Weight on my Shoulders... More like on my Belly and Thighs

Ok so I'm overweight. At least when I see myself in the mirror and I look at my pants size, I'm overweight. Being an American, there are definitely a LOT more people who are heavier than me. Like, seriously heavier than me. But I still think my 158ish pounds of self is too much.

I used to be heavier, when I was a freshman in high school. I guess I kind of didn't realize puberty was over and I didn't have to eat like a pig anymore, which is probably why I was 192 pounds at my heaviest. Eek. But Weight Watchers is lovely and helped me lose thirty pounds, but then my motivation went away.

My goal was to get in the 140 range by the beginning of fall, which will be my first year of college. I got a job in which I needed to bike everywhere for the summer, so I thought, hey I'll lose that weight in no time. Nope. Uh uh. I've gained weight because I'm always hungry from having to bike and not just sitting around the house like I've seemed to do every summer during high school.

I'm 5' 7", so a healthy weight zone would be around 136 according to my doctor's charts, but I always think, "what if that's not low enough?" It doesn't help that I see pretty Korean girls on the internet every day who have to weigh under 50 kg. It's their rule they live by. That's like 100 pounds. While I always tell myself that they are shorter than me, they have different genetics, and all that stuff, I still wonder why can't I do it? I know I'm just some European mutt, but couldn't I be less than 120 pounds even? My mom said she was when she got married, and she was 21 years old. She was they same height as I was too.

Ugh. It's stupid American food and stupid internet and the damn-it-to-hell PEANUT BUTTER in the cabinet that I always blame my muffin top on. But maybe I should start blaming myself. Let's lose 8 pounds in 6 weeks, Madison. Deal?

Movie Review: 왕의 남자 (The King and the Clown)

왕의 남자, translated as 'The King's Man' and going by the English title, 'The King and the Clown' was a nice movie. I think the reason why I watched this movie was because I saw the striking resemblance between 'The King and the Clown' cover and the 'Masquerade' cover. There was also a section in my Korean book that recommended watching Korean movies with subtitles to hear Korean being used and 'The King and the Clown' was shown.

The King and the Clown. They look alike don't they?

Masquerade 

Synopsis: Set around 1500 during the Joseon dynasty, two minstrels, the feminine 공길 (Gong Gil) and the protective 장상 (Jang Sang) played by 이준기 (Lee Joon Ki from 'Arang and the Magistrate') and 감우성 (Kam Woo Sung from 'The Outlaw') respectively decide to go to Seoul to make it rich showing off their comedy and tightrope walking abilities. But when they insult the king in one of their shows, they end up in the palace, performing for the king himself. He makes them become official minstrels, much to the disapproval from the ministers, causing bloodshed.

From here on out it's spoilers, so you may want to watch before you read!

Favorite Moment: The saddest part of this movie was definitely the ending when they both jumped up into the air and the picture froze. They look like true jesters with their legs spread out in a comedic way. We don't know what happened next, but with the probable blood feud going on below, they also probably perished. 

Favorite Character: Even though he was a complete wacko, I thought the King did a very good job in his role. 정진영 (Jung Jin Young from Love Rain - Yeah he's the dad, mind blown) pulled off the crazy king role. His facial expressions and laughs were just a notch wacko and his obsession with Gong Gil was well shown. His, "왜?!?!?!" when Gong Gil sliced his wrists was his big moment of craziness I think. I know he's a terrible person, but I tend to find those types to be the most interesting. 

Favorite Couple: Gong Gil and Jang Sang weren't in a love relationship, but they were great together regardless. Jang Sang was such a big brother to Gong Gil and took care of him. When Jang Sang rescued Gong Gil from being "pimped" I gained so much respect for him. And the scene between them when the both acted blind was so adorable. 

                            

What made it good: The acting was good. Just period. It's nice to see good acting once in a while. And while some movies that were made around that time tend to be... iffy in directing, photography, acting, etc. this movie did well in all those areas. Some of the comedy they performed was very crude, and it made me giggle a little. The story was also very interesting and the outfits were very detailed. 

The Most Feels: This award goes to Gong Gil. Even though he was a main driving point of this story, I didn't care for him too much. He was in a position where he's so pretty, that even men want him. Including the King. I felt bad for him, and his attachment to Jang Sang was saddened when Jang Sang had his eyes scorched. He's just too pretty for his own good, and that gets him into bad situations. Seriously Lee Joon Ki, you must have been Aphrodite in your past life. 

What this taught me about Korea: This king was crazy. There were many good kings during the Joseon dynasty, but this wasn't one of them. I also didn't know that they had jesters/minstrels back then, let alone in the palace. The props they used allowed me to realize how some masks always represented certain people. Like the red-faced one was always the King.

That one point that bugged me: Now seriously. Did they have balls of steal? How could they land on their crotch on the rope and not be in pain? Didn't it hurt at all? Maybe they did have some kind of protective thing down there, but the audience didn't see it.

Conclusion: Watching this movie was not time wasted. I enjoyed it, but I don't need to see it again. I'm always iffy on watching older movies. It may not be old to you, but to me, Korean movies made in the 2000s look like American movies made in the 1980s. This movie looked nice though. It wasn't too flashy, and only was when it needed to me. I give this movie a 7/10 since the story only dragged sometimes and some things I didn't understand til after they happened. Plus there's the absence of feeling in their crotches. 

Post Script: Lee Joon Gi, you are way too pretty. I honestly thought you were a girl when I looked up who was in the movie and all I saw was your picture.

Post Post Script: Can anyone tell me why photos of the clown from 'IT' popped up when I Google imaged pictures for this movie? 

Drama Review: 응답하라 1997 (Answer Me 1997)

My first drama review! I'm trying out something new, and I figured since I just finished this drama I should review it.

Synopsis: 성시원 (Sung Shi-Won) who is played by A Pink's 정은지 (Jung Eun-Ji) is a normal teenager in the late 1990s who obsesses over the band, H.O.T and doesn't have the best grades. Her best friend since birth, 윤윤재 (Yoon Yoon-Jae), played by Superstar K winner 서인국 (Suh In-Guk), is pretty much the exact opposite of her. But when feelings grow beyond the 'just friends' stage, their lives change forever. They have four other friends, 모유정(Mo Yoo-Jung) played by Penny Pinchers' 신소율 (Shin So-Yul), 도학찬 (Do Hak-Chan) played by Sechskies' 은지원 (Eun Ji-Won), 강준희 (Kang Joon-Hee) played by Infinite's 호야 (Hoya), and 방성재 (Bang Sung-Jae) played by 이시연 (Lee Shi-Yeon). Throughout the story you are brought to the present at their high school reunion. Here you learn what happened in the end, but not to whom, which is really frustrating.
From here on til the final conclusion are spoilers for those who haven't seen it, so I'd suggest you skip them!

Favorite Moment: It would definitely have to be Yoon-Jae's confession. Suh In-Guk put forth some excellent acting and made me want to cry. The emotion in this scene was the highest out of the entire drama. I don't think it was overdone or blown out of proportion at all. It was the perfect mix of sadness and relief.

Favorite Actor/Actress: Hands down, it'd have to be Jung Eun-Ji. This was her first role ever and she nailed it. Even though she was whiny, she wasn't the typical whiny, snobby, rich girl that pop up in dramas. She was completely endearing and fit the role perfectly. She was funny and had great chemistry with all the other actors. Even though she's a K-Pop idol, she didn't come across as the typical idol who can't act well. But the best thing is that she was real and normal. She wasn't so over-the-top that she was unrealistic, but instead made me see my own personality in her. She comes across as very understandable.

Favorite Couple: Duh, the main one. They've been together since birth and know each other inside out. The only thing I think they should have done is not confuse me in the beginning when I thought they were brother and sister.
Honorable mentions include: Sung Shi-Won and her besty Mo Yoo-Jung. They remain friends through everything including a change in favorite band by Yoo-Jung.

That Magic Touch: The cameos and appearances were hilarious. Have an actual member of Yoo-Jung's favorite band, Sechskies, play the role of her boyfriend. HA! When Shi-Won went to go see Tony Ahn, the guy playing him was the actual Tony Ahn! Or at the anniversary when Yoo-Jung says she's so into Infinite, and Hoya is in Infinite. Priceless. It's the little references that, it you understand them, are soooo funny.

The most feels: Oh, Joon-Hee. You were in such a sticky situation since everybody wanted your crush to get together with the other girl. I was glad you told said other girl though, because it led to some great moments. Having a gay character in dramas is becoming more accepted, but in a drama set in the 90s? I am proud of the writer for doing this even though it may have received scrutiny. I feel sad for Joon-Hee, but whoever that person was in that red car at the end, I hope the two are happy.

What this taught me about Korean: Whoah. Busan dialect is really different. Seoulites and Busaners can understand each other sometimes, but they actually have to learn each others dialect, it's that different. Usually I'm able to pick up a fifth of what they're saying. But it was far less with this drama. The change of city was appreciative though, since most all dramas are set in Seoul.

Final Conclusion: I loved this drama! I don't know why I put it off for so long, but I'm kind of glad that I didn't start it before it finished, otherwise I'd be so anxious that I couldn't be able to stand it. There was barely a part about it that I didn't like. The 45 minute episodes go so fast, but they move along just fine. Even though I was just a baby in the 90s, I understood the characters and the setting just fine. The tvN network is continuously putting out great dramas and this was no exception. Even though the majority of the cast are singers before they are actors, I give this drama a 10/10. Trust me, that doesn't happy a lot. If you haven't see this drama yet, then go watch it right now. You won't regret it.

How I became Koreanized (Part 3 - Final)

This third part to my Koreanized story will be the final one. I left off saying that I watched my very first Korean drama, 'My Princess'. Check out part 1 and part 2 to see my whole story.

When I saw 'My Princess' on Netflix, the little girl inside me who wanted to be a princess was attracted to it. The idea of a princess in a first-world country in the modern world seemed exotic. The drama was so much like anime with it's totally unrealistic plot lines and bubbly characters. I gasped at the closed mouth kisses and got angry when the main guy was being mean to the main girl. You can definitely see how memorable it was based on my blanking of the names. Which brings me to my next point.

Aren't they cute?

Daw. How could I forget you?

Seeing many more K-dramas after 'My Princess' has made me realize that it was kind of crappy. The acting was a little - cough cough just plain - bad, and I now know that closed mouth kisses are NOT the only type and definitely not the best type. Another example of how little an impact this drama left on me is how I completely forgot 이기광 (Lee Kikwang) is in this drama! For a K-Pop idol turned actor, he's not that bad. Plus I don't even think I knew who he was back then, so I can see how I forgot - or didn't know - of his role. I will, however remember certain scenes like the princess almost falling off of the fountain ledge and into the main guy's arms or their first kiss on the steps in the cold. It was my first drama, and thus it will always stay in my heart, just like my first anime will too.

As I pointed out, I watched more and more K-dramas since 'My Princess' and they have pretty much replaced anime altogether. Since my K-drama switch, I've only watched one anime series, and it wasn't so outstanding that I wanted to watch more anime. I see anime as my pre-teen me and K-dramas as my teen me. Disney as my child me if you're wondering.

When I started to watch more subbed anime, I tried learning Japanese. But my desire lessened when I started watching K-dramas. So naturally I started to want to learn Korean when I started watching K-dramas. I first learned 한글 (hangeul), the Korean alphabet (and if you want to know how I did that, I made a post that you can see here), then I started learning the language itself. Specifically in 'My Princess' I got annoyed with not knowing why their romanized names didn't sound like how their name was pronounced. Why did Park sound like Paak, and Lee sound like plain E? I answered most of my questions when I started learning the language.

I think that I'm pretty much caught up to the present now. I know that without the support of my friends, my passions wouldn't speak as much as they do. I'm not too crazy about telling my parents about my passion. They both know that I study Korean, but they don't know about my decision to teach in Korea one day. In general I am very quiet about my Korean passion to my family and anyone I meet. Maybe that's why my desire to make a blog about it was so strong.

How I became Koreanized (Part 2)

Now let's get on with my Koreanized story! The beginning of my story has been laid out here, so you might wanna check that out if you're curious. 

I left off saying that I watched all of 'Ah! My Goddess' after seeing the movie sequel of it. Then I found out some of my friends watched anime series and not just anime movies. They started talking about 'The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya' and even my own brother said that I'd like it. So I watched it. And it was followed by countless other series. I think I'll make a page on what I've seen. Look up.

Through all of this I was really glad that my posse had the same interests in anime as I did. I think I would have been very socially awkward if I didn't have my posse. Well it was more like two posse members were otakus (anime fans) and the rest just put up with it. Those two, E and N (I'll use their first initials), ended up going to this pretty big anime convention in town during the summer with me of freshman year, and we've been going every summer since. 

E as Hatsune Miku

N on the right as Rin or Len Kagamine (I don't know which). E's sister in the middle.

There were so many series to watch, and I watched a good deal of them. It took me a while to be okay with watching subs. I think I only watched dub until I found out my ultimate FAVORITE anime 'Darker than Black' had a sequel that wasn't dubbed yet. I was pretty happy with my otaku-ness and I had good friends that accepted me for who I was and didn't make me feel like I had to act cool or like a prep. 

It was around the beginning of sophomore year that I watched Gee. I don't have a clue how I came across it or why I watched it. But I do remember that when I first clicked on it....I thought that because it wasn't Japanese, it was crap. I didn't even listen to more than 20 seconds of it. Yes you may kill me now. I'd want to kill myself too. For some reason I was stuck in rut and thought anything that wasn't Japanese sucked. Sigh. I was stupid, I know. I must have thought that it was Japanese because of the thumbnail on the YouTube video. That's the only reason that I can think of why I clicked on it. Buuuuut if I didn't have my love of Japan background, I wouldn't have clicked on it at all. This is why my otaku roots are important.

Sometime at the beginning of 2012, E and her cousin were over at my house for some reason. It was normal for E, but her cousin and I didn't know each other very well, so I was shy. We were watching music videos on the computer and the cousin had a great idea. She showed us 'Sorry Sorry' by Super Junior, 'Ring Ding Dong' by SHINee, and 'Gee' by Girls' Generation. We laughed at their ridiculous outfits and the funny Engrish that filled each song. We all laughed, but I think I was the only one who was genuinely interested. After they left that day I watched a few hours worth of K-pop music videos, mostly of Girls' Generation. 

I was enthralled with all of it. I loved the hot boy bands and the adorable girl groups. I started memorizing the names of all the BIGBANG and SHINee members and downloading their top hits to my iPod. I loved K-Pop! When I first saw 'Fantastic Baby' I saw video in the sidebar that said 'Kpop Music Mondays: Fantastic Baby'. So I clicked on it and watched some weird couple give an outstanding review of the music video. They were Simon and Martina of Eat Your Kimchi, and I have watched almost every single video of theirs. I'm not too fond of their fan club name, but you can call me a Nasty.

One night when BFF Mari was over, we spent about two hours of me showing her all of my favorite K-Pop music videos. I'm not sure if she enjoyed it at all, but she sure did like the crotch thrusting in SS501's 'Love Ya'. But now my best friend understood my biggest passion, and she has supported me ever since. She's recommended colleges with good Korean programs and says that we are going to go to Korea together at some point. When I told her that we probably won't go together and that she'll instead be visiting me, she was ecstatic. 

In March of 2012, I was on Netflix and I came across this TV series. It was a Korean drama called 'My Princess'. I said why not.

How I became Koreanized (Part 1)

When someone says that something is Koreanized, they mean that that something has become like Korea. For example, if a food dish is Koreanized, it means that it has been modified to taste like Korean dishes. Well I've become Koreanized. It seems like Korea is always on my mind. If I'm not studying the language, I'm watching their dramas or listening to Gaon chart. Or I'm YouTube-ing the lucky people who are already over there and absorbing all the advice and knowledge they offer. But how did I become this way, you may wonder? Well here's my story.

I think it all started when I was ten. The movie store (for those of you reading this in the future where movie stores don't exist anymore, they are place where you rent DVDs, VHSs, and, in some, video games) there was this shelf. As you entered the movie store you always make your way around the perimeter looking at the new releases, but the movie store was not a perfect rectangular shape. So when you finally made it to this shelf, you had to turn 270 degrees to get to the slightly older than new releases. Well this shelf was an awesome shelf, other than the fact that it was a corner shelf that jutted out. I may not have payed attention to all the new releases, but this shelf was the first one I always thoroughly looked over. It had anime.

I didn't know what anime was at the time. I just thought it was prettier than regular cartoons with more serious themes and characters with awesome names. So I was attracted to it. The first anime movie I remember ever watching was 'Spirited Away'. I guess I checked it out so many times my mother ended up just buying it for me. And I still have it.

I've still got that same copy

Now you may be wondering, what does 'Spirited Away' got to do with Korea? Well wait just a minute!

I watched every movie that was on that shelf....almost. Some of them were rated R, so they didn't get my mother's approval. One in particular was the movie sequel to what would be one of my favorite anime series ever - cough, cough, 'Cowboy Bebop'. I watched my way through 'My Neighbor Totoro', 'Kiki's Delivery Service', 'Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind', and 'Castle in the Sky'. For some reason I was very reluctant to watch 'Howl's Moving Castle' which is ironic because it became my favorite. 

By the time I had checked out all of Hayao Miyazaki's movies, I figured out that they were all Studio Ghibli and directed by the Asian (I'll be honest. I called all Asians 'Chinese' back then. Hey, I was a child) man who was introduced by John Lasseter in the beginning of most Ghibli movies. I didn't know that it was called anime or that it was from Japan or that it would change my life. 

I think it's good to mention that right around this time 'Avatar: the Last Airbender' came out. This is another thing that I was reluctant to watch that ended up being one of my favorites. Which, now that I think about it, happens a lot. My friends at that time started watching it, so I figured I should too. I remember telling myself, "Madi, you are already watching too many other shows; you can't watch another." But I did. It looked like Ghibli and the facial expressions were crazy - think Sokka in the desert. And the plot twists...dear me.

In the movie store there was this one movie that didn't look like the rest of the Ghibli movies. The art was different, but I could tell that it was like all the anime I'd seen before. It was 'Ah! My Goddess: the Movie'. I think I rented it because I was out of Ghibli movies and I wanted more. Now I know that AMG is kinda crappy and that there's much better stuff out there. But after the first time I watched it, I loved it. If you haven't seen it, it's about this virus type thing that gets into heaven's computer and then there's all these repercussions that happen because of it. But I didn't get some aspects of it. All the characters seemed to know each other without the introduction of many new ones and it seemed expected of the viewer to understand the universe it was set in. So I looked online. 

I half expected that I had just watched the sequel to another AMG movie, and that's why I didn't get it. But I was wrong. There was a whole series of it that came before it. Two seasons in fact. And since 'Avatar' technically isn't anime since it's not made in Japan, you can say that AMG was the first anime I ever watched. 

Just noticed this quote in the scene selection book in the front pocket of the DVD case. It's so appropriate.

So what happened next? I know you're dying to read more. Part 2 is coming soon! And trust me, this is all going to tie into Korea eventually.

How I learned 한글 (hangeul), the Korean alphabet

It was around spring break of 2012 that my love of Korea blossomed. I had known about K-Pop for a while, but it was around this time that K-Pop and K-Dramas became an everyday thing. There wasn't a day when I wasn't thinking about something Korean. I could deal with not understanding what they were saying all the time or not understanding some of their cultural aspects. But there was one thing I couldn't deal with. I couldn't read hangeul. It is Korea's script, and I felt completely distant that I couldn't read it. So I decided that I would learn.

The best resource that I used to learn hangeul was the YouTube channel, SweetandTasty. Professor Oh is a wonderful person. As far as I know, she wasn't paid to make her set of four videos on how to read Korean. And she does a fabulous job of explaining each vowel, consonant, dipthong, and double consonant. Though the first lesson she made was a little low quality, she still taught the necessary pronunciation. I think that she was brought up speaking both English and Korean, so she has the qualifications to teach Korean, and the skills to explain in English without the barrier that some people who were brought up speaking exclusively Korean face.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdiR-6e1h0o Here's the link to her first lesson. You'll be able to find the next lessons from there.

Her second lesson came two years after her first lesson. And I can totally understand the delay. Getting into the grove of making anything into a routine is tough. I'm just glad that she continued, regardless of the delay. It's not like I was one of the people who waited two years for lesson two, so I'm not complaining. Lesson two was where I learned what I came for. Hangeul! I remember writing down each consonant paired with "ah" in a random order in a grid shape and practicing pronunciation of each character. It was so rewarding when I could read each one without having to use my cheat sheet to see which one it was.



Her third lesson goes over double consonants, which, I still don't have a firm grasp on. That's the thing about learning languages. The moment you learn something that you are sure about, someone else tells you that you aren't quite right. I understand the basic concept of them, that they're stressed sounds. But I just wasn't born hearing the difference between the double one and their single relative.

Professor Oh's last lesson on the alphabet was over dipthongs and boy, did I spend a lot of time on this video. Dipthongs are confusing to anybody. I didn't even know what it was before I clicked on her video. I kept thinking that they all look alike and the only differences are so small that they normally didn't even register. The way that I justified their similarities was looking at my struggles of differentiating the letter S and 5 when I was little and learning them. I had SUCH a hard time with them. I remember my father being so frustrated with me that he'd get mad and I'd start crying. So in that light, dipthongs difficulty is justified.

I hoped this summary of what each lesson taught helped those who want to learn hangeul. And, honestly, it's one of the easiest Asian alphabets to learn, if not the easiest. It's only the pronunciation that's a little difficult. ;)

Throughout my learning of Korean there have been little, specific examples that have a different pronunciation than what I initially thought. It's one of those things that you have to learn as you go, and that you can't learn in one sitting. I believe that she explains that you'll learn them as you go along, and that's why she doesn't teach all of them.

There have been other ways that I expanded my understanding of hangeul, but they weren't as influential as Professor Oh's teachings. I truly believe anyone who is wishing to learn hangeul should check out her videos. They're more than you'll learn from anyone else (at least the people I've come across). She's a great teacher and I wish you luck in your hangeul learning. (: