2NE1 is the Best!

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I've talked about boy groups but rarely if at all, was there a mention about the girl groups. Well guys your in for a treat because today's post is for the awesome group called 2NE1!! At first I wasn't a fan of any girl groups as that whole cute aegyo, smiling act is adorable, but not my style of music. I should have known that YG doesn't produce music like that but hey I was a newbie didn't know any better. These girls are FIERCE never striving away from trying different sounds and experimenting with new looks. And they still seem humble after all the success they've had over the years, that's something I will always like about these girls is their humility and individuality. CL, Bom, Dara, and Minzy all make up this quartet that debuted in 2009 with the YG entertainment company. Their debut single "Fire" was a smash hit all around Korea inviting new fans alike.

This group are one of the select few that can make it globally, to include Big Bang. Their music possesses western influences that would appeal to people who might not know what K-Pop is and that can introduce them to the craze that is K-Pop. 2NE1's biggest hit song to date is "I Am The Best."

This song is what got 2NE1 international success as well as in their home country. Skyrocketed them to be one of the top K-Pop groups in Korea now. With their huge achievements conquered in only 4 years who knows what else this group will release.


I thought my favorites in the group were set in stone and then one member would do/say something and their goes my standings. But I love love love CL!! She exhibits a confident, charismatic quality that draws you to her and then displays offstage this quiet but extremely warm person that you wouldn't feel shy to say "Hi" to. CL is a wonderful leader for this group at first I thought that she was too young to lead and why couldn't Bom or Dara do it. It wasn't until I watched them preform together that I saw how the dynamics broke down and I can't see anyone else leading this group like CL does. Her style is wow I just about like everything she wears. Her voice is lovely especially with songs like "Lonely" and  "It Hurts,"they showcase that vulnerable emotion in her voice. Though CL  is mostly known for her rap skills, it's those moments in these songs that proves she's more than just a rapper. Not sure if she writes all her own raps or not but one that's pretty good is the rap intro for "I Love You."

                                     
                                                 "Tonight  I’ll drop it low
                                                     As low as this ba-bass
                                                  U know it’s bout to blow
                                                        All up in yo face
                                              You might have seen a couple
                                                     Bittys looking pretty
                                                            But none
                                                       Compared to me
                                                        As I proceed to
                                                       Run this city uh"

(Lyrics~Lybio)

Dara is the member that looks like she's the youngest. She's in her late 20s but looks 10 years younger! Which can be a gift & a curse at times, as I should know. Another thing Dara's known for is her quirky sense of fashion and hairstyles. Never one to play it safe nothing is off-limits for this woman. That's one aspect of her personality that you just can't take away. At first her fashion senses put me off but then grew on me eventually. I hate to compare but sometimes Dara's outlandish outfits remind me of a "Dara's" version of GD's own style. Idk just a thought. Not only is she adorable and funny, she also has an extremely close relationship with her brother. Family and her fans are important to Dara she always makes sure to give the fans something to look forward too. Some say she has the "weakest" voice in 2NE1 but I don't agree with that. I think that yes her voice is not as strong and more sweet sounding then the others, but it's a plus after having such powerful ones. Her song "Kiss' is a cute, fun song that was used in a CF with actor Lee Min Ho. At first when I watched the mv I thought it would be the typical girl-meets-boy concept but it was soo much more. This pairs chemistry really sold the video and though it was for a commercial, it felt like it was some drama that wasn't quite finished. Anyways props to Dara for her stellar performance.

  

Kiss (feat. CL)

Bom is the one member I never knew what to make of her, still don't to this day actually. They call her the 4-D personality. She's not only gorgeous but has one of the best soulful voices in the business. I wish YG would showcase that even more so, like say have her come out with another single like "You and I." Which is a beautiful song that had all the right elements to make her voice sound magical. Bom's the more quieter person of the group. To me she's the most mysterious, the one I want to know what makes her tick. For their next comeback I would love to see Bom go back to the red she had back in their earlier days, it was the coolest red hue ever! Bring it back Bom!!
   You and I

And then you have Minzy the cute member! This girl is talented! Her husky voice is beautiful to listen to especially on their song "Lonely." It wasn't until listening to their acapella version that her true talent was shown. Not only can she sing, but the girl's got some moves! She's my favorite dancer outside of CL, her smile and enthusiasm when she's performing are wonderful to see. It's like she's truly enjoying the performance. Also, I would LOVE to see a sub-unit consisting of CL & Minzy because we know CL can rap and Minzy's pretty good herself, so it would be an awesome duo. YG needs to get on that asap! Here's a live version of their song "Please Don't Go." Its the cutest and funnest performance of ever.

I'm gonna leave you guys with my 2NE1 song of the moment, this song never gets old so I hope you guys enjoy it too! As always, thanks for checking my blog out :)

Clap Your Hands

Photo Credit~ MusicAsia, Popdust, Soompi, OhKPop, and Fanpop

Song of The Moment~TVXQ~Catch Me

 
Don't these guys looks so sharp & spiffy in their suits. Let me say that as a newer fan I didn't think TVXQ could pull off being a duo, but after listening to this song and parts of their previous album, they're on a roll and not looking to stop anytime soon. Literally after listening to this song I started dancing around my house singing along (as much as my limited Korean would allow!) I even made up my own ridiculous moves by incorporating the ones they did from the music video. Now that was a sight to see since I wouldn't be considered a good dancer. Hehe. Whatever TVXQ comes out with next this fan will be watching and waiting for it. So to end this any TVXQ fans out there?? How did you like their now past comeback? And as always thanks for visiting this blog and enjoy!

Korean Dramas to Watch

So sorry for the delay in posting, I've been sick for the last couple of days and didn't feel up to writing anything. For today's post I wanted to showcase 3 dramas I adore. Some you might have heard of and others maybe not. Enjoy!

Secret Garden

 Starring Hyun Bin

 Ha Ji-Won
 
 Yoon Sang-Hyun
 
 Kim Sa-Rang
 
Gosh I don't think I have one bad thing to say about this drama and I think (or hope) you guys feel the same way too. Most people love this drama and can talk about it for days on end and why not! It's got romance, comedy, action, and fantasy all rolled into one drama. Since this drama first stole my heart and introduced two great loves in my life (Binnie & Ha Ji-Won) I feel nothing has been able to knock it from the top spot, although Gaksital & King 2 Hearts are serious close seconds. See my reviews on them here and here. But we're not talking about those dramas so lets get to it. Why I like this drama soo much is that they did everything right. From the hilarious misunderstandings, body-swapping theatrics, to reconciled love between old flames, I was never bored with it. After such a disappointing end of drama Iris I needed to invest in something I would love from beginning to end and that was Secret Garden. All the main actors were on point and the chemistry was amazing. I'm kinda saving my full review for another time, so that's why I'm glazing the details of the drama. Look for a more in depth review later.

Can Love Become Money

 
 Starring Uhm Ji Won & Yun Jung Hoon



I don't understand why no one talks about this awesome show. It's one of the most funniest dramas I've seen. Uhm Ji Won's character always had me laughing with her antics, never a dull moment with her. Yoon Da Ran has a big mouth, in which she tends to spew whatever comes to mind giving the audience (aand me) something to talk about. But what I admired about her, was the ability to say what's on her mind. It was refreshing because soo many characters never seem to voice their opinions unless their a brassy/in your face character (la' My Name is Kim Sam Soon) or have their special "moment" in the drama to speak their thoughts. Now Yun Jung Hoon's character was downright funny. His OCD antics had me rolling on the floor and what made the character was his facial expressions. If looks could kill his would. He would say something extremely funny but in that dry tone that spoke of the character's personality. Coming off watching Vampire Prosecutor I had to see what else he could bring as an actor, and I will say he impressed me. The scene that hit me in the heart was when Ma In Tak goes to see his amnesiac mother in the hospital and he starts pouring out his heart of why she abandoned him etc. Then she answers him as if she knew that this was her son, the emotions of hurt and disappointment coming across In-Tak's face were heartbreaking. It was a very well acted scene which hopefully will entice you to watch this wonderful drama.

Flower Boy Ramyun Shop


 Starring Jung Il Woo
 
 & Lee Chung Ah
 
 At first I wasn't too sure about this drama mainly because it was about what else, flower boys. Not that there's anything wrong with that but I didn't think it would be a great drama if all it showcased was how pretty the main lead was! Thank God I stuck around after the first 2 episodes, because if I hadn't I would has missed out on what a gem this really was. In the beginning I couldn't relate to the Lee Chung Ah's character because she was soo hung up on Chi-Soo it was like she had nothing else but love on her mind. Eventually throughout the course of the show she won me over with her naive winsome ways and adorable smile. She became someone I admired towards the end, the producers gave her role a little spin on the cliche that the guy comes in to save the girl, and made it that she in fact swoops in to save her man. Super woman to the rescue! Now for Jung Il Woo's role...I actually liked him. I mean the whole rich-guy-who-knows-he-looks-good act endeared me to him. The part where Chi-Soo didn't know he was falling for Eun-Bi I thought was the cutest and most realistic feeling of not understanding the emotions of a crush or even more than a crush. Here was this confident guy who thought he basically ruled the world and one encounter with a woman turns his world upside down for the better. I can't close this review without mentioning the side characters such as Hyun-Woo, Ba-Wool, and Kang-Hyuk.
 These guys were a great addition to an already stellar cast but I gotta admit that Ba-Wool was my favorite. Not only was he adorable but his protectiveness over Eun-Bi showed his fierce love for his noona. And we can't forget his undying love for So-Yi. This show is a wonderful example of portraying love's first feelings and the emotions that people go through. Check it out you don't want to miss this gem.

Utada

A few years ago I discovered this wonderful singer called Hikaru Utada or to her fans better know as just Utada. She is a very famous Japanese-American singer, songwriter, arranger, and producer. (Wiki)
 Utada's the singer I wish I could be if (1). I spoke Japanese fluently and (2). Had the voice that packs an emotional punch. Her voice is so serene and soothing to listen to. There are very few singers out there like Utada that have affected me like she has, opening my eyes to new sounds and an entire new genre. She transcends today to be one of the greatest singer-songwriters to come out of America and essentially Japan. So j-pop fans I hope you appreciate this post and hopefully you non j-pop fans out there will become  new fans today.

"This One (Crying Like a Child)

My 2nd favorite song by her (after her newest Sakura Nagashi). I cried the first time I heard this, it's so well written that you can feel her pain seeping through the music. Personally I think it's written about her ex-husband, I just get that vibe but I could be wrong.


"Sakura Nagashi" is a song Utada wrote for the film Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo, which I hear is HUGE in Japan. Being an appreciative fan, Utada on behalf of the staff, not only wrote but composed this song, coming out of her hiatus to do so. Now that's a true fan! Unfortunately I wasn't able to put the video from Youtube since Utada's company took it down after 3 days so here is where you can watch it. It's a sentimental song that she wrote about a mothers love. I can't describe to you how well put together this song is. From the haunting lyrics to the breathtaking music you've just got to listen to it for yourselves.

These next 3 song are considered to be Utada's best work so please enjoy!

"Passion"

"You Make Me Want to Be A Man"

"Hikari"

Photo Credit: Japan-Zone

Outfit of The Day

Hey guys, this is going to be my very first Outfit of the Day post!! I was feeling pretty snazzy in what I was wearing so I decided to do a post. Hope you guys enjoy it :)

 -Now the dress is actually a deep purple-so if it looks dark blue blame the awful lightning instead- and it comes from my favorite online store Yesstyle! I really should have picked a better place to give some more light but it was a spontaneous "Hey I want to do an OTD" shoot, so please forgive me and my brother since he helped. :) This dress is no longer available and I don't know if they'll bring it back but I'm sure you can find it through another store.

-The pumps are from my favorite shoe store Charlotte Russe. I actually buy all my shoes from there, except for things like tennis shoes etc. Always been impressed with the quality and style the company brings forth so they'll always get my services.

-The belt also came from Yesstyle the only problem I have with it, is that its too big for me! Weirdly I thought since most Asian brands have that one size fits all it would be ok since the models have ridiculously tiny waists and I could get away with it. Not true for this belt, its still too large! For some reason when I buy belts they never fit me and I get the smallest size possible but still they won't fit. Isn't that strange. I just might go to the pre-teen/kids section to look for belts for now on haha.

Next time if you guys want to see more OTD's I'll find a better place to shoot with better lightning!

Photo Credit~Love Bug's Obsession

First Impressions~The Princess Man

 The Princess Man
 
I couldn't wait till I finished the series to talk about what a great show this is!! I'm only on the 5th episode now and I've fallen in love with it. From the beautiful cinematography, the cast, to the drama itself, this show is perfect! What drew me to this particular drama was the gorgeous and wonderful actress Moon Chae-Won, who might look familiar as she was in the 2012 big drama Mr. Nice Guy. 
 
I had such hopes for this drama but that's another story for some other time....maybe I'll make a post about dramas I wasn't too fond of. Now back to Princess Man. Since I'm only at the beginning I can't really analyze the show too much just yet. But Park Shi Hoo's & Moon Chae Won's chemistry is undeniable. Every time their appear together on screen I just melt and have that "Ahh" look on my face like a complete sucker! I read somewhere that they had previously worked together on another project so that might be whats contributing to their natural chemistry. I need to look that up because their my newest favorite pairing.

Moon Chae's portrayal of Se-Ryung as this bright, innocent, and independent young woman is so good, I already liked her acting abilities before, but she blows me away with her presence. I can't wait to see the transition into an even stronger performance as the show goes on. Also I might add, I like the stubbornness that Se-Ryung possesses, never giving up no matter how many times she falls down, that's such an enduring trait to have. *Spoiler Alert* I hate how her world of complete innocence is starting to crumble, so not looking forward to the eventual fall out with her father.
 
Not having seen any of Park Shi Hoo's previous works I didn't know what to expect but my goodness does this guy know how to bring on the charm! To be perfectly honest I wasn't expecting too much from him, what I KNEW of him wasn't pertaining to his acting or anywhere near his face. Te-he. I must say I underestimated this guy, he draws me into his cheeky boy act and convinces the audience he's this guy who loves his family and will honor his task quite well. I only hope that as good as it is now, it will only get better!


Photo Credits~Drama Beans

Song of the Moment ~ Florence + The Machine ~ Howl

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 Any Florence and the Machine fans here!? I recently discovered this awesome woman, she rocks! I don't think I could find any other adjective to describe her any better then that...besides she rocks my socks in the most non-homo way :) Been listening to the Lungs album and man, does it speak to me. The way Florence writes lyrics and composes her songs are magical I feel sucked in. So here is the song of the moment...

Howl

P.S. Look out for my All Time Fave Dramas post to come soon.

Blockbuster

Do you wanna be.. just follow...


Those are the first words that you hear in "Wanna Be" off of Block B's Do U Wanna Be? album and ever since then I've been a follower. I could take this entire post and just gush about these guys but since I've already done that before (see Nillili Mambo ) I'm gonna refrain from more endless gushing! What I really want to talk about is there latest release Blockbuster. I'm not gonna go through ever song (so don't get your hopes up!) but what I will do is highlight that ones that really stood out to me. Let me tell you this entire album was golden!! It's very rare that I listen to an entire album from the idols, usually just listening to the promotional singles and whatnot. But I took a chance and am soo glad I did! So first off lets talk about "Mental Breaker".

"Mental Breaker"

I love the groovy feel of this song, its just right not too overdone and just chill. One of the best parts is the chorus, hearing Taeil sing is a pure fan squeal moment. I find myself just singing "Mental Breeeeeeeeaker" over and over again.

"No Joke"

Now "No Joke" is probably my favorite beside "Nillili Mambo". It's the perfect song to showcase both Kyung, Zico, and P.O's rap skills. I think it's the only song on the album that's purely in the hip-hop/rap form where it's just all about the rapping.

"Movies Over"

Every time this song comes one, I always imagine hearing this live and wanting to put up my hands in the air and just sway to the music. I don't know why but this is so made to be performed live. I bet it would be just beautiful to listen to. Hearing Zico sing and I mean really sing for the first time was wonderful! You wouldn't think he would have a voice as soothing as his singing, but ladies and gents he does!

"Halo"

This is my dance-around-my-room-bobbing-my-head/raising my hands kind of song. It doesn't get any better then that! My favorite part is the "Get ready" part that Zico repeats.



Don't take my word for it, go listen to the album yourself you won't regret it!

Photo Credit: Soompi