I know I wasn’t the closest you could get but here’s my pictures from Saturday night’s concert, just the same. If nothing else, at least you’ll get a glimpse of what it was like to see so many amazing artists in the same night. It was a fangirl’s dream come true! Continue reading “FROM B1A4 TO VIXX: KCON 2014 in Pictures, Part 2 – Saturday Night’s Concert”
FROM B1A4 TO VIXX: KCON 2014 in Pictures, Part 1- VIXX Fan Engagement
Okay, so I have so many pictures that I took during KCON and I hate the idea of them just sitting on my computer when they could be shared with the world, so I’ve decided to upload some of them and let you enjoy them as you will. Now please keep in mind that all of these pics were taken with my phone (because KCON had super strict rules on cameras and there was no way I was going to risk being kicked out over something a small as a camera) and there are some that aren’t nearly as good as others but I did the best I could and I figure that you’ll appreciate my effort, if nothing else. Feel free to help yourself to whatever pics you love, I’m not going to bother watermarking them all as I literally have thousands and that’s just too much work for any one zombie. I figure if you love them, you can have them. It’s my gift to the fangirls the world over who may never get the chance to see their biases in person. (I feel that pain, I really do.) If you feel the need to share them with the world (and I really don’t think they’re all that great but maybe I’m wrong) a little credit would be nice but more than anything, just enjoy them. Continue reading “FROM B1A4 TO VIXX: KCON 2014 in Pictures, Part 1- VIXX Fan Engagement”
FROM CHICAGO TO KCON: ZOMBIE’S ADVENTURES IN L.A. – DAY 5
Saturday must have worn me out more than even I realized because I slept until 7:30 Sunday morning (a new record, I know). It felt glorious to sleep so long and I woke up in a near panic because I got irrationally freaked out about getting to the Sports Arena late and I’d miss my chance to be one of the VIP guests for the Danny From L.A. taping. (Which I still can’t believe I won because I never win anything! Ever.) Thankfully taking a deep breath in and pausing a moment to fully wake up was all it took to clear my head and bring me back to my more rational self. Of course not having a cosplay costume to wear on Sunday did send me into another tizzy as I frantically dug through all of the clothes both Tanya and I brought with, desperately trying to find something to wear that didn’t make me look old, fat or stupid. (A task I struggle with on a daily basis.) With Tanya’s help I did finally settle on something, which involved a skirt, of all things, and I totally blame Tanya for that. I can’t remember the last time I voluntarily wore a skirt anywhere… They don’t usually match my boho indie rock style (which is how Tanya describes my… um… unique… taste in fashion). Continue reading “FROM CHICAGO TO KCON: ZOMBIE’S ADVENTURES IN L.A. – DAY 5”
FROM CHICAGO TO KCON: ZOMBIE’S ADVENTURES IN L.A. – DAY 4
Saturday. D-Day. KCON Day 1. Whatever you want to call it, I woke up the next morning with a stomach full of butterflies, more nervous than I had ever been before in my entire life. Looking back, I’m not even sure why I was such a nervous wreck but I was. I think it had a lot to do with the fact that I had psyched myself out so much over KCON that I was afraid I was going to be disappointed at the end of it all. (Thank goodness I was totally wrong on that score!) Too nervous to eat, drink, or do pretty much anything else, I got up, donned my VIXX G.R.8.U. cosplay costume (with all the checkers) and spent a ridiculous amount of time trying to figure out what to do with my hair. (Which ended up being not much because my hands were too shaky to handle anything but the most basic tasks.) At least I wasn’t alone in my suffering, Tanya was every bit as jittery as I was and we were in such an awful state that we rushed out of the hotel without grabbing breakfast or (gasp!) even coffee. (A mistake we would come to regret all. day. long.) Continue reading “FROM CHICAGO TO KCON: ZOMBIE’S ADVENTURES IN L.A. – DAY 4”
FROM CHICAGO TO KCON: ZOMBIE’S ADVENTURES IN L.A. – DAY 3
Being cursed to spend my entire week in L.A. running on Central Time, I woke up at an ungodly hour Friday morning and couldn’t go back to sleep so I did what any zombie in my position would do, I got up, got dressed and headed to the hotel lobby to grab a cup of coffee and call my family. I figured that since I hadn’t talked to them in a couple of days, it would probably be a good idea to at least let them know I hadn’t died. (A fear every single member of my family had while I was away. Crazy people!) With the obligatory phone calls out of the way, it was time to check in with the world and what did I happen to stumble across but pictures of VIXX at the airport in Seoul, posted during my brief hours of sleep. Naturally the fangirl in my couldn’t resist looking up flight arrival times and lo and behold, there were two flights scheduled to arrive at LAX within a half hour of each other and I knew VIXX was on one of them. 
Being the die-hard Starlight that I am, I couldn’t suppress the wails of my inner fangirl as I thought of VIXX arriving in L.A. without me there to greet them. I mean, ‘cmon! It’s not every day you get to be in the same place at the same time as your ultimate bias group and my entire week in L.A. seemed to be embracing the theme of “YOLO” (and I still can’t believe how many times Tanya and I “YOLO”ed ourselves while we were there… It’s almost embarrassing, really) so I did the only thing a self-respecting fangirl in my position would do. I tried to come up with a way to get myself to the airport to welcome VIXX when they arrived. Continue reading “FROM CHICAGO TO KCON: ZOMBIE’S ADVENTURES IN L.A. – DAY 3”
FROM CHICAGO TO KCON: ZOMBIE’S ADVENTURES IN L.A. – DAY 2
While spending the night in a Korean spa is absolutely fantastic while you’re de-stressing in the sauna rooms, it doesn’t make for the best sleeping, unless you have the superpower that allows you to sleep soundly no matter where you are. (A superpower I, unfortunately, do not possess.) Even in the dark and supposedly quiet “sleeping room” I still spent a lot of time listening to people talking, TVs playing various K-dramas and even Henry’s “Fantastic” video (which I didn’t mind at all)
rather than sleeping. I know I dozed off a couple of times but by four in the morning, Tanya and I were both awake (the curse of being in L.A. while running on East Coast and central time) and ready to start our day. With most of the spa sound asleep, Tanya and I did the only logical thing one can do at four in the morning, we headed to the common area and grabbed a coffee and a bubble tea and enjoyed a little bit of quiet catching up time. From there it was back through all of the sauna rooms (and yes, the clay ball room was every bit as glorious as it had been the night before and surprisingly, so was the ice room) before getting cleaned up and setting out on our adventures for the day. Continue reading “FROM CHICAGO TO KCON: ZOMBIE’S ADVENTURES IN L.A. – DAY 2”
FROM CHICAGO TO KCON: ZOMBIE’S ADVENTURES IN L.A. – DAY 1
To sit down and try to recap an entire weekend of Hallyu awesomeness is no small feat but I promised you all that I would come back and share all my stories with you, so that those of you who weren’t able to attend KCON 2014 would be able to get a glimpse of what an entire convention dedicated to all things Hallyu is really like. I also promised to share all of my other adventures while I was in L.A. which means I’ve got a lot to cover so I’d better get to it! Are you ready? Then let’s go! Continue reading “FROM CHICAGO TO KCON: ZOMBIE’S ADVENTURES IN L.A. – DAY 1”
B1A4’s ROAD TRIPPIN’ ACROSS THE U.S.
Yes BANAs, you read that right! During their performance at KCON this past weekend, B1A4 announced they would be kicking off a world tour later this month, starting in Taiwan and moving on to Shanghai, Manila, Melbourne and Sydney before finally reaching the U.S. in early October. The “2014 B1A4 Road Trip” tour is scheduled to make stops in four U.S. cities including New York, Chicago, Dallas and San Francisco which means BANAs from all over the country should be able to find a concert near-ish them, to attend. (And yes, I realize there are gaping holes in this four-stop tour but it’s a whole lot better than the typical two-stop “tours” most K-Pop groups make so I won’t complain.) Venues and ticket sales have also been announced and are as follows: Continue reading “B1A4’s ROAD TRIPPIN’ ACROSS THE U.S.”
THE ZOMBIE IS INVADING LOS ANGELES!
If you’ve been reading this blog for any amount of time, you know by now that I’m super excited about KCON this year but what you might not know is there’s actually more to my spazzing than just my inner fangirl breaking free. So what is that reason, you ask? Well it’s because this year, I’ve been invited to be a special guest at North America’s largest convention of “All Things Hallyu”, KCON! Can you believe it!?! Continue reading “THE ZOMBIE IS INVADING LOS ANGELES!”
HALLYU ZOMBIE DRAMA REVIEW: It’s Okay, That’s Love Episodes 1-2 (2/2)
Zombie: So, here we are, ready to take on another HZDR and I have to say, I think we picked a winner with this one!
Tanya: We have thought that before and ended up with 11th hour duds, but even the style of this one is different. Have you noticed that it’s not even filmed in regular drama style? It feels more…. movie?
Zombie: I have noticed and I have to say, between that and the originality of the characters and the intriguing hints at the plot to come, I’m hooked. Nothing about this drama has the feel of a stereotypical drama, beyond the male and female protagonists starting off on the wrong foot, and I like that. The characters are refreshingly unique and they have such an interesting intertwined relationship, I find myself drawn to them, quirks and all.
Tanya: The diversity of these characters, as you pointed out, will be the key in driving this drama. So far it is working and, sometimes, the over complex relationships between all of them make it feel more real than normal. I can completely believe that they are all interconnected that way and still cool with it because small towns are often that way.
Zombie: I think relationships in general, are that way. If you have a group of friends who have been friends for years, it’s not difficult to imagine they may have had some sort of (and this will sound totally cheesy) love connection during that time that just didn’t work out. It is possible to remain friends with someone, even if a romantic relationship doesn’t work out. I think that’s what we’ve got here and I like that. It means these characters are going to end up depending on each other to get through whatever lies ahead for them and that, I think, is what is going to make this story interesting.
Tanya: I am actually enjoying the slight medical aspect of this drama as well. It’s not cheesy or overdone and it feels natural for the characters. They mostly let work go when they are at home and they don’t seem like perfect doctors. They are all equally flawed along with the people they are trying to help. Again, another type of realism about this story that I am appreciating.
Zombie: I really enjoyed that too. It’s not everyday you see a medical professional portrayed in a drama that’s as flawed as their patients. I especially like that Hae Soo has to go to counseling sessions herself because it’s something that professionals in that field of work have to do, at least as part of their training and I’m sure it’s something that’s ongoing as well. Doctors are humans too. I’m sure they’re just as messed up as the rest of us! Ha!
Tanya: I really love that they are striving to show both sides of all mental disorder arguments as well. Mental health is a hot topic globally, so allowing the other perspective to shine through is a bit groundbreaking really. With all of this praise that we have, there is one character I want to talk about. I have formally taken stance about this on my blog, but how much fun do you think Do Kyungsoo has essentially playing a saesang fanboy after all of the personal experience he has had as a member of EXO? I think he has a blast myself…. and since the show is so mental health driven, it kind of makes me feel like he’s trying to give a hint to those who take it too far by showing them what it feels like.
Zombie: Not to mention what it looks like to the rest of the world. His character, Gang Woo, is just shy of crazy in his love for Jang Jae Yeol but I love him anyway. He’s so cute! I just wish I could shake this ominous feeling I have about him… I’m afraid something bad’s going to happen to him in the future and that’s gonna break my heart!
Tanya: He’s too good at going sweet to creeper in less than a second, but I think the character will develop more as the weeks go on. I am also loving Lee Kwang Soo in this drama. While his character, Park Soo Kwang, is funny they manage to do it without making fun of the fact that he does have Tourette’s that he’s in treatment for. It’s a very fine line to walk, but I think they are doing well.
Zombie: So far so good. That’s the one thing I’ve been a bit leary of in these first two episodes… I like how they’ve handled the cases of mental illness so far but I’m afraid one of these days someone will decide it’s okay to turn an illness into a joke and, IF that happens, I’m not gonna be so happy about it.
Tanya: Me neither. Hopefully they continue on this path.
Zombie: Like you said, it’s a fine line to walk and so far, they’re doing okay. We’ll just have to hope that things don’t get out of hand in the future.
So tell us, what are your initial thoughts on It’s Okay, That’s Love. Are there any characters that have particularly caught your eye? How do you think the subject of mental illness is being handled so far? What do you think of the overall story? Are you intrigued? Where do you think things are headed, or is it too soon to say? We want to know your thoughts so be sure to leave us a comment below!
You can find us talking about all manner of Hallyu goodness on our blogs, zombiemamma and hallyuknow or you can find us on Twitter @Hallyu_Tanya and @TheZombieMamma
Catch up on all of our previous discussions of It’s Okay, That’s Love here:
Episodes 1-2: [Part 1] [Part 2]