I had an awesome experience today with my Goer Missional Community (GMC) today.

What we do at least once a week is meet up with each other, pray for 1 hour for the nations and for the lost (those who don’t know God), and engage in conversation with and befriend at least one person.

Today, we met a young woman named Tong Li from China, and we succeeded. We sat at her table as strangers, and bid farewell as good friends less than an hour later =) We also began using a new strategy to engage in the lost of our community by literally finding girls sitting by themselves around campus and just asking if we can sit with them, and if they say yes, we do and just have this casual conversation where we genuinely get to know them! We also started saying, “Hey, I really hope you have a wonderful day!” to random people on the streets. We try to limit ourselves to girls mostly because guys will tend to take it in a different way, making things complicated. But back to the story~

Later on, my friends and I decided to go out to eat for dinner, and we headed on over to BJ’s, which has some very delicious meals at a decent price. After we had ordered our meals, one of my friends and I went to the bathroom to wash our hands, and after we had washed our hands in the bathroom, we both had to use the restrooms, so washing our hands was kind of pointless haha.

But here is where the magical moment happened. I went on to wash my hands once more, but this time, there was an elderly woman in her 60s at the sink between mine and my friend’s. Being in such a great mood, I decided to talk to her. I turned my head and said, “Hi ma’am! Are you enjoying your evening here?” The lady replied, “Oh yes! Do you work here?” She thought I worked there, that because I was so spontaneously kind to her, I must have worked there. But of course I answered, “No, I’m just here to eat haha.” And she commented, “Oh you’re just friendly!”

We both chuckled for a bit while turning our heads back to our respective sinks to continue washing our hands, but it wasn’t long before she started talking to me. Now take note of what you are about to read.

She looked at me, paused for a second, and tearily began, “You know, my husband and I are actually here because our mother-in-law is dying. She’s literally on her death bed. We just came out to have dinner, and you really just made my day.” And I could hear the soft sadness in her voice. My immediate reaction was to hug her, and I did. And as she rubbed my back warmly and made soft whimpering sounds, I knew that it was the right move.

We exchanged a few kind words before heading back to our respective tables, but when I told this story to my other friend at our table, we all decided to talk to this elderly couple and ask for their names so we could pray for them. Denise is married to Richard, whose mother Betty is in the hospital. At the lively age of 88, “she has lived a full, wonderful life,” as her son puts it.

So I really wanted to use this story to spark a genuine kindness in you guys. I pray that you begin engaging in conversations with strangers, because truly, you never know what a person is going through until you reach out to them. And it could make their day =)

I had an awesome experience today with my Goer Missional Community (GMC) today.

What we do at least once a week is meet up with each other, pray for 1 hour for the nations and for the lost (those who don’t know God), and engage in conversation with and befriend at least one person.

Today, we met a young woman named Tong Li from China, and we succeeded. We sat at her table as strangers, and bid farewell as good friends less than an hour later =) We also began using a new strategy to engage in the lost of our community by literally finding girls sitting by themselves around campus and just asking if we can sit with them, and if they say yes, we do and just have this casual conversation where we genuinely get to know them! We also started saying, “Hey, I really hope you have a wonderful day!” to random people on the streets. We try to limit ourselves to girls mostly because guys will tend to take it in a different way, making things complicated. But back to the story~

Later on, my friends and I decided to go out to eat for dinner, and we headed on over to BJ’s, which has some very delicious meals at a decent price. After we had ordered our meals, one of my friends and I went to the bathroom to wash our hands, and after we had washed our hands in the bathroom, we both had to use the restrooms, so washing our hands was kind of pointless haha.

But here is where the magical moment happened. I went on to wash my hands once more, but this time, there was an elderly woman in her 60s at the sink between mine and my friend’s. Being in such a great mood, I decided to talk to her. I turned my head and said, “Hi ma’am! Are you enjoying your evening here?” The lady replied, “Oh yes! Do you work here?” She thought I worked there, that because I was so spontaneously kind to her, I must have worked there. But of course I answered, “No, I’m just here to eat haha.” And she commented, “Oh you’re just friendly!”

We both chuckled for a bit while turning our heads back to our respective sinks to continue washing our hands, but it wasn’t long before she started talking to me. Now take note of what you are about to read.

She looked at me, paused for a second, and tearily began, “You know, my husband and I are actually here because our mother-in-law is dying. She’s literally on her death bed. We just came out to have dinner, and you really just made my day.” And I could hear the soft sadness in her voice. My immediate reaction was to hug her, and I did. And as she rubbed my back warmly and made soft whimpering sounds, I knew that it was the right move.

We exchanged a few kind words before heading back to our respective tables, but when I told this story to my other friend at our table, we all decided to talk to this elderly couple and ask for their names so we could pray for them. Denise is married to Richard, whose mother Betty is in the hospital. At the lively age of 88, “she has lived a full, wonderful life,” as her son puts it.

So I really wanted to use this story to spark a genuine kindness in you guys. I pray that you begin engaging in conversations with strangers, because truly, you never know what a person is going through until you reach out to them. And it could make their day

Just Kidding. I don’t think anyone reads these anymore. I’m sure I’ll have something more meaningful to say in the future, but as of now… Have some air and invisible hugs

So recently, an article was published on Wonder Girls’ new US album and related information, and they hinted at the girls working with a world-renowned artist.

“Representatives of JYP Entertainment revealed to allkpop, “Their upcoming release, ‘Like Money’, is the work of songwriterCri$tyle, who has previously worked with artists like Rihanna, and JYP Entertainment producer Woo S. Rhee ‘RAINSTONE‘. There will be a special artist also collaborating with the girls on the song, and although the identity hasn’t been revealed yet, rest assured that they’re world famous in that they’ve already amassed over 40 million likes on Facebook.””

I’m speculating that the artist in question is none other than Katy Perry! How did I make these connections? Well, let’s see…
… Katy Perry’s facebook page has around 44,000,000 facebook likes…

They’re on friendly terms…

(Look at Lim! Notice how she changed from the first pic taken in 2010, to the second pic taken in 2012. She went from “OMG it’s Katy Perry!!!” to “Yeah, I’m friends with this chick” – They must have kept in touch or something!)

And she has previously mentioned that she’d like to work with the Wonder Girls…
http://blog.ningin.com/2010/08/01/california-girl-katy-perry-wants-to-work-with-the-wonder-girls/

“When asked which Asian artists she wanted to collaborate with, she immediately said the Wonder Girls, mentioning also that she would also like to steal their outfits!”

So is Katy Perry the mysterious artist? We’ll just have to wait and see when the song and MV are released!
And if you haven’t checked out the preview for “Like Money”, do have a look – it’s a hit!

I bought the neon pink covered album yesterday in Itaewon. The poster that came with it is an enlarged version of the photocard that says “Wonder Party”.

Read the rest of this entry →

I know it’s been a while since I last posted something new, and even then, I sorta promised to blog about my experiences while exploring Korea. Many of you know I was sick for like a week or two, so I guess that’s enough proof to show why I’ve been largely absent. As for the title of this entry, you’ll find out a little more about it as you read on.

So today, my mother and I went to Itaewon for a few hours. I mentioned it a while back when mum asked where I’d like to go inside Seoul, but it never really was at the top of my list. Nonetheless, I did have some curiosity as to what the area was all about and why it’s so well known, especially to foreigners. And anyway, my mom had her own reasons for wanting to go to Itaewon.

Since we currently reside in Apgujeong, we had to walk about 13 minutes or so to the nearest subway station, which was apgujeong yeok. From there, we went to Yaksu, and then transferred to another route to our destination, Itaewon. I was so tempted by the small ddeok jib vendors in the subway area. If you don’t know, I’m a huge glutton when it comes to ddeok~ But since I’m already kinda fat, I think it’s best to stay away from it when I can control my stomach lol.

When we arrived in Itaewon, I really didn’t know what there was to do, but my mom gave me a little insight as to what it’s all about. She says it’s home to many foreigners, and that’s very apparent once you emerge from the underground subway. There are Turkish shops, American shops, Italian, French, Japanese, Pakistani, Indian… And there are even little squares along the sidewalk that show what nationalities you can find in Itaewon, kind of similar to what you’d find on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

I eventually found out why my mom wanted to come here. For those who don’t know, which is probably all of you, since I don’t say too much about my mom personally, she grew up in Seoul, though she lived a few years way down south in a place called Geochang, which is another place on my mom’s list of areas to visit. Anyway, when she was in her late teens, she’d go to Itaewon every few days to visit her friend who lived there, and they’d eat at a nearby chicken restaurant. When she came of age, she met my dad, and they’d go on dates in Itaewon, and one of their favorite places to eat was a place called Twilight Zone. So my mom took me through some streets and down memory lane; she directed my attention to the fire station she always passed, to the shop which used to house one of her favorite hair salons, to the same vendor who sold her an oriental jewelry chest as a gift for her mother-in-law so many years ago. And she took me to Twilight Zone, the restaurant which holds so many memories of my parents on many dates.

I was pretty surprised to find that it was still there, considering just about everything else she remembered from 20-some years ago was no longer running or in operation. I especially loved Twilight Zone’s advertisement – Open 25 Hours. xD Unfortunately, it wasn’t open at the time, as it usually opens its doors in the afternoon. So we just settled for a nearby noodle shop. Since it was really quite hot, I ordered naengmyun, which I’m sure you all know I absolutely love! Afterwards, we purchased Turkish ice cream, which is so deliciously unique and strangely sticky. It’s got to be the funnest ice cream I’ve ever had, for sure!

We walked around a bit more, and then headed back the way we came, down the subway and back to Yaksu.

On our way from Yaksu to Apgujeong, something interesting happened, though I suppose it wasn’t at all the case for the old man involved. As you probably know, many of the subway carts in Seoul are very packed, and finding a seat is almost as likely as winning the lottery. The cart my mom and I were in was just about filled to the brim, so I was kind of stuck to the area immediately in front of one of the side doors, which isn’t the best spot to be in since each stop means more people want to cram in past you. And since it’s a subway, not much time is given between the time the doors open to let people in and when they close, so you’ll see people running down the stairs and across the platform to catch the subway if they’re not already in front of the doors when it comes by.

At one of the stops, an elderly man took his time getting to the doors, and I guess he wasn’t fully aware of the situation, because he got stuck in the doors and he hardly noticed! He attempted to walk forward a bit, but the doors wouldn’t let him pull much further! I looked around at the cart, which was full, mind you, but no one moved. They just stared, some with a bit of fright in their eyes, ultimately deciding to just continue looking. As I was standing right by the doors, I pulled and pulled on him, and eventually the doors let him in a bit more, only to snag onto his backpack, so I pulled and pulled more, and he finally got through and walked on over to the elderly section of the subway, which still had no more vacant seats.

I felt good, though. Some people even smiled at me, while others gave me strange looks, probably because I’m another one of them dumb foreigners who don’t know much about subway etiquette. I’m sure the doors would have sensed that someone or something was stuck in-between the doors and would have opened for him anyway, but I wasn’t going to count on that! At least I tried and did something.

So that was basically my adventure for the day. I ended up eating more ice cream later on lol. Thank goodness for the heat! It gives me plenty of excuses to buy ice cream.

I think I’m going to start blogging about my trip here in Korea.

So we had a hilarious moment yesterday on the subway.

My mom wasn’t sure where our next stop was, so she asked these two women which way to go, but they turned out to be Japanese!So we got on the subway together, because surprisingly, one of the ladies knew where my mom was trying to get to.

The Japanese ladies knew a little Korean from dramas (Korean dramas are immensely popular over there). One of the ladies had pictures of Korean actors on her keychain haha! She loves Song Seung Hun.

My mom knows a little Japanese, and they know a bit of English and Korean, so we were able to communicate a little. Our conversation was so strange! We were speaking a mix of English, Japanese, and Korean and it was so funny. I wonder what everyone else was thinking at this sight.

I also told them about how I also enjoy Japanese dramas, and they asked me who I like. I mentioned Horikita Maki and Oguri Shun, as well as Utada Hikaru as my favorite Japanese singer. Then they talked to my mom about their children. They turned out to be around 54, and I was so surprised, because they don’t even look that old! Maybe 45 at the most!

So that was our funny moment yesterday.Other than that, a lot of guys (young and old) kept saying Me-In to me, and I wasn’t sure what they were saying at first, but I forget that it means beautiful woman or something along those lines.

I’ll add some pictures later.

I also want to add that no one smiles in Korea. It has to be the most preposterous thing ever, because everyone here looks so pissed, and the sun isn’t even blaring. I don’t know about you, but the people I live around in America at least have small grins on their faces when walking around, and I’m talking about school grounds. You’d think that people heading to and from class wouldn’t smile much, but they do, and it’s hard for me to transition to a place where just about no one is smiling.

I feel as though instead of smiling, everyone here is preoccupied with criticizing each other, having thoughts such as, “Ugh, that woman” or “that man.” It’s crazy just how critical some people can be, and to see this going on with just about the majority of the population here.

Another thing to point out that where I am staying, which is apgujeong, there are cosmetic surgery advertisements EVERYWHERE. I am not even kidding… I’m trying to use the restroom, and there are plastic surgery ads. I’m trying to buy an electric outlet adapter, and there are ads nearby.

You guys have no idea just how popular the surgeries here are. We decided to walk into one of the clinics because they are just so numerous you can find a clinic on just about every corner you turn, and the head doctor there said that they do several basic operations everyday, because it’s that frequent and common. And by basic operations, I mean anything from a nose lift to double eyelid surgery, to jaw shaving…

It seems as though if you don’t get surgery, then you’re missing out on some event as huge as maybe… meeting the Wonder Girls in person.

So when you look at Korean idols and stars and you compare them to pre-debut pictures, stop saying things like, “oh they worked out and lost all that weight,” because odds are, they had some procedure done. One of my favorites is when people say that an idol who suddenly has huge breasts as compared to their flat chest at the age of 17 and they claim it wasn’t due to some breast augmentation surgery… Okay, if they lost a lot of weight and somehow managed to redirect everything to their breasts, that’s just ridiculous.

/rant

In my previous post, I talked about how I, too, have wanted to see more news of the girls, more works by them, just more events, period.
But I understand that these delays and strains happen for a reason.
Express your concern all you want, but try not to dwell on the past… We can’t worry constantly about how we wish they could have released something in 2009, made more efforts in 2010, focused more on the Korean industry and less on the American…

These girls have a goal, and they’re trying to reach it. They’re doing what they are capable of doing, and we can’t sit here and say we want them to work harder and release stuff and do more things.

Opportunities will come to them, whether as a group or individually. If they have the time or if they want to commit their work to something, then they’ll do it, whether it be a photoshoot or an OST, and we’ll see it when it’s released for the public.

What I’m saying is that we shouldn’t complain about what they’ve given us so far, and it’s not right to blame it on anyone. I know a lot of people keep saying terrible things about JYPE and that the girls aren’t managed right. The girls are happy, they’re healthy, so that should be good news enough to satisfy.
They have a good company, and they’re not walking around like sticks or zombies, so we know they’re getting the rest many Kpop artists these days seem to long for.

When the time is right, things will be released. We already know the US album is finished, the MV is way done, but since they’ve yet to be released, we know it’s for a reason, and we need to be patient.

People are saying things like, “I wish they did more stuff, got out more, did something. It’s like they’ve disappeared.”
I’d like to see that changed to, “I know they’re working hard, and they must be doing something. I look forward to their next project, and I wish them the best of luck.”

Just trying to be more optimistic, since this forum seems to be lacking in that area.

Whenever I come here, I feel like more and more people are just like, “More, more, more!! I want more!”
But I think everything in life is a gift… and I’d hope to see more people say, “I’m thankful.”

…that the Wonder Girls haven’t release anything new in months, but I completely understand why and that there are certain boundaries and obstacles they must meet and figure out how to climb over before they can give the audience something new. Read the rest of this entry →

I think it’s cool that whenever the Wonder Girls come back to Korea for a long period of time, they get to be special MCs, but never full-time MCs because they’re so busy.

I feel like our girls are truly out of this world, way out of your standard definition of a kpop idol, and just… not even limited by kpop anymore. They have such a strong passion and vision for their future, regardless of where this future is. It’s amazing to see how much they have grown, how much they have accomplished, and how willing they are to strive to find that future and to spread the wonder along the way. That WONDER they spread is not just some word… It’s not just some love and appreciation for the Wonder Girls… It’s filled with joy and happiness and cheer and love and great bunches of bananas and yummy apples.

I feel like our girls are too good for kpop now lol. Their music… it’s like no other. They keep bringing kpop standards to the next level, showing their peers that there really are no boundaries, and encouraging those around them to push past all the limits and criticisms.

Our girls, whenever they go back to Korea, it’s like it’s an honor to the music shows to have the girls act as special MCs for the program and to even grace their stages. Such worldly stars, having accomplished missions unimaginable, unfathomable… I’m proud to be a Wonderful, but I’m even more grateful to have been blessed with the opportunity to embrace the wonder that they have spread.

When they say, “Spread the Wonder,” they are spreading the message that when you try, when you give something your all, when you fight the odds, when you go against all the discouragement, you can truly make something big and epic happen. You can find your true self. You can learn more about yourself. You can improve your skills and knowledge. You can learn more about the world. You can learn to love. You can learn to appreciate even the little things. You can, You can, You can, You can…. You can do anything…

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