بالامتنان أيام

My super awesome online friend and Co-Korean learner Shanna from Hangukdrama tagged me on Twitter!

1. Why Korean?

I was watching anime on Crunchyroll since I was really into it at that time. I saw the ‘drama’ link on the navigation bar, and I decided to click it out of curiosity. I saw a list of dramas and I happened to click on “Coffee Prince”. After a few episodes I really felt intrigued with Korean culture and language. Korean really felt soft to my ears, and I loved the atmosphere of the whole drama. After that, I decided I would learn about Korean culture + language a little more. And before I knew it, I was self-studying Korean.

2 . Daum or Naver (dictionary I mean)?

I use Naver when I’m using a computer and Daum when I’m using my iPhone. So… both!

3. First website that you visit everyday?

Probably Twitter haha. My phone notifies of mentions so it’s usually given that I’ll check it first haha

4. Best thing that happened to you? (related to learning Korean)

I was able to spend extra time every week with a special someone because I studied Korean.

5. Ever regretted learning Korean?

Of course not! One can only benefit from learning a foreign language, right?

6. Most common feedback/question you get when you say you are learning Korean?

Why are you studying Korean?

What made you want to study Korean?

7. First Korean food that comes to your mind?

떡볶이, mainly since it was the first Korean food I tried haha

8. Most overrated Korean drama?

You’re Beautiful.

I couldn’t even get passed the first episode, I’m sorry!

9. Most underrated Korean drama?

Nail Shop Paris. I HAVEN’T SEEN ANYONE TALK ABOUT IT?! It’s just like coffee prince but with only hotter guys that happen to be nail artists It’s so painful to wait for new episodes to come out.

10.Latest milestone in learning Korean?

Yeah I still haven’t finished my second novel I bought… I can never finish textbooks or novels. But lately I have been finishing web novels and comics like no one’s business haha

11. Favorite Korean word / phrase?

I can’t think of any right at the top of my head right now, but right now I’m thinking about 빙글빙글. I love the sound ㄹ makes. I’ll probably edit this later when I can think of another word ><

12. Name 3 people (fictional / real) who motivate / influence your Korean learning journey

Hyunwoo from TTMIK: Without him, I wouldn’t have had consisntent studying with Korean. I probably would have given up or moved on to something else

Shanna from Hangukdrama: She is so nice and inspiring. Despite what she thinks, she is super talented and motivated me to continue studying and even start a blog.

Various cute Korean celebrities/singers: Let’s be serious. Without hot Korean guys, would any of us really be here.

13. Secret ambition / goal (relating to Korean)

I have always wanted to do translating – specifically for  for Kpop celebrities. That way I could be around them without them knowing my true intensions *side eyes*. Other than that I really want to have my own MBC/SBS podcast someday with thousands of listeners once I speak Korean at a native speaker level.

14. I want to sound like _____ when I speak Korean

Hyuk from VIXX. He always uses uncommon/sophisticated vocabulary + intricate sentences so it’s always hard for me to understand what he’s saying. Someday I want to be able to understand him completely.

15. Best compliment received (for Korean)

One of the Korean exchange students was so shocked in my speaking abilities. She only speaks in Korean to me these days since she knows I can actually communicate on a very solid level.

16. When is the last time you sat down and study Korean?

Today on my bed haha But I really don’t study… it’s basically just scanning textbooks and recording vocabulary

17. Favorite textbook?

Probably my Japanese textbook made for Koreans. It gives vocabulary words with sentence examples in Japanese AND Korean.

18. Special people you met (online or otherwise) through Korean?

Basically everyone I met online are because of my interest in Korean. Without Korean, I wouldn’t have met over half the people I know in college.

19. How has learning Korean changed you / your life? 

Learning Korean  gave me a stable hobby that I still maintain to this day. In fact, because of Korean, I have been able to learn Chinese and Japanese and even my mom’s language – which finally allowed me to communicate with my grandma. Without Korean I wouldn’t have any long-term goals besides normal schoolwork. And now, I am able to visit a whole different part of the world because of it. Overall, learning Korean has been a positive influence for me.

20. Ever dreamt in Korean?

Actually yes. Just recently I have had two dreams in Korean. I have never dreamed in English (my native language) before though… is that weird?

21. Single best thing about learning Korean?

Being able to communicate with people with foreign language. It’s so cool to see people can actually understand what I’m saying when I’m speaking in a tongue that’s foreign to me. It’s like I’m able to impact people’s thoughts and actions through a code language hehe

I tag all of you who have read this post! Please comment below if you do decide to make a post so I can read it Thanks for tagging me, Shanna! This was really fun~ And I’m sorry if my answers were boring haha

I think like most of you, I have always wanted to try and get a haircut in a foreign language. This means explaining the type of haircut you want, listening to the hairdresser’s suggestions etc. Being so, I decided to compile a list of  useful vocabulary and expressions  that you might want to use or understand if you ever do decide to get a haircut in Korea.

머리자르다 to cut hair

염색하다 to dye hair

팜아를 하다 to get a perm

예약하다 to make an appointment

머리를 어떻게 해드릴까요? What do you have in mind?

모리 좀 잘라야겠다. I’d like to get a haircut.

끝만 다듬어 주세요. I just want a trim.

요즘 유행하는 스타일이 어떤거죠? What is a popular style these days?

얼마나 잘라드려요/어떤 길이를 원하세요? How much do you want to have a hair cut off?

멀리 숱 쳐주세요. I want it thinned out.

층을 내 주세요. I want it layered.

앞머리 어떻게 해드릴까요? How do you want your bangs?

구레나룻 어느 정도 길이로 해드릴까요? How long should I cut the sideburns?

머리색을 바꾸고 싶으세요? Did you want to change your hair color?

환머리 커버하고 싶어요. I’d like to cover the gray.

그게 제 얼굴형과 잘 어울릴까요? Will this compliment my face shape?

If you think of anymore phrases you’d like to see, comment below and I’ll provide the translation.

Oh gosh.

The teaser for VIXX’s first mini album just become available today. Whether you’re a fan or not YOU HAVE to watch this. This concept seems so much more developed than the last three music videos that were released. Not to mention, the boys look extremely grown and even more handsome than before, right?! Hyuk is just…. PERFECT as always *sobs into hands*. I think he looks more older and mature than the rest of the members these days…

I also found out that VIXX will be having their 1st anniversary part at UNIQLO very soon. If any of you really know me, you would know VIXX and UNIQLO are my two obsessions haha I wish I had the ability to attend the party…

Anyways, sorry for spamming all of you non-kpop fans with this post. Just bare with my excitement

I never did this kind of post before, but I thought it would be fun especially since it’s summer time *^^* I also think it would be a great way for my readers and friends to find out more about me~

Angeli from Meloncreme tagged me with Liebster award! She’s such a sweetheart and I think we’ve known each other for quite sometime! We need to start talking more hehe

Rules:

1. List 11 facts about yourself.

2. Answer the questions left by the blogger who nominated you.

3. Nominate five (or more) bloggers who have less than 200 followers. Make sure to notify them.

4. Make up questions for those you have nominated.

5. Display the Liebster Award badge on your blog.

11 Facts About Me

1. I’ve been interested in Asian culture since the age of 3

It’s crazy right? I have obsessed with anything asian related ever since I could remember. Pokémon, Hello Kitty, Sailor Moon, Cardcaptor Sakura were big parts of my childhood. I even started taking a basic a Japanese class in the 4th grade. Although the interest did end until my middle years of high school.

2. I used to be extremely shy

I was so shy that some people used to think I couldn’t speak at all! I finally outgrow this shyness by the last years of high school.

3. I LOVE COFEE…. AND TEA

Yes I’m a heavy drinker of both. People used to make fun of my height and blaming it on all the coffee I used to drink during my younger years (I’m 5’6… which is pretty tall, right?)

4. I’m a guy

Contrary to what people think online, yes, I am a boy!

5. I have an unhealthy obsession with Chiba Yudai

Need I say more? *wails violently*

6. I can stare at maps all day

I have no idea why, but I love looking at maps. I love finding out the relational distance between certain locations, my geographically standpoint, etc. It feels like I’m downloading the world into my brain I guess haha

7. I’m seriously addicted to Twitter

As most of you know (by my numerous tweets), I love tweeting. I had a Twitter account since 2008, so I basically spent my all my high school years on it. I met so many friends on Twitter, and we still stay in contact to this day.

8. I eat like a bird

I know it’s weird, but I have a bad habit of not eating full meals. Rather, I snack throughout the day. Not to mention, if I have something sweet I have to have something spicy/salty immediately right after (and vice versa).

9. I’ve always been told I have model hands

Yup. My hands are apparently really girly, and my fingers are super long. I don’t notice them until someone points them out haha

10. I’m super active at night

I’m not sure why, but at around 11:30PM to 2AM I become extremely happy and more active than I am the day. My hair and skin always looks better at night too :p

11. I have an extremely short attention span

Like most of the other young people of my generation, I cannot focus on just one thing. I usually multi-task (except when driving)!  It literally will take me 5 hours to watch a 1.5 hour movie since I’ll pause it and do other things or watch two movies at once etc.

Questions from Angeli

1. If you win the lottery, what would be the first thing that you would buy with the prize money?

This is such a hard question haha. I would probably

2. What are the top 5 countries that you’d like to go to for vacation?

India, Korea, Japan, China + Hong Kong, Australia

3. Are you a lefty or a righty?

Righty (Interesting side fact: I find myself getting attracted to left handed people haha)

4. What instruments do you play? If you don’t play any, then what is the instrument that you wish to learn how to play?

I used to play the piano and violin, but I had to quit because I no longer had an interest in playing them.

5. What are the top 5 most played songs on your playlist?

Dual Life – Kim Sori, Desktop Universe – Aran, 10001st Night – Show Lo,  桜流し (DJ AMAYA VS. GROOVEBOT REMIX) – DJ Amaya, Starlight – VIXX

6. What’s your dream job?

Ok this is kind of a silly dream job considering it’s a job that is easy for most people to start. I really wanted to be a (pre-school/kindergarten?) teacher  in Japan/Korea and have my boyfriend surprise me by visiting me during class with flowers and a present. Let’s not question this and my obvious addiction to Korean dramas.

Questions from me

1.What is your favorite food you like to eat when you feel like celebrating?

2. Have you ever traveled outside of your home country? If so, where?

3. What is one quote/piece of advice you live by?

4. Do you have any favorite childhood memories? If so, what?

5. Coffee or tea

6. If you program any language into your head and speak it fluently, which language would it be.

People I tag:

Everyone! Feel free to take part in this~

Be sure to let me know if you do decide to write a post – I’d love to read it!

PS. Once again, thanks for tagging me Angeli!

Korean: 초식남

Japanese: 草食系男子

I learned this new term from one of my friends on Twitter, and I thought I would share it with you guys.

Excuse my wikipedia reference, but “Herbivore men is a social phenomenon in Japan of men who shun marriage or gaining a girlfriend. They are characteristically described as frugal, and interested in personal grooming.”

To make it short, herbivore men are men who take a greater interest in things such as fashion (cosmetics, etc.) and personal care rather than focusing on sexual relationships. Being so they don’t get married, have girlfriends, etc. They generally go against what is seen as ‘masculine’, and usually have a ‘fragile’ look to them.The term ‘herbivore’ is derived from the fact that they lack the drive for flesh – thus herbivore.

I find this whole phenomenon interesting because it means the Japanese view of masculinity is slowly changing, right? Not only that, it turns at that this lack of sexual interest from this group of men may cause a decline in Japanese birthrate.

Have any of you heard this term before? And if so, do you think it is something that should be acknowledged?

I spend lots of the time on fan cafes, and have come across two really cute slang words that I have commonly come across. I’m not sure if any of you have heard of these words before, but I think they’re worth mentioning

• 눈팅: Basically lurking. Looking at posts and not leaving any evidence that you saw the post.

눈팅이란 : 게시글에 올라와있는 글들을 아무흔적없이 눈으로만 쓰윽 보고 지나가는거구요 [source]

• 손팅: The opposite. Leaving a comment to let the person know you have read their article.

손팅은: 눈팅 반대로 생각하시면 되요.^^* [source]

You’ll see some people posting things like ‘손팅손팅’, which is basically a filler in their comment/reply.

Wow it’s been over a month since my last post. I have been super busy with school (and being lazy) haha!!

I finally finished the vocab notebook I have been keeping since my last semester in high school… so it’s been a year now :p

I’m surprised I didn’t give up! It’s not normal for me to keep a notebook this long – trust me. I usually lose interest or just forget about it altogether.

I have to admit something – I have a really bad habit of not reviewing past vocabulary. Not only is it because I’m busy, I guess I just don’t have the patience? I’ll start reviewing after the semester ends though >:D I think I might do something like reviewing one page every day.

How many of you keep notebooks for your language studies? I had loads of notebooks and it’s starting to take over hehe

I had a flood of inspiration today to record myself speaking since I was reading an online 소설 out loud to myself.

Let me just start of by saying YES! I am embarrassed at my speaking skills after listening to myself. I sound so stupid. Actually, I hate the way I sound in general, and especially when I speak Korean. I tried to make my voice go deeper but I ended up sounding like a really aggressive girl (no offense to all the aggressive girls out there). I also tried to mask my lisp but I’m not sure how well I did on that

I had to record this three times because I was so nervous I kept laughing + my bird wouldn’t stop chirping while I was recording so please ignore me if I sound impatient in the recording.

Listen to me reading a random passage below:

Even so, I had lots of fun doing this, I think all of you should use Garageband or any other recording method to track your speaking/reading progress. I think I’ll be doing this more often ^^

I’d love to listen to your voice as well, so comment below and link me to you’re recording if you made one!

Since I have been recently getting into Japanese culture again, I wanted to try ordering some products from online.

I ordered:

UNIQLO custom t-shirt
UNIQLO altered white jeans

UNIQLO Navy Cardigan

Fine Boys Magazine back issue

Choki Choki Magazine back issue

I heard of Tenso before, so I really wanted to try out the service. Basically, Tenso is a Japanese mail forwarding service that gives you a Japanese address that you can ship all your items too. Once all your desired items have reached the warehouse, you pay a shipping and service fee to get those items sent to your real address.

All my purchases came either from Amazon.co.jp or UNIQLO. I didn’t want to order a lot since the shipping costs were adding up in my queue page. I thought that the shipping would be reduced if I consolidated all my packaged, and that didn’t seem to be the case. You don’t have to consolidate your items into one package, but I think it would have been more troublesome to get them separately. Just a heads up, there is a consolidation fee.

 Unfortunately, I also ordered hair dye, but it wasn’t able to ship since it contained some chemicals that weren’t allowed for international shipping. But that was ok since everything was successfully received.

I’m so happy with my purchases – my cardigan and pants are so high quality and so comfortable haha Not to mention, it was so fun actually ordering from Japanese websites and having my own Japanese address while doing so.

Overall, I would definitely recommend Tenso if you really need to buy something from Japan that isn’t sold on American online stores, or if you know you’ll be making multiple purchases from online Japanese stores. I wouldn’t recommend it if you don’t want to items to be opened up prior to being sent to you – mine were actually open to check the contents (and to prepare for consolidation), but I didn’t have a problem. The shipping does add up quite a bit since they use EMS. But then again, sometimes it’s definitely worth biting the cost haha