YG Family Concert

Apologies for not updating. The site was down for whatever reason and I've been busy with the new term.

Winter term started November 30 and we got two new guys to replace 2 teachers who left as their contract was up. I'm teaching some higher level classes, which I'm really enjoying. They've been here longer so classroom management is less of an issue, but more importantly we can have better discussions as a result of the higher-level questions and topics.

Last weekend I went with a friend from training to see the YG Family Concert, which basically had several bands from the record label YG. Now I've heard of K-Pop, and it's pretty much hard to miss when walking down the street past cellphone stores, but man oh man was it an epic experience. Think of it like an NSYNC or BSB concert, but on crack and 10x less cheesy. These bands are hardcore, legit, and not as pop-y as I'd imagine. Cameras weren't allowed, but I managed to get a short video before seeing the sign for 'No cameras'.



here are some videos as well if you're so inclined to discover your Korean brethren's jams. This is hardly uncovering the iceberg of songs, but a few that I particularly like:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDBOGihYl10&feature=channel
Go! - Big Bang

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIRW_elc-rY&feature=related
Lollipop - Big Bang and 2NE1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MgAxMO1KD0&NR=1

I Don't Care - 2NE1

My favorite guy from Big Bang is the deep-voiced rapper, TOP. You'll know who he is when you watch. He's got a unique voice.

This weekend I got to see 2 movies: The Tourist with Johnny Depp and the new Chronicles of Narnia. We may not get Harry Potter before the US, but we got these 2. For whatever reason Koreans loveeee Angelina Jolie. She's the actor my students will mention first when asking about the US. The movie was slightly predictable, but still enjoyable. Luckily I went with my coworker who knows some French so she translated for us as the subtitles were in Korean, not English. When the characters spoke Italian we had to use context clues. haha But whenever Johnny spoke Spanish I knew exactly what he was saying. Go me.

Narnia was fantastic!!!! We went last minute, and had to sit in the front row... for a 3D movie. Last time I sat front row for a movie was Transformers 2 and I thought I was gonna get sick. haha Fortunately that was not the case for this movie. They gave us foot rests! hahaha It was like sitting at home watching a giant screen with 3D glasses on. Highly recommend the movie. I feel like it'll do better overseas than domestically since not as many people are familiar with this book. I've read it and they stuck pretty close to it.