Updates!

What have I been doing?   

I have been busy finishing up the last month of service for my volunteer service program!  It's been an eventful month both at work and personally.  I am in the process of securing a job and hopefully a place to live. Job hunting and interviewing is no task for the weak.  Must be strong and diligent.  Yours truly also needs a place to land before focusing on this blog.  I want to get back into the kitchen, but I haven't had one to use for most of the year, so hopefully we will have some Korean cooking to look forward to later on.
Check back in September for something new.

Where have I been hanging out? 

Just because it may appear that I left the Korean blogo-sphere, I haven't left the Korean community! Each week I attend a Korean meet-up in San Diego. At the meet up there are a lot of people interested in learning Korean or highly obsessed with kdramas and kpop. There is also a group of Koreans interested in learning English.  We exchange our cultures and languages and often hang out together outside of the weekly meet-up time and date. Please join if you are in the area!

What do I think about?

Korea. Korean language. Korean friends. Service. Work.  You see I haven't forgotten.

What do I plan to do in the next couple of months? 

All of the above. Plus focus on learning the language.  It's a must.  Perhaps you will read some more personal posts from me.


I will be back.

I promise.


Until then.

Artistic Observations: Meeting Yim Choon Lee, A Contemporary South Korean Artist.

Last month, a friend and I attended an artist's solo art exhibition in La Jolla (San Diego), California.  I received the opportunity to meet Yim Choon Lee, a South Korean contemporary artist still gaining exposure to the world today. In the short time I spent walking around gazing at the artwork and admiring the mind of the artist, I was surprised more than once or twice.  I visited art galleries in the past, but never attended a special artist reception with the artist present.  This was a first.

[Disclaimer: I do not have a professional background in art. I am only the lay viewer of art that on rare occasion peruses a gallery with fairly complex art designs and themes.] 

As I entered the Salazaar Contemporary Gallery, the location of the exhibition in La Jolla, I found myself walking into a small crowd of art lovers, photographers, and gallery owners. It was a classy event with wine readily available to sip on to enhance your viewing experience.  I was immediately drawn to the left where I saw a blue piece of art. The piece had an open space with large sections along the side and one in the center full of intricate designs behind what appeared to be twisted pieces on the canvas.  Upon closer viewing, I found painted Chinese characters and other unique designs along the twists.

Small section of the art piece. Notice the twists and detailed paint. 

What I observed was the result of the Yim Choon Lee’s process, “Tearing Art.”  He paints both sides of a canvas.  On one side, Korean traditional papers are placed on the surface and painted over, creating a total of three surfaces. Then, the linen on one side is cut to reveal the backside. The pieces are torn and folded to create an elaborate, beautiful piece of art.

 His information page and website as quoted says:  

“Three surfaces of the painting represent the past (traditional paper surface), present (back of canvas linen), and future (front of canvas linen). In tearing art, one painting glues together past, present and future in three dimension.” 

I continued to move around the room thinking about my own past and present glued to and molding my future, as I admired each of the pieces of art. The art was amazing in all of its three-dimensional forms. This is art I could observe with multiple senses. I stepped back to see the piece and feel the presence of the work as I soaked in the colors and design. Later, I moved in closer while I envisioned (no, I did not touch) following the twisted pieces with my finger.  I imagined hearing the artist tearing and folding the pieces of linen in a studio in his home. I was enamored by the simple yet complex works - some happened to be only black and white. [You can see them on the website. Photo not posted here.] Moving towards the back of the room, I viewed more complex pieces with very vibrant shades of color.

Viewed from a different perspective. The colors move from lighter to darker on the far end.  

Eventually, I met Katherine Kim, Yim Choon Lee’s agent. She was busy making her rounds meeting other important people.  Despite being busy with potential buyers and viewers, she still stopped to speak with me. I was greeted with her bubbly nature, a gentle touch and lots of enthusiasm.  She began to take me to some of his bigger works and answer a few of my questions.  Eager to meet the artist himself, she brought me to Yim Choon Lee, where he also warmly welcomed me with a large grin as he showed off some of his art. I greeted him in Korean, though he was shy to reply and speak in English. Our brief communication was powerful nonetheless. I immediately felt comfortable and close to Yim Choon Lee and his agent, Katherine Kim.  While looking at one piece, Yim approached me with his large grin and what felt like the innocence of a proud child, motioning me to follow him. He pointed to the detailed twists of his blue painting saying, “these Chinese characters. Painted.”  It made me smile.  The artist certainly has a lot to be proud of.

Surface details. 

As I viewed the art and spoke with Katherine, I was even more surprised to learn that the artist is a police officer by day.  By night, he uncovers the artist within. He has a college education and studied in Taiwan during his younger years. Katherine proudly mentions his many talents.  Does Yim ever sleep? 

Where did this brilliant man get the time and inspiration to do his work? Yim Choon Lee, born in 1965 on Geoje Island where he still lives today, comes from several generations of Korean traditional bamboo and paper artists.  As a child, he traveled with his father throughout the beautiful countryside collecting bamboo for his father’s art. Katherine shared that his experience learning the bamboo techniques and viewing the beautiful country as a child were a large inspiration and influence for his artwork today. Observing the colors and twists, I can see many elements of bamboo and nature forming images in my head.   

My mind was baffled by his work.

I looked around some more and returned to the artist, asking him to name his favorite piece. He likes them all, but points to the Black Hole piece and names the Black Hole series [four paintings] his favorite.  As seen on the artist statement of “Destruction and Creation,” Yim creates new art by destroying the canvas. New social norms are created by changing the old social idioms.  He beautifully bridges the gap from traditional to more contemporary art. 

            “Black Hole series portrays the human heart’s desire to express itself independently from  societal references. As a policeman in Korea, I have seen life and death circumstances which could have evolved differently. If these victims were allowed to express their feelings of frustration and overwhelming circumstances, they would not need to end their precious life.”- from the Artist Statement Page.

Black Hole (1 in the series of four pieces)

Many people can identify with this art.  The human heart in all its complexity desires to be known and expressed in some form.  Take a peek at the art yourself and enjoy the “awe” moment as you let the art help you dive deep into your own soul. What feelings and emotions stir in you?  As I think about my internship year in San Diego soon drawing to a close, I begin to process the past and present as I prepare for the future.  

So, what if you decide you want to see the art? Where can you catch some of Yim Choon Lee’s work?  You can view his art at his coming exhibition in Seoul, South Korea in September.  After observation, I presume you will be interested in meeting the artist and seeing it up close yourself.  Yim is still a newer artist and has only held exhibitions in Istanbul, Florida, and South Korea. Feel free to spread the word about his work and check out his next exhibition. You won't regret it.

You will find the exhibit in the Insadong region of Seoul. Insadong is known for its cute shops, art, craftsmen, traditional goods, and souvenirs. It has a traditional feel enjoyed by both native Koreans and foreigners. The art lover is sure to find him or herself in Insadong on trip to Seoul.  Subway stations near Insadong are Jonggak Station (Line 1), Jongno 3-ga Station (Line 1, Line 3, Line 5), and Anguk Station also serviced by Line 3. 

You also have a few weeks left to view it in San Diego. The exhibition gained so much attention and interest that the gallery extended the exhibition through August. If you're in San Diego or La Jolla, please stop by and take a look.  You can see it at: 

Salazar Fine-Art Gallery
1162 Prospect
La Jolla, CA 92037
(858) 551 - 8453

Find Yim Choon Lee’s page on Facebook and check out his website. 

Here are the friendly faces!    

The artist: Yim Choon Lee, The Business Manger/Agent: Katherine Kim

Thank you for sharing your art and introducing yourself to us, Yim. Katherine, thank you for playing a large part in sharing Yim's "Tearing Art" with the world.  You have opened my eyes to a new world of art.  

~~~~~~

Sources: 

Site: http://yimchoonlee.com/

    including the Artist's Statement

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/yimchoon.lee

Lee's Agent: Katherine Kim. 

Gangnam Style? What's your style?

Have you seen Psy's fun video? It's all about Gangnam style. In 2 weeks it topped over 11 million views. Crazy, isn't it?

It also made CNN news!  Check out the link here!  Josh Groban, one of my favorite American artists, tweet is quoted, "It's a Gangnam Style world, we're just living in it. Amazing video." in the short clip.  Did I mention that I really like Josh Groban?  Well, the secret is now out. Lovely voice and talented artist.
 What's your style? It's time to get dancin' to Gangnam Style.

http://www.cnn.com/video/?%2Fvideo%2Fworld%2F2012%2F08%2F02%2Fwr-gangnam-style-goes-viral-in-rap-video.cnn#/video/world/2012/08/02/wr-gangnam-style-goes-viral-in-rap-video.cnn

K-Pop Super Concert in America

K-pop Concert

Coming soon to a US city near you!

Are you ready for another K-Pop concert? Get ready for Secret, SISTAR, CNBLUE, KARA, SHINee, MBLAQ, 2AM, 2PM, and Girls Generation. Some of these stars were just here, but why not catch them again?   Get your tickets now! They're going to go fast!


Concert at the Carson, Home Depot Center.


K-Pop Super Concert in America, Carson, Home Depot Center

Sriracha: It's delicious. It's good for your health.

Do you like to spice up your food? Do you like sauce?  I always love a little gochujang added to my Korean dishes. A bit of Sriracha for added spice and saucy flavor when gochujang isn't readily available never hurt either. In fact, sriracha has many health benefits. Cookingschools.net created this infographic and asked to spread the word. Check out the benefits of sriracha and be sure to add some to your next meal whether it be your leftover plain rice, tasty meat dish, or even a bowl of ramyon. Eat up and enjoy the health benefits!



Created by: CookingSchools.net

A K-Pop Lover's first K-pop Concert: SM Town's World Tour in LA

Do you like K-pop? Here's the post for you. Last month, a friend was able to attend a few k-pop concerts that I was not able to attend due to schedule conflicts.
This post is written by Mandy D, a 20-something female k-pop loving American!  She writes about her first K-pop concert experience and some reasons behind her love for all things K-pop. Photos courtesy of her friend, Thuy.

Before I dive into the details of the concert, I’ll give you a little background on my love of all things K-Pop. It started about two years ago with a Korean drama called Pasta. It was one of the first Kdramas uploaded to Hulu and my being completely oblivious to the fact that it was in Korean, I thought, any show called Pasta must be amazing. That one show turned into losing an entire summer watching dramas. As with most shows, the same songs are used over and over for the duration of the series. I found one I liked on Youtube from a little drama called Coffee Prince and those stupid recommended videos in the margin led me to K-Pop. I fell in love with Korean culture, language, food and the pretty boys that infect all aspects of Korean entertainment. I went so far as to buy the magical BB cream that all of them use for makeup. Yeah, I know most have had a lot of plastic surgery and they all look very hungry, but it grew on me nonetheless.

On May 20, 2012 millions of people donned special glasses, prepped cameras with sun filters and waited anxiously for one of the few solar eclipses to thrill populations on the West Coast. More than 10,000 people skipped the eclipse and filed into the Honda Center in Anaheim, California having eagerly anticipated a once a year concert staged by SMTown. The annual tour of about six shows began a few years back and one show each time has been staged in the States. Last year, California was skipped over for the bright lights of Madison Square Garden.

SM Entertainment is one of the largest entertainment companies in South Korea. Focusing mainly on musical talent, SM spends years training singers, dancers, and rap artists into carefully constructed musical groups and solo performers. Some trainees are educated for as long as seven years before releasing an album or performing in front of fans. The popularity of each group is about as obvious as expecting a massive traffic jam on the I-405 on a Friday afternoon. Each group has an appointed leader, official fan club, and even official color.

South Korea is fast becoming a factory for megastars scouted domestically and internationally. As the wave of boy bands in the United States and Europe waned in the early 2000s, there has been resurgence in the form of carefully synchronized dancing and singing Korean pop stars.  Despite controversies regarding contractual agreements, unfair pay, and labor standards, companies like SM have built massive followings and astronomically profitable businesses.

At the concert, meant to increase interest in K-Pop and appease legions of foreign fans, nearly thirty individuals took to the stage to perform their biggest hits. The theme of the concert was uniting different cultures and languages through music. Obvious enough, most of the fans were Asians and Asian Americans but the audience comprised of thousands of African-Americans, Latinos, and Caucasians. Hundreds had signs (some had lights), handmade shirts and posters while Samsung, an official sponsor, gave out free glow sticks. The glow sticks were the only souvenirs from the concert unless one made a purchase from a variety of street vendors lined up across the street from the Honda Center. To my shock, about two dozen white men in their thirties walked the halls with Girls’ Generation sweatshirts. Fans from a three year old giggling in the ladies’ room to men and women old enough to be grandparents, crowded into the arena that is home to the Anaheim Ducks. SM’s most popular groups, SNSD (or Girls’ Generation), Super Junior, and Shinee shared the stage with lesser known performers, BoA, TVXQ, EXO and f(x). I call them lesser known in the sense that the majority of fans flew to Orange County from all over the country for the three headliners. Though Super Junior was missing its most popular member along with several others, and Girls’ Generation was minus two members, the concert was an overwhelming success.

Shinee opened the show with a trio of hits including ‘Amigo’ and ‘Lucifer’. Audience members went wild for the water jets shooting up from the stage leaving every performer carefully avoiding puddles and stage crews frantically wiping the floors like grounds crews at tennis matches. Disappointing was the recognizable lip-synching. Some songs were lip-synced some sung live. Joined by a few back up dancers, the five young men energized the audience from the raised center stage with their upbeat music and dance moves. At times, I swore one looked like he was about to fall off the stage which consistently lifted and lowered throughout the show. Attempting to stray from the bubblegum pop studio version of songs like ‘Ring Ding Dong’, music technicians infused heavy rock elements into several performances leaving long periods for band members to head bang to the music. Onew, the group’s leader, got so consumed, one thought he might need a CT scan after. He performed a moving duet with f(x)’s Luna in English leaving droves of girls in a complete state of frenzy, many in tears.  

Shinee's Onew

TVXQ soon took to the stage surprising even me with their talent. Once a group of five, three members sued SM over the length of their contract and unreasonable work demands coupled with unfair wages. The remaining two, Changmin and Yunho formed TVXQ. Both complemented each other very well on stage with Yunho showing off his dancing and rapping while Changmin is definitely the guy with the pipes for long-winded high notes. A standout performance of Bruno Mars’ ‘Just the Way You Are’ with Super Juniors’ Kyuhyun left thousands of teenage girls bitterly jealous of the one they selected to serenade from the audience. The bad taste lingered into post-concert bathroom discussion. A new version of DBSK’s biggest hit ‘Mirotic’, got me so excited about the blast from the past, that I forgot completely that this used to be performed by the original group.

EXO, the company’s newest boy group, debuted five months ago as two groups, EXO-K and EXO-M. Both groups comprise of six members, many still in high school, and sing the same songs though EXO-K sings in Korean and EXO-M in Mandarin. Though this concept is pioneering in the music industry, many groups release singles in Mandarin or Japanese. Several Super Junior members make up a sub-group that sing songs targeted at the burgeoning Chinese market. Performing as EXO, both groups performed together, including first single, ‘Mama’ sung in both languages. Their skyrocketing popularity was apparent despite lip-synching. Their three singles made EXO’s performance the shortest set of the night, much to the displeasure of its growing fan base.

BoA, SM’s only solo artist to perform at the West Coast concert, performed in English and Korean was probably the least known among those who took the stage. She currently judges K-Pop star, a talent competition, and sang the theme song from the show. Her interactions with the crowd showed off her incredible English skills and it was apparent she really loves the stage. Though I am not a big fan of her music, BoA’s dancing shows off years of training and natural ability.

f(x) comprising of five female singers is one of the younger groups under SM’s label and features two California natives. This group had the least difficulty interacting with the audience in English whereas some groups relied on a translator during song transitions. Krystal, the group’s youngest member is sister to Girls’ Generation’s Jessica and both were raised in San Francisco to Korean parents. Taiwanese-American, Amber, expressed her exhilaration at performing near her hometown of Los Angeles and is an unbelievably talented rap artist. She exhibited her talent with EXO-M’s Kris and Shinee’s Key for a rendition of Far East Movement’s ‘Like a G6’. Performing hit songs like, ‘Nu Abo’, ‘Hot Summer’, ‘Pinocchio (Danger)’, and ‘Chu’ the ladies dressed in near matching outfits. A few members of Super Junior joined f(x) on stage for a collaborative effort of ‘Oops’.

Super Junior and f(x) performing Oops

Girls' Generation

Girls’ Generation, probably the female group with the most notoriety in the U.S. performed carefully choreographed numbers in everything from teeny tiny sparkly shorts to basic jeans and tee shirts. Hit singles like ‘Gee’, ‘The Boys’, ‘Genie’, and ‘Run Devil Run’ allowed the men in the audience to finally express signs of life. My high altitude seat gave me a good vantage point for people watching but the stage set up left virtually no one with a bad seat. Three members are California natives and one cover song performed gave sisters’ Jessica and Krystal (previously mentioned) the opportunity to sing together to Katy Perry’s ‘California Gurls’. The lack of lip-synching gave me a new respect for the group. Though I’m not a rabid fan of the lady groups in K-Pop, this one is definitely my favorite despite disappointment at Im Yoona’s absence.

Super Junior's Donghae (l) and Eun Hyuk (r) singing their disco inspired "Oppa Oppa"

Since Super Junior is by far my favorite group, I left them for last. This group was my first introduction to K-Pop with a song called, ‘Bonamana’. I was astonished at how many members this group has. Currently at twelve, I thought I would never be able to tell them apart, but the fourteen year-old in me got me so fascinated by the group that I now can identify more than half. As one member is actively serving his two year military requirement and another recently completed his service, I knew everyone would not make the trek. Leaving thousands of girls heartbroken, one of my favorites, Choi SiWon was missing due to filming of a Taiwanese drama. The situation called for the group to skip singing their latest single, ‘Opera’. As for the others, I’m not sure why they were not in attendance. Eight men paraded out on stage in similar costumes and belted out their songs ‘A-Cha’, ‘Superman’, ‘Don’t Don’, and ‘Dancing Out’. The biggest cheers of the night went for ‘Sorry Sorry’ and ‘Mr. Simple’, two of my favorite songs. Most of the fans could sing along which, for me, was mind-boggling. Through binoculars, we could see girls sobbing uncontrollably and some fans mimicking dance moves all over the arena. With jackets festooned in lights, Super Junior had the most unique outfits of the night as they danced to ‘Mr. Simple’ and it added an extra element to their superb performance. 

Eunhyuk and Donghae, both popular members of SuJu came out on stage in loud 70’s suits and performed their duet ‘Oppa, Oppa’ to crazed fans and fit the style of the song perfectly. It far surpassed f(x)’s matchy outfit that oddly reminded me of the clothes made out of drapes in The Sound of Music. As the group closed out the night, two members were honored at their last trip to the U.S. before they take a hiatus to serve out their military service. Leeteuk, my favorite member of SuJu, served as MC of the night with Girls’ Generation singers Taeyeon and Jessica. He was reluctant to leave the stage with his fellow band-mate and fans were hesitant to say goodbye knowing it would be at least two years before they perform again in California.

Suju performing Mr. Simple. 

For my first concert with K-Pop, I was very impressed. I had no idea what to expect and rate it among the best I’ve seen. Better than many Western bands I’ve seen since my first concert in the fifth grade. A week later, I was crammed into Club Nokia in Los Angeles watching my second K-Pop concert. Jay Park (formerly of Korean boy band 2PM) headlined a concert tour celebrating Asian Pacific American Heritage Month (APAHM). Though the APAHM concert was significantly smaller in scale (the club holds just 2,300), the years of training are shown in artists’ professionalism, intricate dancing, and precision singing and rapping. There are plans to see more K-Pop this year and I can’t wait. K-Pop is addictive, catchy, mainstream, and utterly fabulous. Once someone is sucked into the world, there is little chance of escaping.

Rain. Love and Rain.

When you saw the word rain did you first think of 비 or Rain the handsome singer?  Every time I hear the  word rain I like to think of ways to twist and give it multiple meanings- often those implying a reference to Rain (actor and singer). Who doesn't put love and rain in the same sentence? A majority of you love Rain! I read friend's Facebook statuses also referencing Rain:
- It's RAINing.
- When is The Rain coming?
- Is it Rain-ing yet?

courtesy of  http://tinyurl.com/casyb6z 

Unfortunately, this post is not about that Rain. It is about rain, the watery goodness that falls so lightly or heavy at just the right moment. It's about rain and sometimes love in the rain or love rain.  Recently, I started watching the Korean Drama Love Rain. You can thank my friend for getting me sucked into a drama. I was so proud that I hadn't watched a Korean drama in months or at all this year. Something about the violin intro also heard throughout the drama caught me. Though the drama was slow going at the beginning and follows a predictable Korean drama structure that includes conflict, love, and love triangles or squares/rectangle, I made it halfway through the show. After this weekend, I will contemplate whether to continue watching.   While watching this drama, I thought about rain as a theme or dramatic element. Because the drama's title has the word "rain" in it, you would expect rain, right? Of course. Rain is used in many dramas, but this drama uses it particularly well because of the "Love Rain" theme itself.  In most dramas you will find rain during a very dramatic or what is about to be a dramatic scene. Rain may come at the beginning of a kiss. Sometimes rain pours during conflict or perhaps conflict-turned love. Look at Jang Geun Suk's character Joon look up as the rain begins to fall right when he and Ha Na are to converse about an important matter Joon has on his heart. He came all this way to see her and what?

Oh. Is that rain?

Yep. Let's run for cover.

Perhaps it begins raining during a scene in which you see your only true love of years past enter and pass through your presence decades after your last meeting.

What? Is it her? 

Am I seeing things? I need a thorough look. 

Whoa. My love? 

This is where it started. Same color umbrella. : ) 

This drama is full of love and rain.  Don't be fooled. There is plenty of pain and conflict, but that only makes the love stronger in the end doesn't it? An element of tension may linger in the air as rain falls to rescue and soften the interaction. It becomes the beginning of a significant interaction that turns to love. Love. It's time for some love rain. What are your favorite rain scenes in a Korean drama?

Let's have a listen to the "Love Rain" song. Jang Geun Suk has a decent voice! I might have to say I like this ballad for his voice! If you're not a romantic, the lyrics are a bit cheesy. For the Korean learner, the song is slow and catchy enough to learn on your own, and the vocabulary is simple.  Happy listening!

Some vocab to know:
사랑 (saran) - love
비 (pi or pee) - rain
우산 (usan) -  umbrella
가슴 (kasum) - heart
사랑비가 내려네요 (sarang pi ga naeryo naeyo) - Love rain is falling

HK