of days and 1 day before the event we searched online to make sure how to get to the venue (Korea University's Gymnasium), we knew it was a "First come, first serve" basis so we planned on going there really early to make sure we got tickets, later that day my friend received another message asking for our assistance confirmation and that was it, as we still didn't know much about the times, except it would start at 5:30pm, we decided to go VERY early, and luckily for us it was raining the whole day (Yay!!!, Not), so, after a subway ride and an unnecessary taxi ride, we found the gym (btw, thanks to our driver for mistaken us for students! lol), we arrived at 9am to find a very empty Gym, there were only 5 people waiting and a couple minutes later, a guy from the staff started giving out numbered "tickets", he didn't speak any English so all he was able to say was "12pm exchange", we had less than 3 hours until that time and we decided to chill there until we were able to exchange those tickets for the real ones, at some point they played 2NE1 songs but us being the cool girls clearly NOT into Kpop (lol) just played cool, the exchange time was moved until 1pm and by then I was already bored out of my mind. ~Did I mention we were the only foreigners there?~. Before 1pm a guy came in and yelled something in Korean and everyone ran out, of course we followed them and they started calling out the numbers, we got 7 and 8 so that gave us access to 1st row tickets (heck yea!), after getting the real tickets and a gift bag with a "Samsung and U" booklet, a notebook, a pen and a Card holder, we were told to come back at 4:30, so, we had another 3 hours to (waste) have lunch and whatever, we left the campus and found a nice small place to eat and then run to The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf to chill, I took a short nap and then it was time to go back, shortly after we were allowed to go inside and wait YET another hour, by now I was dead tired, sleepy and wet, I did mention it rained all day, right?, but did I mention MY umbrella broke?, unlucky Gisela is my new name!!.

While waiting for the event to start we were approached by 2 guys, apparently they were "Young Reporters" for Samsung, we were asked how did we hear about the event, if we knew it was entirely in Korean (and how were we going to understand the whole thing), if we were there just for 2NE1 (Of course no!!! ~lol~, we also wanted to meet Mr. Park Chan Wook, director of JSA, Stalker, Old Boy, etc etc), asked for our names, age and took a picture, so, there might be a picture of us making a Korean pose somewhere (They asked for a Mexican Pose, but neither of us knew what I do).

Left: MC, Right top: 10cm, Right bottom: Park Chan Wook 

At 5:30 the lights went off and the MC of the day came out, I don't know him, but I think he is a comedian, they played some videos and then it was time for the 1st mini-concert, it was the turn of "10cm", again I had no idea who where they but they have some cool songs so I ended up enjoying their show a little too much, when they finished another MC came out and introduced Mr. Park, we were really excited about it, despite not being able to understand anything but after the first 1/2hour it got slow and a bit boring, and I don't think it was because of the language barrier, the people next to me was obviously bored and I can say we were all a bit uncomfortable on our chairs  :(, years later the Q&A started and Diana decided to ask something, until she realized she would be shown on the big screen and that was a No go for her, after Mr. Park's interview and Q&A it was time for Mrs. Lee Young-hee ~ Samsung's Vice-president, she talked about her inspirations (Coco Channel and Frida Kahlo!!) then introduced some of Samsung's new adds and it was (finally) time for 2NE1's MINI-concert!

Top left: 10cm, Top right: Mr. Park, Bottom: Lee Young-hee

They started with Fire followed by Can't nobody and then a small pause to introduce themselves and then it was turn for Falling in love, the last song was "I am the best" and CL started singing and getting the crowd fired up, to be honest I was expecting a bit more, CL was amazing and seemed like she was the only one aware that was a show, a short one but a show, the rest looked like they heard about the show on a short notice :/, I understand it wasn't a big show or a TV show and they might wanted to look more natural, but at some point Bom seemed not caring much about the singing/dancing part and more about the looking pretty aspect... I know some Blackjacks would be upset about me saying this, but it's just my opinion, I still like them and I LOVED the show and I understood why CL is the leader, she has such a strong presence on stage and Charisma (there, I said it!)

Here's a lil video of Falling in love and some of my lousy iphone pictures (sorry!)

By the end of the day I was very tired but it was totally worth it, I can't wait to go to a "real" (aka long) concert!

-Gisela V.

P.s. Check 10cm's Amerikano video, I really liked this soong!

Hallyu Tour – Kpop in Seoul

It’s time for a new GSL Mission, this time, to create a Tour in Seoul.

Are you a Kpop Lover?, why not book a room at the Kpop Stayin Hongdae, not only Hongdae is very trendy but you’ll get to meet other kpop fans!

The Kpop Stay is located in 6-153 Changjeon-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul 121-880, South Korea 

Or you can stay at the Kpop Residence  located in Myeong Gwang B/D 3F, 2-7,2nd st, Myeong-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul, South Korea ‎1800 687 236‎ 

Once we have the accommodation solved, why not going out for lunch?

Maybe you can start with a visit to Nodaji Restaurant and check out their INFINITE memorabilia, this restaurant is located at the Children’s Grand Park Station (Subway line 7), Exit 4, look for the Noraebang street on your right and walk down the street for a couple of minutes.

You’ll get to see INFINITE signed posters, CD’s, and pictures of the Members at this restaurant!           

After lunch, you can take a walk and wonder around the Myeongdong area, you’ll find yourself in shopping paradise and I’m sure you’ll find that Kpop merchandise you have been waiting for, or you can just window shop and might as well end up taking a picture with a life-sized image of an Idop promoting some products ;)

To finish up your night, you can go into the K-Story Kpop Cafe located in 22-6 Chungmuro 1(il)-ga, Jung-gu, Seoul, South  Find life-sized posters and fanart of your favorite kpop idols! You can purchase CDs, autographed posters, Girl’s Generation trading cards all while sipping on a latte here. This place is rumoured to be managed by Super Junior’s Heechul’s older sister.

 

Poto credit: mykoreanboyfriend.com

For Day #2, why not start with a nice breakfast at Twosome Café/Studio in Hongdae, this coffee shop is also a  studio/gallery co-owned by Teddy (YG Producer) and you can find Mina Kwon’s art there! 

www.minakwon.com

Teddy Park

Continue your day with a Visit to some of the biggest Entertainment companies in S. Korea?, pay a quick visit to YG, SM, JYP or Cube, just be respectful as some times this places are full with other fans and try not to take pictures without prior authorization ;)

 

JYP - Image: google.com

Don’t forget to drop by the EatYourKimchi studio, you might get to meet them and perhaps talk a bit more about Kpop!!

And since not everything in this tour has to be kpop related, why not going to Lotte World and have some fun at the rides?

After such a tiring day, you can finish up with a dinner at Se7en’s Chicken stew restaurant “Yeolbong Jjimdak 열봉찜닭”.

So, there you have it, a 2 day Kpop Tour around Seoul :), there are a lot of other places you can go to get your Kpop Fix, but if you only have a couple of days, this might do ;) 

-Gisela V. 

Guest Post: Super Junior en Latinoamerica

Mucho se ha especulado en México acerca de la Visita de Super Junior, se habla de conciertos en Latinoamerica e inmediatamente las Fans en México se preguntan por que no vienen a nuestro país, le pedí a una amiga que me ayudara con este tema pues yo no soy experta en Kpop y mucho menos cuestiones de Super Junior, asi que Carmen me ayudo a escribir el siguente post de Super Junior en Latinoamerica.

El pasado 10 de marzo mediante un evento transmitido por YouTube, Super Junior anunció los países latinos en donde se presentaría el SS5. Los afortunados: Brasil, Chile, Perú y Argentina.

Las Elf’s mexicanas esperaban con gran emoción la mención de México, para su sorpresa no fue así. A partir de ese momento, comenzaron a desatarse rumores y comentarios pero sobretodo, sentimientos encontrados.

Foto: sujumexico.blospot.com

Sabemos que México es uno de los países con mayor proyección internacional, ya sea para consolidar una trayectoria o bien para aquellos que buscan darse a conocer. Por eso no se comprendía el ¿por qué?, nuestro país no estaba en esa lista.


Haciendo un pequeña observación ¿cómo es la situación del Kpop actualmente? Lo siguiente, es mi opinión personal y un pequeño análisis.


¿Es conocido el Kpop en México? Hasta hace poco no lo era. En los últimos dos años, algunas revistas y programas comenzaron a brindar un espacio a esta música; los distintos clubs de fans (fandoms) realizaban actividades como: proyecciones de conciertos, reuniones para festejar cumpleaños, eventos de coreografías en conjunto con el CENTRO CULTURAL COREANO, envío de mensajes masivos en Twitter, etc. Las empresas y/o promotoras, al no tener un amplio conocimiento de este género, tenían el temor de invertir ante algo que les resultara redituable.

Actualmente comienzan a cambiar de idea al ver lo hecho por las(os) fans.

Foto: ilovegyarulife.blogspot.mx

Por último la parte más importante: Las(os) fans. Que en la mayoría de los comentarios, son quienes han impedido la apertura total del Kpop en México.


¿Cómo puedo decir esto, si acabo de mencionar lo que han hecho? .En algunas actividades que se han realizado para pedir un grupo, que ese grupo vea cómo se vive y se disfruta la música de Corea, el interés que tenemos hacia su cultura en general y pasa que mucho compromiso verbal, poca participación activa, rivalidades, protagonismos y abstención de asistir por no ser su preferido. Son causas que impiden algunas veces el éxito de dichos eventos.


Si estamos cerca de una oportunidad, ese sería el momento ideal para unirnos: Elf’s, Vip’s, Kiss me, Cassiopeias, Primadonnas, Triple S, Shawols, Black Jacks, Voice, etc. y participar de manera más unida apoyando al fandom en turno. Menciono como grandes ejemplos a Perú y Chile, países que han obtenido excelentes resultados y muestra de ello, son los conciertos que se han dado en algunas de sus ciudades.

Por lo pronto Super Junior ha hecho lo que parece ser un milagro. Los distintos fandoms se han unido en intensas actividades con las páginas MOVIMIENTO ELF MEXICO Y SM TOWN LIVE IN MEXICO (FANS). Todo esto con el fin de llamar la atención de SM ENTERTAINMENT, OCESA y ZIGNIA LIVE y ser anfitriones de un Super Show.


El SS5 está a días de comenzar y México aún tiene esperanza y oportunidad, se han escuchado rumores de que Ocesa es quien está negociando y tienen hasta el 30 de abril para llegar a un acuerdo con SM. No se puede confirmar nada aun pero, esperemos que esos rumores se conviertan en una realidad.

El próximo miércoles a través de naver.com, Super Junior tendrá un video chat donde existe la posibilidad de que anuncien más países.

Se les invita a participar y enviar preguntas donde mencionen a México. Es una manera de hacerles saber cuánto los queremos en tierra azteca.







Todo es cuestión de seguir trabajando y luchando en equipo. ¡¡ FIGHTING!!


Carmen

EnjoyKpop

Hi everyone!

As you know right now I'm in Italy but since its 4am and I can't sleep anymore I thought I should blog (haha), so I'm so sorry about not adding the links correctly or the pictures being all together at the end... I'm blogging from my Iphone and I can't edit properly :( but here it goes...

A couple weeks ago I was invited to join the site EnjoyKpop.com since you already know I like Kpop (Oh God why!), I decided to join and see what was going on since I notice my Facebook TL to be filled with EnjoyKpop's links... I was then pointed to this website's administrator Mateo Hwang and I contacted him to find out more about this website and himself as it turns out he speaks Spanish and has a Youtube channel with Korean Lessons in Spanish!

So check out a little of what he has to say about EnjoyKpop and all of you Kpopers out there joing this site for more Kpop related fun!

What do I need to access EnjoyKpop (twitter/ Facebook/ an account/ etc)

You can register EnjoyKpop through 'Twitter, Facebook, Google and Me2day. Also you can simply sign in EnjoyKpop but to upload your photos and video, you need to access through Facebook and Youtube.

What can I do on this website?

1. You can make various friends from different countries.
2. You can easily share your interests with the members because they are interested in K-POP and Korean culture.
3. You can show off your talents through videos or photos.(K-pop cover video, drawing, singing etc.) for a Kpop Battle!

Does EnjoyKpop has an App for iPhone or Android?

We already have the application for iPhone and Android. You can download it in the app market.
G-*I've downloaded the EnjoyKpop App for iPhone and it's very easy to navigate + is purple haha*

Background and plans for EnjoyKpop

The original idea was from the previous model 'iBoast'. The concept of the website was too overall and so the project had to stop a year ago.

Then a new project, EnjoyKpop has come out since January and the project started. We had a lot of difficulties. However, finally we opened the 'EnjoyKpop.com (Beta version) on 12th Sep, 2012.

EnjoyKpop will be renewed again and again, so we call it a beta version at the moment.

We will have some events soon in this month(Nov, 2012). We wish many people come and participate with us.

G-*I will let you know about this events once We have more information!!*

Mateo Hyojin Hwang

I was born and raised in Korea. I studied Spanish Language and Latin American studies at University.
At the time, I studied a year in Madrid (Spain) as an exchange student.
I worked for some other companies. During that time, I worked in Monterrey for a while.
Until this day I cannot forget the taste of taco. I miss it now so much.
I am very interested in any genre of music, art and sport; K-POP, classical, electronic, flamenco, salsa, drawing, Xgame, Skateboarding etc.

Mateo's Youtube channel

I wanted to give some free lessons for the people who are interested in Korean culture so I made some small video clips. I didn't make many videos but sooner or later I will upload more my videos.

Mateo usually promotes his videos through his FB page, if you are interested you can add him HERE.

As you can see Mateo is really compromised with the project and Kpop, he is a very nice guy and will always reply to your questions if needed!

So, let's join EnjoyKpop and why not? Show your Kpop skills for a battle!

-Gisela V.

UPDATE!!

Nowadays, They opened two events; “Friend Invitation Event" & "Gangnam Style World Battle"

They will give away iPad mini and iPod nano etc.

Check out the Gangnam Style World Championship video in Youtube.

Talk to me in Korean Around the World - Mexico

Hi everyone!

Last Sunday Mexico welcomed the TTMIK  and Eat Your Kimchi Couple at the WTC for the Talk to Me in Korean Around the World 1st event.  I blogged about it here.

I was really excited to meet Hyunwoo Sun and Kyeong-un Choi since I've been listening to their lesssons ever since they were with KoreanClass101, this event was organized by Javi Maldonado from hablameencoreano.com with TTMIK, there were Speach, Singing and Dance contests but to be honest I didn't know what to expect so..here we go...


It all OBVIOUSLY started with Oppa Gangnam Style 

The Good: 

It was the ideal place for a KPOP fan...yup if you are into other aspects of Korea this might not be the ideal event for you... The event was full of mostly Teenagers crazy for Kpop, so this is the perfect place if you want some new Kpop friends

There were 3 Contests, Speach, Singing and Dancing there were about 30 contestans (Solo performances and group Performances) and there were 3 winners for each contest with awards of $12,000 MXP, $6,000 and $3,000 (Pretty good, huh??)

Throughout the even they gave different prices with the ticket numbers, I got a signed Infinite CD (Courtesy of TTMIK), Soompi Spanish gave other CD's (2PM, BigBang, etc) 

They also gave a couple of Korean books and Phone cases.... I thought they were going to give TTMIK Books since they just started selling them but NO, again most of the prices were Kpop related. 

Oh!! I also got a phonecase at the end!!, they were asking for people wearing Kpop socks and luckily I was the only one (I feel a little bit embarassed about this...) 

The Speach contest gave me the impression that it was more a Charisma contest than a speach contest.... seriously, some of them were more focused on trying to make people laugh than to actually speak Korean, at the end I seriously thought the 2nd place deserved the 1st place since she was very good at Korean and was there for a Speach contest ....

I LOVED the beggining of the Dance contest, the 1st team was a group of 5 guys and covered Lucifer by SHINee....and if you don't know this I LOVE this song, this song reminds me of my 1st trip to Korea so it put me in a good mood until the rest of the teams came and they all felt the need to dance "Gangnam Style"... It was good the first 3 times but when you hve to see 12 groups dancing Gangnam Style this can be a little too much.....

For the Singing contest there was no Gangnam Style (yay!!!), the most popular song was "Lonely" by 2NE1 but my favorite was "That XX" by G-Dragon...cuz you know how much I love like GD :)

At the end of the event I only got to talk with 3 teachers of TTMIK and they were all very nice, Hyojin An was kind enough to ask me to send her my interview questions (since we didn't have time that day) and she will reply to me as soon as possible :). (I'll post the 10secs interview on a different post :$ ) 

With Hyijin An (TTMIK)  

The Bad:

.......Don't know how to start..... 

The event was due to start at 1pm, the people who got their tickets online (me and another...100-200people) were supposed to access first., we were supposed to bring our purchase code, receive our $3USD (per ticket) back and  go inside, but NO they made us make a line and stand there for over an hour... OVER AN HOUR PEOPLE!!! and then they decided to 1st let in the people who bought their tickets that day.... It's ok... I thought.... there's enough space for ALL of us.... then the line to pick up the tickets was crazy long and the people giving out the tickets was a BIT slow....at some point Hyojin An (TTMIK) asked me for my Purchase code and handed me my 2 tickets....I was so excited to finally have my tickets(arond 1:20pm) that I forgot to ask about the money they were supposed to give us back....

According to the promotion made online, there were going to be Korean products for sale at the event.... in my opinion selling ChocoPie and Aloe drinks is not KOREAN products, specially since there was a No-food policy inside of the place.... They were also selling T-shirts of the event (Not a Korean product....) and Leggings because what's MORE Korean than worldwide known leggings, right?

The organization was awfull, there were 3 MCs, Javi Maldonado, Fer Gay (He's got a music show on TV) and Caeli (Youtube "Celebrity")... I understand they wanted to invite Fer Gay since he recently interviewed Junsu in Mexico and has made some Kpop specials on TV but what I don't get is WHY Caeli??,,,, I of course searched for her videos when I saw the TTMIK event poster because I didn't know who she was, turns out she makes funny videos about life in general and for what I saw at the event she has no knowledge of Korea or Kpop, and kept calling Martha to Martina, most of the times she wasn't able to translate what the TTMIK Teachers said in English (I wasn't expecting her to speak Korean hehe) and for what I saw, she wasn't into the event in general, when the Speach contest was On she was taking pictures with her fans, chatting, drinking water and just being distracted in general...at some point she asked the audience "Why they wanted to travel to Korea" and some people said "Because of the Food!!!" (It wasn't me I swear!! kkkk) and she said "Really???...."  hmmm.... Please if someone know why was she asked to be the MC of the event let me know because I still don't get it. 

The UGLY 

Eat Your Kimchi came all the way to Mexico to Judge the Dancing Contest, some people were more into taking pictures with them than the actual contest.... 

At the end of the event Hyunwoo Sun said "We are gonna have some time if you want to take Pictures, an autograph or say Hello to the Teachers or EYK at the end of the event!!!", so when the contest for an All expenses paid TRIP to Korea ended it was time for pictures, right?.... right??... RIGHT???????? WRONG!!!

After this, they started kicking everyone out stating the pictures will be taken in the Hallway, I thought it was weird but hey! maybe the contract for the place ended at 8pm.... I asked Simon and Martina for a lil interview when I actidentally (for real!!!) met them at the restroom and they said we will have time at the end but there was this girl (Stephany) who wasn't allowing people to get close with them anymore, as if all of us were holding guns or if they were in danger just being there.... Saddly they went out through the back door.... I waited a bit longer for the interview with the TTMIK teachers but I was seriously tired and in a bad mood because of the poor organization of the event so I went to Hyunwoo Sun at the end and just asked him for a short message.... I'm glad I asked Seokjin Jin a couple of questions earlier!!

I understand they were all tired because it was indeed a very long event, but guys if you don't really have time or energy for pictures/autographs.... SAY SO!!!! I feel really bad because when I went out (I was one of the last ones) I saw girls standing at the Hallway waiting for Eat Your Kimchi and the TTMIK Teachers, I don't know if they did take pictures in the hallway at the end because I left.... :(  

To be honest, I was really excited about this event when I 1st heard about it and I was happy they chose Mexico to be the 1st Country on their tour, but the poor organization was very disapointing....

Hopefully their next events will have a better organization and they will have time to spend with their fans. 

And I hope more Korean events take place in Mexico :) ....not only Kpop events!... If anyone out there is reading me and work with the KCC in Mexico... PLEASE make a Food-related event!! :) 

-Gisela V. 

Ps. If the girl who took my picture with Simon is reading me, can you send me the picture please?? :) 

Reseña del Concierto de Xia Junsu en Mexico

Hola!! 

Aprovechando que acabo de regresar y apenas estoy poniendo todas las fotos del Viaje a Corea en orden, les quiero dejar una reseña del concierto de Junsu en Mexico, esta reseña me la mando Carmen Sotelo, una ex-compañera de mi clase de Coreano que tuvo la oportunidad de asistir al 1er concierto de Kpop en México!

MI EXPERIENCIA EN EL CONCIERTO DE XIA JUNSU

06 de septiembre, un día que será recordado por 3500 fans del Kpop. Después de tantos esfuerzos se logró el primer concierto en México, Xia Junsu pisótierras aztecas para traernos su 1er Tour Mundial Tarantallegra.

 
Las personas comenzaron a formarse desde las 6:30 am, para las 11:00 ya éramos cerca de 1200 que esperaban en la entrada del Auditorio BlackBerry. Para hacer menos la espera, cantábamos y conversábamos con personas de otros estados: Monterrey, Querétaro, Veracruz, Acapulco, Guadalajara, San Luis Potosi, etc. Mientras llegaba la hora del concierto mis amigas y yo, nos dedicamos a repartir lighsticks de manera gratuita para quienes no habían tenido oportunidad de comprar los oficiales. Era una manera de agradecer a Junsu su visita a nuestro país.

Llegó la hora 6:30 y no accesabamos al recinto, la desesperación comenzaba hacerse presente. Gente que trabajaba en el lugar salió a informarnos que se había quemado un cable y no querían exponer a los asistentes.

A las 7:00 por fin comenzamos a entrar, sólo queríamos que nos revisarán rápido para poder correr y quedar lo más cercano posible al escenario. Tuvimos suerte!!, la hora del concierto había llegado y este no empezaba, nos preguntábamos que pasaba. Salió un representante del equipo de Junsu para decirnos que le habían mostrado un video donde se veía las largas filas que esperaban entrar, por lo tanto este hermoso hombre, había tomado la decisión de esperar al último fan para que no se perdiera detalle alguno de su concierto.

Ya que nos encontrábamos dentro del auditorio, se coreaban canciones como Cielito Lindo, Sabes, El Rey. De pronto se nos informo que la mamá de Junsu había llegado y todas comenzamos a gritarle: ¡¡suegra!! ¡¡Suegra!!, ¡¡omoni!! ¡¡omoni!!.

8:30  se apagan las luces, salen unos bailarines y en el centro se coloca un joven con traje azul. Todos sabíamos que había llegado el momento y los gritos no se hicieron esperar. Comenzó cantando  Breath, con unos movimientos muy sexys.

De ahí le siguieron canciones como Fever, You are so beautiful,Lullaby. Al terminar esta, concedió 3 deseos. El primero, subió a un fanboy y se tomaron una foto (todas quisimos ser ese chico en ese momento), segundo cantó un fragmento del musical Elizabeth y tercero hizo un paso sexy. No cabe duda de que es un chico con cierta inocencia, pues mostró pena cuando cumplió este último deseo.

Continuaron las canciones, The last dance, No Again e Intoxication. Posterior a estas cantó una de las más esperadas: Tarantallegra. Al término de esta, se sentó en un sillón que estaba en la parte superior del escenario, se notó en ese instante que le faltaba la respiración pues se quedó ahí cerca de un minuto.

Hizo otras dos pausas para agradecer a las y los fans por haber acudido a su concierto, y dijo que había disfrutado la visita a México. Que comentaría todo lo sucedido a Yoouchun y Jaejoong. Prometió regresar con ellos el siguiente año.

Anunció lo que sería su última canción: I don’t like love. Debo decir que la interpretó con un sentimiento que hizo poner la piel chinita a todos los presentes. Se despidió junto a sus bailarines. Pero como buenos mexicanos gritamos el tradicional ¡OTRA! ¡OTRA! Y que sale de nuevo. 

Cantó Fallen Leaves. Al término de esta hizo una reverencia al público, algo que solamente se había visto en Corea. Fue tanta su emoción que al momento de hacerla, lloró. Demostrando así lo feliz que estaba.

Al salir pude ver a varias fans llorando, mas enamoradas y súper agradecidas por este sueño hecho realidad.

Sin duda la mejor experiencia que tuve en este año.

Carmen Sotelo

 Pues ahi lo tienen, al parecer el concierto fue todo un EXITO, esperemos muy pronto podamos tener mas conciertos de Kpop en México, yo mientras espero el de BigBang o GD :) 

-Gisela V

Traveling to Korea... Expectation / Reality

Expectation / Reality

A few months ago I ran into someone whom I took Korean Lessons with, after catching up a bit I remembered she had traveled to Korea just a couple of weeks back and asked how it was.... To my sorprise she said she didn't liked it O_O (WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!!!) I wasn't shocked because I want everyone to love Korea but because she was taking Korean Lessons and seemed to be very into Korean Culture, but no she was only into Hallyu/K-Wave, I'm not sure about her age but she is older than me (I'm 27) by at least 10 years.

When she started with "I didn't like it because you can not experience K-pop the same way you do it here (KoreaTown in Mexico City)"...I was like.. REALLY?? That's your reason??????????? HUH????????... how is it possible?

Reality / Expectation

So, let me tell you a bit about my experience with Korea. 

After listening to her stories I was pretty relieved I didn't know much about Dramas, Kpop and Hallyu in general when I traveled to Korea...I wouldn't even dare to say more than 3 words in Korean :(. I was very into Korean Culture, I loved (still do) the language, the culture, the food and it just seemed like a very cool place to travel. I read TONS of K-blogs writen not only by Foreigners but also by Koreans so I new a bit about both sides of what was going on in Korea... when the time came and I traveled to Korea I wasn't really expecting anything and ended up having an amazing trip...I still feel like I didn't do enough even thou my schedule was packed everyday and sometimes I feel like I wasted too much time sleeping while I was there (What???!! this country has 24hrs deliveries, Noraebangs, Spa's, etc!!)

Reality / Expectation

On the other side, this ex-classmate was VERY into Korean culture, on the 1st day of classes most of the people there said they wanted to go to Korea and meet their Idols O_o (Maybe that's why I never felt like I fitted in that class...), they would go to K-pop meetings, watch Dramas, buy (extremly expensive) K-pop products and would gather at a famous (expensive) Korean Coffee shop in Mexico to drink 8USD Teas with a 5USD piece of bread. 

I know for fact she was expecting to go to Korea and ran into someone famous or maybe find a Tall, rich and handsome Korean man who would be mean to her at 1st but then would fall in love with her. Sadly she went to the other side of the world for pretty much nothing :(, I even felt bad when she said she arrived at Incheon and thought it was an Ugly place....

haha they do think different.... 

I wonder if all Hallyu fans are like this.... if they will feel disapointed if they travel to Korea and can't meet their idols, sometimes we read so many things about Kpop that we believe Kpop is TOP priority in Korea, although Kpop it is popular, not everyone in Korea likes it and not everything is about Kpop. Most people (I've met) think Kpop is for Highschool girls... which is what I told her.... there are some "famous" Mexican bands who are very famous in other Countries (RBD) among teens but in Mexico older people (like me :( ) don't even think about at ALL.

This is why I'm worried now... even though I'm not obsesced with Hallyu... I've seen WAY too many Dramas (On my 1st visit I've only seen "My name is Kim Sam Soon") and I know a tiny bit more about Kpop... what if I get dissapointed with my next trip to Korea???... have I been biten by the Hallyu mosquito? is this contagious?... will I be expecting a Goo Yoon Pyo to come and resque me from the bullies from Highschool?? O_O or am I expecting to run into BigBang on the subway?? (okok,,,maybe I am expecting that lol)... I wonder if I would see PSY horse ridding while crossing a street in Gangnam....

What Most Hallyu fans will expect:
1.-Kpop playing everywhere
2.-Seeing your idols everywhere
3.-Each and every Korean to be extremely handsome
4.-Sexy women wearing super short shorts
5.-Korea as a country to look just like in Dramas

Reality...remember this is only MY experience:
1.-Kpop was played in Shopping areas or Malls...not everywhere (most of the times I was unable to recognize the songs....)
2.-I didn't see anyone... one day I was at COEX Mall and people were gathering for an event...I don't know who it was but there were less than 20 people waiting for him...so it might have been just a book signing?
3.-..... Not everyone was dead gorgeous, I mean most people are into fashion and people tend to wear nice clothes but NO, not everyone is as cute as Gum Jan Di or Goo Joon Pyo (Can you tell I don't know many characters names?? lol)
4.-THIS I will give you... on my 1st visit I went in WINTER...once I stepped outside of Incheon my face froze...I desperately wore my 2 jackets, a hat, gloves and a scarf and still I was freezing but Korean girls?? pfffft they don't give a (insert your word here) if it's 0°C...they will go out with a miniskirt and high heels, you will see them on the subway, at coffee shops, malls, buses, etc... they are awesome, either they are VERY used to that cold or they are much more worried about how they look (I will go for the 2nd one)
5.-Korea does look like in Dramas because well it is pretty in reality, BUT.... remember most Dramas will show you the Big City, the newest mall, the cutest Coffee Shop and well..the BEST of the best, but there are also very poor zones, at night you'll see homeless people sleeping in the subway (this is a bit scary actually....), does anyone remember when Gum Jan Di goes to sleep on the subway on BBF?? well...it's like that O_O, but it's safe if you hurry and get out of there as fast as you can lol :P jk

Anyway, on My 1st trip to Korea the REALITY of my trip overcome the EXPECTATION..... I wonder what will happen on this upcoming trip 0_0.

How was your 1st trip? How did you handle the Expectation/Reality of the trip?

-Gisela V.

G-Dragon

Kwon Ji Yong better known as G-Dragon (지드래곤) is BigBang’s leader, rapper, singer, songwriter, producer, model and whatnot with only 24 years (born August 18, 1988)… Amazing isn’t it??....I still can’t believe I’m 3 years older than him.

Lately I’ve been listening to more G-Dragon and reading more and more about him…why? …well to start his Birthday was just a couple weeks ago, he released the 1^st single of his new Solo Album and well…rumors on the internet say he will be the main producer of YG’s new girl-band…..

If you remember, I already talked a bit about him on This post and after that post I kinda became a BigBang fan (lol), I listened to Heartbreaker by G-Dragon and it was just catchy… and when I heard he was releasing a new Solo album I was already a bit excited about it…but then “One of a Kind” came out and to be honest I didn’t love the 1^st (2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th) time I heard it…. Specially the video and his “new” image for the Video, I just don’t get why should they dye their hair with such a weird colors… T.O.P.’s mint hair started very “minty” and then it turned a softer color…. But Bright yellow?... and with the hair braided like that?? Plus the little bear and the Tiger…. I just wasn’t feeling it… eventually the song grew on me and now I find myself singing Yes Sir I’m one of a Kind… Neh Hyung… Neh Noona …as for the lyrics?... We all know he is wild (Just look at that yellow, pink, white hair)…. And Young, we also know he’s got lots of money but I don’t think he’s sorry for being so popular….and that part I’m a bear that can do a lot of tricks — no, more like a fox …He really can pull LOTS of tricks and that’s what I like about him, he’s not your average Kpop idol, I think he does a great job as a writer and producer… Come on! He’s just 24!!!! ….anyway, if you still haven’t listened to One of a Kind, check out the video up next.

Less than 2 weeks after One of a Kind’s release, G-Dragon came out with a new video That XX this video was rated for an 19+ audience and the explicit in the song was replaced by a beep  on “That Beep”… The 1^st time I listened to this song I really liked it… and I normally don’t like this slow-romantic kind of songs…at least not on my 1^st time listening to it… I had to read the lyrics of course and I went all Awwww!!! He doesn’t seem to be the type of guy who’s friendzoned lol and guess what… it took me a few days to understand that he is both characters on the video… the Nice-friendzoned guy and the XX (aka asshole….) it was nice to see the change from One of a Kind to That  XX, I’m even thinking about getting his new CD due to be released on September 15^th and yes… this will be my very FIRST Kpop CD….. although I’m thinking about getting BigBang’s Alive and Super Junior’s 5^th album. 

Do you guys have any recommendations for other good Kpop CD’s??, are there any G-Dragon’s fans here? What do you guys think about this new Solo album?

-Gisela V.