First Annual WAXACON is Coming Up: Here’s What You Can’t Miss
The first-ever WAXACON is slated for November 18th and 19th in Waxahachie, Texas. Dubbed “your friendly neighborhood comic con”, the highly anticipated event is drawing in guests from around the country. Since this year marks the very first WAXACON, many people are wondering what they can expect when it comes to this all-new comic con experience.
WAXACON is being carefully curated to deliver a completely unique experience for everyone involved. The two-day event is going to feature a wide range of exciting events that you simply won’t find elsewhere. In this article, we’ll fill you in on everything you won’t want to miss at WAXACON 2017.
1.Cosplay Contest
Free to enter, contestants can win Visa gift cards, t-shirts, and free passes to next year’s WAXACON. Mashups, original designs, and costumes from every genre will be permitted!
2.Unique Artists and Vendors
BlackWolf Armory, Comix&Beyond, Gansta Comics, Stonehenge Ocarina, Scott Harben, Brian Chuck, Rhonda Eudaly, Serena Hartfield, and Kary Cooper are among the highly talented artists and vendors who will be on-site during WAXACON.
3.Tabletop Gaming
Get up close and personal with your favorite characters – and your foes! WAXACON is going to feature several tabletop gaming stations where guests are invited to immerse themselves in their favorite games.
4.Celebrity Panels
Exclusive celebrity panels are going to give you a closer look at your favorite sci-fi actors and actresses, who will be discussing various aspects of their roles while answering questions from the audience. You won’t want to miss this exciting opportunity to chat with your favorite sci-fi characters!
5.Miltos Yerolemou
You know him as the First Sword of Brauds from Game of Thrones. Miltos Yerolemou will be at WAXACON, where he’ll be talking to fans, signing autographs, and even hosting a swordsmanship class!
Some of the other guests will include Olivia Hack (Family Guy and Clone Wars), Chuck Huber (Star Trek Continues, Borderlands 2, and Dragonball Z), Corin Nemec (Star Trek Renegades and Stargate SG-1), Christopher R. Mihm (writer and director known for his work on Cave Women On Mars, Destination: Outer Space, and The Wall People).
If you’re looking for the comic con experience of a lifetime, we highly recommend checking out WAXACON 2017! Tickets are now available and can be purchased on the WAXACON website at www.waxacon.com.
—-Denise Coley
Although the name Vinicius (Vinny Precious) sounds very fresh to most k-pop followers, Vinicius is famous as a South Korean music producer already for a while. In 2010, he produced Jazzy Ivy’s album “Ill Vibrative Motif LP” and became a producer since then. In 2016, together with Junbeck, lanca and Cokejazz, Vinicius works as a producer for Kim Ail’s album “Elbow” and contributed to the completion of five tracks, including the single “Mango”.
After 6 years of waiting, November 2016 witnessed a big change for Vinicius that from a producer, he became a singer-songwriter. Under label “Greater Fools Records”, his first music “Sailing” was announced directly to the public in a very unique style. From November 2016 to June 2017, Vinicius completed a total of 10 singles. His first album “사이Sai” was published on 1st of July, included the 10 singles. He released another track “Easy” on June 9th, and that makes the 11th and newest single from Vinicius so far.
What impresses us the most is that almost all the music tracks were composed, arranged, written, performed, mixed and mastered by Vinicius himself, except “Breathe” which was written and performed by Qim Isle. Unlike some K-pop music, his tracks start often with a bass guitar, then an upcoming mix with all kind of instruments. It gives people a strange but comfortable feeling. Vinicius knows how to use instruments to control his music and create magic effects. His tracks sound like jazz in some ways and he manages to add his soft and warm voice, which fits perfectly well in the mix.
According to editor Moon Dong-myung, the name of the album “Sai” can be interpreted into “relationship” and “balance”. The track itself expresses the story of two people, starting from acquaintance, walking side by side, to a point that they become intimate. The relationship between the two people is endless. Vinicius is always looking for the balance of style, elements, lyrics and emotions. There’s no absolute strong feelings like happiness or sadness that you can find as the music flows.
Why don’t we have a look to the track list, try out some of his music and get a sense of what his style really is!
Track list:
1. 걸어오는/ Walk
2. Sailing
“Feel like I’m Sailing, sailing with love. We go up and down.” They have kissed each other, for one, when they kiss, it’s like the smooth part of the sailing.
3. 숨/ Breathe
“Can not fight with love. Do not mess with love.” They shared their stories to each other. They forgot their sadness and started to breathe again. They became each other’s home and escape.
4. 아마/ Purple
“I love you love you. Oh I want to have you girl.” He is falling in love. And the romantic memories are overwhelming. He is thinking about her and guessing her thoughts. Thinking that probably she doesn’t know.
5. Interlude
6. Holiday
“We can leave the town today, in each other’s arms.” They want to spend more time together, just the two of them, to create more experiences.
7. 오늘너 / Blue
8. Satisfy
“I got to satisfy you.” “I gotta do it for you.” They are becoming much closer with each other. One wants to do more for the other’s happiness.
9. 춤/ Waltz
10. 가까이있어 / Close
“I want you closer, closer to my soul.” The eventual intimacy has come.
(Full track)
Vinicius’ new song “Easy” got a lot of attention when it was released as the 11th song on SM STATION SEASON 2 on the 9th of June, not only because of SM STATION’s high reliability and popularity, but also because it was the first public appearance for Vinicius himself. “Easy” was released through most popular South Korean music channels such as Melon, Ginny, Naver Music, YouTube SMTOWN and Naver TV SMTOWN. The MV was published at the same time with Vinicius in it. Before the release of the full single, SM STATION published a sound teaser on the 7th and a music video teaser on 8th to give some expectation to their fans.
Again, “Easy” was written, composed and arranged by Vinicius himself. This song is medium speed electronic music, combined with a soft and sweet voice. It tells the frustration and anxiety of not being able to keep the relationship between the two people. They want to let it go easily but they still miss the beautiful memories together. Although the lyrics are kind of sad about two people growing apart, the sense of rhythm truly gives you an “easy” feeling and you don’t have to bear the burden of letting go.
Let’s listen to it together and enjoy the story as well as Vinicius’ dance!
Picture from BELLBOY MAGAZINE
Information from www.melon.com
—-Lizzy Ren
20. Okja
Okja is a science-fiction and drama film that was launched in 2017. Directed by Bong Joon-ho, the story is about a little girl (young Mija) and her big animal friend Okja, which is a superpig. One day, her pig is taken by multinational conglomerate Mirando Corporation and shipped to New York. Mija, without a defined plan, she embarks on a journey to save her dear big friend.
19. Bahubali 2: The Conclusion
Bahubali 2: The Conclusion is a continuation Indian movie released in 2017 after the Bahubali: The beginning (2015). Directed by S.S. Rajamouli, it is a historical fiction movie that revolves around the fictional kingdom of Mahishmati. After defeating the Kalakeyas, Bahubali was named the future king of the kingdom and Bhallaladeva, the commander-in-chief. Bahubali falls in love with Devasena, princess of the Kuntala Kingdom. But, Sivagami causes a rift between Bahubali and Bhallaladeva when he asks the latter to ask Devasena to marry him.
18. Confidential Assignment
Confidential Assignment is a comedy and drama North Korean movie released in 2017 and directed by Kim Sung-hoon. It is about Hyun Bin (Korean detective) and his partner Yoo Hae-jin (South Korean), who are in quest to bring down a crime lord, Kim Joo-hyuk. Kim Joo-hyuk is hiding out in the south and Hyun has come to look for him.
17. Hindi Medium
Hindi Medium is a 2017 Indian comedy-drama directed by Saket Chaudhary. Raj is a successful business man who sells bridal wears in downtown Delhi. Despite his riches, his wife (Mita) does not see him well-fit for the high society she yearns for because they attended a Hindi medium government school. Mita wants her daughter to have a rather different life from theirs with the high society people. She requests her husband to enroll their daughter in one of the top five schools in Delhi.
16. The Handmaiden
The handmaiden is a 2016 South Korean erotic-thriller movie directed by Park Chan-wook. It is based on the novel Fingersmith in a Korea setup, under the Japanese Colonial Rule. A Korean man, Count Fujiwara, plans on marrying the mysterious Japanese Lady Hireko. He hires a pickpocket, Sook-hee, to become the maid to the Lady Hireko so that he can seduce and swindle her of the inheritance she has.
15. The Mermaid
The Mermaid is a 2016 Chinese fantasy, romantic and comedy movie directed by Stephen Chow. It tells the story of Deng Chao, a playboy businessman who falls in love with a mermaid (Shan). The mermaid has been trained to disguise itself and hide among humans. She is meant to seduce Deng Chao then murder him. However, things take a turn when the two fall in love and Shan saves Chao from the merpeople who want to kill him.
14. The Great Wall
The Great Wall is a 2016 chinese film directed by Zhang Yimou. The movie is about a monster that attacks some European mercenaries, who are in search of the secret of the gunpowder. They are exposed to harsh bandits known for killing, and a murderous monster. They hid away from the bandits in a cage, but then, they were attacked by the monster. On their second day, as they walked along the great wall, they get arrested by a secretive military Chinese sect led by General Shao.
13. Fan
Fan is an Indian thriller film that was released in 2016 and directed by Maneesh Sharma. It is about a man (Guarav) who develops a bizarre obsession to a movie star (Aryan) whom he closely resembles. Both roles are played by Shah Rukh Khan. He embarks on a journey to meet his look-alike superstar. However, things do not go well as Aaryan gets Guarav after beating up one of his fellow actors. After his release, Guarav gets rid of all memorabilia he had of Aaryan and decides to seek revenge.
12. The Last Princess
The Last Princess is a South Korean bibliography-drama movie directed by Hur Jin-ho and released in 2016. It is based on the best-selling novel by Kwon Bi-young about a princess (Deokhye) who was forced to live in Japan when she was only 13 years old. It is based on the princesses’ life story, her will and attempt to get back home to Korea.
11. Sultan
Sultan is an Indian romantic sports drama that was released in 2016. Directed by Ali Abbas Zafar, it revolves around the life of a wrestling champion (Sultan Ali Khan). His wrestling capabilities were driven by a state level female wrestler (Aarfa Hussain) who would only marry a wrestler as good as she was. Determined to win her love, he trained until he won a state level wrestling tournament. He won Aarfa’s love after the win and the two conquered the wrestling world.
10. The Wailing
The Wailing is a South Korean horror movie directed by Na Hong-jin and released in 2016. It is about mysterious deaths from a rare disease that starts happening after a strange man arrives in the village. Jong-goo is a police officer who investigates the happenings and meets a young woman (Moo-myeong). The lady, is the possible suspect for all the unfolding events as she herself is odd and mysterious.
9. Alice: The Boy From Wonderland
Alice: The Boy From Wonderland is a 2015 South Korean romance, mystery and horror movie directed by Huh Eun-hee. It revolves around the life of a girl (Hye-Joong) who experiences dreadful nightmares since she was 4 years old. She seeks advice from a shaman who tells her to go back to her family villa (Wonderland) and find what is missing. In her quest, she meets a boy (Hwan) Soo-Ryun and a white rabbit. She has fifteen days to find what is missing and her nightmares will be over.
8. Mr. Six
Mr. Six is a 2015 Chinese crime-drama film directed by Guan Hu. It is about a 50-year old street punk who has been running the Beijing streets for many years as the neighborhood Kingpin. His son, Xiaobo is in deep trouble with a drag-racing street gang leader and his father attempts to help. However, he does not succeed and both of them end up being in more trouble.
7. Singham Returns
Singham Returns is a 2014 action movie directed by Rohit Shetty. It is a follow-up of the film Singham, launched in 2011. Bijarao Singham is the name of the lead role player who is transferred to Mumbia. After finding out that one of his friends died in a tragic incident, he plans on finding the truth behind his death.
6. Night Flight
Night Flight is a 2014 film directed by Leesong Hee-il. It is a drama based on three teenage boys who fall apart after joining high school. Yong-joo and Ki-taek are still friends, but one of the boys, Ki-woong, becomes estranged from his two best friends. He gains fame in the school and starts hanging out with the school’s powerful and mighty gang (Sung-jin’s gang). Yong-joo develops feelings for Ki-woong and when Ki-taek finds out, he too joins the Sung-jin’s gang.
5. U Ri Sunhi
U Ri Sunhi, also referred to as Our Sunhi is a 2013 romance-drama movie directed by Hong Sang-soo. It is about a lady (Sunhi), a graduate from film school, who wants to pursue further studies in America. She goes back to her school to request a recommendation from her professor. At first, he is hesitant, but decides to write the letter anyway. He writes it and warns Sunhi he will write with an honest view, so she can choose to use the recommendation letter or not.
4. I Saw The Devil
I Saw The Devil is a 2010 South Korean action-thriller movie directed by Kim Jee-woon. It is a revenge story that is fueled by the murder of the fiancé of an NIS agent who goes by the name Kim Soo-hyun. The murderer, Kyung Chul, is a taxi driver, who finds the agent’s fiancé stranded with a punctured tire. He pulls over and instead of helping, he kills her and scatters her body parts.
3. Twilight Gangsters
Twilight is yet another South Korean comedy-crime movie released in 2010. It is directed by Kang Hyo-jin. Three grandmothers save up for a holiday vacation in Hawaii but their dreams are cut short when a crook steals their savings from the bank. In seeking revenge, they go after the gang robbers and find one of them. Unfortunately, he was tricked by the rest and has no money. The three determined grandmothers ask the robber, Joon-suk to train them how to rob. They become bank robbers and they find funds to sponsor their vacation.
2. Ju-On: The Grudge
Ju-On: The Grudge is a 2002 horror movie about a vengeful spirit that kills one person after the other. it is a Japanese movie directed by Takashi Shimizu. It starts off when Takeo murders his wife (Kayako) for having an affair with another man. He then kills their cat as well as their son. This prompts a curse in their home and the ghost of Kayako kills Takeo. From then on, anyone who enters in that house suffers from the curse and dies a horrible death.
1. Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon
Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon is a 2000 film featured in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and America. It is an action-drama film directed by Ang Lee with a setup of the 19th Century Qing Dynasty. It is based on the Wuxia book series “Crane Iron Pentalogy” by Wang Dulu. The story is about a sword, Green Destiny, owned by a warrior known as Chow Yun-Fat. It gets stolen as his lover (Michelle Yeoh) takes it to safety, and the hunt is on to find it.
—-A. Licia
AAA (triple A), is a Japanese mixed-gender group with six members. They debuted with originally 8 members in September 2005 under the record label Avex Trax, which belongs to Avex Group, one of the biggest entertainment companies in Japan. Since their first release “Blood on Fire”, they have received numerous recognitions including seven continuous years of Outstanding Work Award for “Japan Record’s Biggest Award”, making them one of the most popular co-ed groups in Japan.
At first, in 2005, among the eight members, there were three ladies and five gentlemen: Takahiro Nishijima, Misako Uno, Naoya Urata, Mitsuhiro Hidaka, Shinjiro Atae, Shuta Sueyoshi, Yukari Goto and Chiaki Ito. All of them are talented in Singing, Rapping, dancing, modeling or acting, which explains their name, “Attack All Around.” From 2005 to 2017, they released almost one album a year. Their very first album “Attack” was pretty well ranked for a new group. As being used in the movie “Initial D”, “Blood on Fire” got a lot of attention and won them Best New Artist Award for “Japan Record’s Biggest Award”. After the albums “All” and “Around”, their fourth album “Departure” in 2009 ranked for the first time No.4 on Oricon charts. The fifth one “Heartful” was even more successful that some of the singles ranked top three. Since 2010, their singles and albums continuously ranked No.1 on Oricon charts such as “Dream After Dream” in 2010, “Call/I4U” in 2011, “Gold Symphony” and “Eighth Wonder” in 2014, which brought them to a bigger stage step by step. Their first arena tour “AAA ARENA TOUR 2014 -Gold Symphony-” has made a new record of 200,000 fans present in the audience. One year afterwards, their stage went beyond border to Singapore, Hong Kong, Taipei and Jakarta, with the “AAA ASIA TOUR 2015” and “AAA ASIA TOUR 2016”.
Besides music and group activities, AAA members also contribute to TV shows, movies and theater play since 2006. Each of them have a solo career (except Goto, who left the group in 2007 due to health issues). Uno starred in the Hollywood movie “The Grudge 2” in 2006 and sang its theme song. Nijishima played main role in Japanese movie “Love Exposure” in 2009 and won Best New Male Actor and New Talent Award. Urata’s single “Dream On” in 2010 ranked No.1 on Oricon charts. AAA seven members have also played together in the drama Mirai Seiki Shakespeare in 2008. Their solo and acting success did not only bring attention to the members themselves, but also contributed to the growth of AAA as well. In January 2017, Ito announced her departure as she was getting married and had the marvelous milestone of expecting a baby. Since that moment, the group counts six members.
AAA’s music style went through several stages. In their early years, they were working with different composers which turned their music into all kinds of styles. Their songs were mostly very positive, targeting teenage fans. In 2009, their style was more into electronic music, which was later transformed into Japanese pop style in 2010. During the period of 2012 to 2013, many of their songs were slow rhythm, expressing the loneliness in love. Their performances are always composed of different elements such as ballet, acrobatics, gymnastics and play. Up to today, after 12 years of practice and experience, no matter their mixed-gender character, different music styles, different stage performances or all members becoming lead singers, they never forgot their key core: Attack All Around. That is also how they managed to grow, remained so unique and successful. 2017 was their “Way of Glory”, let’s look forward to what they will bring next.
Member Profile
Takahiro Nishijima – Orange
Birth Date: 9/30/1986
Birth Place: Hokkaido
Height: 170cm
Blood Type: O
Fun Fact: As the main singer in the group, Nishijima has a really good voice and all his live performances are really well done. He loves looking at himself in the mirror and he hates cucumber, because bad cucumbers made him sick when he was a kid. Nishijima also knows how to sell his cuteness, he likes going around and kisses the other group members.
Misako Uno – Purple
Birth Date: 7/16/1986
Birth Place: Tokyo
Height: 160cm
Blood Type: O
Fun Fact: Uno’s singing skill is also on the top tier. She came from a lovely family and her ideal type of boyfriend is someone like her elder brother. She is a sweet girl who loves smiling and people who smile. Uno loves Peko-chan and she has a big collection of her which dates back to her primary school.
Naoya Urata – Green
Birth Date: 11/10/1982
Birth Place: Tokyo
Height: 178cm
Blood Type: B
Fun Fact: Urata is one of the three main singers at the early stage of AAA. As he is the oldest and group leader, one of his nicknames is Urapapa, which means he is the father figure of the group. He eats a lot of chocolate during practice. Urata loves the color green, when Nishijima broke his arm, Urata draw a lot of cute symbols with his green drink on the plaster cast of Nishijima’s arm.
Mitsuhiro Hidaka – Yellow
Birth Date: 12/12/1986
Birth Place: Chiba
Height: 173cm
Blood Type: O
Fun Fact: Hidaka is the rapper in the group. You can find a part of his rap in most of their songs. He is also good at beat-boxing. Hidaka wanted to be a football player when he was a child, but due to congenital hearing disorder of his left ear, he couldn’t always follow what the coach said. Because he can hear a different sound than the others, he chose his second love, music, to be his career. He has also played as a baby model in Kao Merries’ diaper advertisement.
Shinjiro Atae – Blue
Birth Date: 11/26/1988
Birth Place: Kyoto
Height: 171cm
Blood Type: O
Fun Fact: Atae is the youngest member in the group. You wouldn’t find him to be the best singer but his dance is definitely outstanding. He is not someone who makes a lot of jokes. He doesn’t really feel comfortable when taking photos but he would still do it for his fans.
Shuta Sueyoshi – Pink
Birth Date: 12/11/1986
Birth Place: Nagasaki
Height: 167cm
Blood Type: A
Fun Fact: Sueyoshi is very good at acrobatics, dancing and sports. His dances, movements and energy give people a very manly feeling. He loves drinking fruit and vegetable juice. He said that once during a live TV broadcast, he forgot to wear his undershorts, which he didn’t even realize in time.
—-Lizzy Ren
*All pictures from AAA official website: http://avex.jp/aaa/
Samsung Group began as a trade business in 1938, and has evolved into the largest Korean business conglomerate, today.
Samsung is comprised of several businesses; most of them united under the same brand, which includes insurance, securities, retail, electronics industry, construction, shipbuilding and etc.
Jae Yong Lee – a.k.a. Jay. Y. Lee – is the son of Kun-hee Lee, the C.E.O of Korea’s Samsung Group and the grandson of the company’s founder, Byung-chul Lee.
Lee was born in Washington D.C, educated at the most prestigious schools in Korea, attained his M.B.A degree from Japan’s Keio University and was educated at Harvard Business School; although he didn’t get to graduate.
You could say Lee was strictly educated and molded to take over the family business from the time he was born. He is the first-born and the only son in his family. He is currently a divorcee with two children.
According to Forbes, Lee ranks as the 40th most powerful person in the world, with a net worth estimated to be 7.5 billion U.S. dollars; making him the third richest man in South Korea.
Lee officially became Samsung Group’s president in 2009, after working at the company as the Vice president of strategic planning since 1991.
In 2013, Lee was made vice-chairman of Samsung Electronics, the division that produces smartphones, TVs, cameras, hard drives and the various.
Lee has been considered the sole heir of the Samsung group since his father suffered a heart attack in 2014.
On February 16, 2017, Lee was arrested and charged for his alleged role in a political and corporate scandal related to Korea’s then president, Park. Lee is currently behind bars.
Charges against Lee are bribery, embezzlement, hiding assets abroad, perjury and paying two non-profit foundations run by Choi Soon-sil, a friend of Ms. Park, in order to gain political support.
The favors included backing for a Samsung merger which helped Lee become the head of the conglomerate; a deal that needed support from the government.
However in court, Lee denies all these charges. He admitted to making donations but denied that he expected anything in return.
It was reported on August 7, 2017, that prosecutors demanded a twelve-year sentence for Lee.
On August 25, of 2017, after being found guilty of corruption, the convicted Samsung’s heir was sentenced to prison for five years.
Lee’s lawyers claimed they will appeal – but this probably will lead to an extremely difficult case of scenario – because even the president Park got impeached and is imprisoned. Her trials are still taking place.
In court, Lee described his knowledge of Samsung’s operations as limited and that he is still in the learning process.
J. Chung.
There are many Asian movies that have been on the top of the chart at Netflix Asian shows. Asian movies are full of drama and loved by the people worldwide. On the basis of different categories we have differentiated some of the movies and created a list of top 20 Asian movies made for Netflix Asian shows that you cannot afford to lose out on.
1. Red Cliff
The Red Cliff is one of the top 20 movies on Netflix it is an epic war film. The plot of the movie has been taken from the battle of Red Cliffs that took place in 208 A.D. It is said that 50% of the movie is based on actual events that took place during the war. Some part of the movie has been twisted to suit the audience. It will give you a complete feel of the entire war scene that actually took place years back.
2. Internal Affairs
The Internal Affairs is a movie about a cop and a gangster undergoing cover at the respective opposite places to know the truth. It is somewhat a copy of The Departed.
3. Tai Chi Master
Tai Chi master is yet another Chinese movie. It is also known as Twin Warriors. It is a story of two kids who grow up in a Shaolin Temple and learn martial arts. Due to undesirable conditions they always end up getting into trouble. Finally, they are thrown out of the temple to live their life on their own. This is a story of how they survive in the outer world and how they find their Final Destination.
4. Cemetery of Splendor
This is a story of a group of soldiers who are dealing with a very unusual disease that is sleeping illness. The entire plot is about how the doctors help the soldiers using different therapies to help them overcome the troubles. Through all the different therapies, Jinn get’s more evolved as each day passes and she becomes aware of the world that surrounds her.
5. The Beauty Inside
The beauty inside is a South Korean movie. The movie is quite interesting as the hero of the movie wakes up in a different body every day. He has to figure out the way to get back to his old body and to his girlfriend.
6. Jafar Panahi’s Taxi
It is a comedy docufiction movie where the travelers telling their opinions on life as the filmmaker drive through the streets of Iran. He wants to know the view of the people that will help him create a movie
7. The Housemaid
The Housemaid is a story about a man falling in love with his house maid. It is a love triangle that takes a very destructive shade as the wife knows the affair between the man and the housemaid but reveals nothing.
8. IP Man
IP Man is a movie based on the life of IP Man and it is his biographic movie. The whole story revolves around the episodes that took place in the life of IP man.
9. 13 Assassins
A group of Assassins is brought together to fight against Evil Lord. As the hunters make their way through a mountain and get lost. They find a person who they name as their leader and makes him the 13th assassin.
10. Old Boy
Old Boy is a mysterious thriller movie about a man who is kept captive in a hotel room for 15 years. The boy who is captive does not know his captor or his motivation. He keeps taking revenge and finally falls in love.
11. House of Flying Daggers
The House of Flying Daggers is a romantic movie. Flying Daggers is one of the rebel groups that was formed after the Tai dynasty. To catch the leader of the group a girl is arrested. But the Police captain helps that girl break out of the prison but things start getting difficult.
12. Train to Busan
Train to Busan is one of the most famous movies lately. It is a story about a man and his daughter trapped on a speeding train during a zombie attack.
13. Kagemusha
This is the story of a man who is a thief and imposters himself as a warlord so that his rivals stay off guard.
14. The Host
It is a story between the aliens and humans where the aliens take away the humans and erase their previous memory. It is how the set of humans stand strong against the aliens and push them back.
15. The Silenced
It is a horror movie that was released in 2015. It is a story about a girl who is given admission in to a boarding school, which has had a history of missing students. The girl tries to find out the reason of these missing students.
16. Rigor Mortis
It is a story about a man who has suicidal tendencies and who tries to commit suicide in a building that has supernatural activities in it.
17. Venus Talk
It is a story of three best friends who support each other during the different phases of a relationship.
18. Nobody Knows
This is the movie about the four kids who survive in Tokyo all alone. After being treated so badly and being abandoned by their mother they are left to learn from the world about the hardships of life.
19. Cross
Cross is a fantasy drama movie where a man hands down evils. When they accidentally come across one of the evilest immortal the hero of the movie, Mr. Cross has to play his final game to save the world.
20. The Look of Silence
The Look of Silence is a documentary. This is a story of a man who is an optician confronting another man about the killing he witnessed to one of his brothers.
—-A. Licia
Previously known as Rocket Diary, We Are The Night is a South Korean all-male band who reformed themselves in 2012. To emphasize their transition from rock music to electronic pop, or EP, for short, the group traded in the use of their electronic guitars and crash cymbals for lighter equipment, like an IMac computer, for example, in one of their performances, and synthesizers. With the release of their single, Tiramisu Cake, the band re-introduced themselves to their fans.
Composed of 5 members, they are: Chong Won Joong (Guitar/Chorus), Kim Bo Ram (Drum), Ham Phillip (Synthesizer/Chorus), Ham Byung Sun (Vocal) and Hwang Seong Su (Bass/Synthesizer). Originally making up Rocket Diary in 2005, the members knew each other way back in high school. They decided to disband in 2009 in order to comply with South Korea’s mandatory service for the army. To the amazement of their fans, they came back as We Are The Night, showcasing music fit for the changing times.
The group has received a mix of reviews, both positive and negative. For those waiting to hear again their previous inclination to high energy-infused music, surprise came due to the appearance of some of the group’s more paced songs in their album. Entitled, Star, Fire, Night and Such Things, it was released in October 2015. However, the group is not one to disappoint entirely. Being known as a multi-producer band, they not only make their own music, they also create their own music videos. Their single, Tiramisu Cake, even came with a social media-referencing video. From an interview by blogger SumGyeoJin Gem, the band members explained that Won Joong and Byung Sun are in charge of making the music videos while Seong Su does the recording and mixing.
While being compared to other bands who have joined a genre employing the use of synthesizers and electronic pop, We Are The Night has managed to remain distinct with their own music style. With music alluding to emotions produced by the night-time and even nature, their music videos have also been created artistically and visually, presenting various fitting locations and elaborate lighting. Drawing from their own personal experiences, like their travel to Jeju Island or eating cakes, they are able to make music which people can relate to.
Based in Seoul, the band has performed in famous local festivals – SoundHolic Festival Exit, Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival, and Greenplugged Seoul Festival – to name a few. They joined a UK tour in London and Liverpool in May 2016 right after the release of another single, Dial. Much like the evolution of technology today, this band was able to recreate itself very timely and was successful at it.
The Philippines is a country in South East Asia. Historically called the Pearl of the Orient, the country has a rich culture that resulted from a fusion of many different foreign influences.
Seven thousand and a hundred islands compose the Philippines. With these many islands to explore, travel would definitely be at the top of the list of “Fun Things to Do in the Philippines.” Beaches abound in all the three major geographic divisions of the country, namely Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. Some of the most famous ones being El Nido in Luzon, Boracay in Visayas, and Siargao in Mindanao.
El Nido
Apart from the many beaches one can swim in, the Philippines also boast of rare tourist spots. To name a few, let’s start with Mayon Volcano. Located in the Bicol Province of Luzon, it is famous for being able to maintain its “perfect cone” shape despite volcanic eruptions. Another volcano, fondly described as the “volcano on an island within a lake within an island”, Taal Volcano is the smallest active volcano in the world. The Banaue Rice Terraces, ranked 19 among the 100 Wonders of the World, is also found in Luzon.
Mayon Volcano
Traveling a lot can make one definitely hungry, so going on a food trip to complement one’s travels is a must for better immersion into the Filipino, or Pinoy culture. Adobo is the viand most famously associated with Filipinos. Each region has even come up with varying versions of it. Basically, it is any meat, but mostly pork and chicken, cooked slowly with vinegar, soy sauce and lots of garlic. One has never been truly to the Philippines if one has not tasted Adobo. Drawing from Spanish, American, Chinese and Malayan influences, the Filipino food best represents this country’s culture that has been enriched by its past conquerors.
Chicken Adobo
Filipinos are great and talented musicians. So much so that another fun thing to do in the Philippines would be is to attend a live concert, watch a musical play, or even be part of a live audience in one of its afternoon primetime shows. Attending a fiesta during the summer season, typically in the month of May, could also be a unique alternative. The Filipinos, mostly belonging to the Catholic Religion, celebrate fiestas, which are colorful events with various activities aimed at honoring saints or the Blessed Virgin Mary, the mother of God. In fiestas, processions take place where the patron saint of a particular locality is paraded, usually ending in a celebration of Mass inside a church. Talent shows for singing and dancing are mainstays of fiestas. It is here where some of the country’s famous talents got a break to start their careers. Carnivals and flea markets are also known to sprout up, allowing the common folk a breather from their daily routines. Videoke machines are a hit business during these times because the Filipinos love for singing will always be part of any celebration.
Festival Mass
Travel. Eat. Participate. – Three fun things one can do in the many islands of the Philippines.
—-Im Malixi
Hwang Chi Yeul is a South Korean singer who was born in 1982, the third of December in Gumi, North Gyeongsang province of South Korea. In his teenage years Hwang Chi Yeul was obsessed with dance especially B-boying; however, he always wanted to be a singer. In the ninth month of 2004, he moved to Seoul where he started singing. He did spend his twenties as a part time worker and a teacher in music schools where he taught vocals and idol bands like Hello Venus and Infinite among others.
Hwang Chi Yeul competed in the fourth season of “I Am A Singer” where he was number three in the finals which were held in China. He took on the challenge to capture the audience with a combination of Korean and Chinese songs. Hwang Chi Yeul went ahead to showcase his other talents such as dancing and b-boying all through his performance on the stage. His introduction was resonating and motivating to upcoming artists, he explained how he taught vocals as his way of making ends meet and the tough patch he went through which almost made him give up. He, however, did let go of his dream of becoming a singer yet he believed someday he would sing before many people. The fourth season of “I Am A Singer” was among the platforms which gave him the opportunity to sing before many people (Cheung, 2017).
In 2007, Hwang Chi Yeul made his official debut where he released a single digital album named “Chi Yuel” and another full-length studio album named “Five Senses.” In March of 2015, he made an appearance in the song named, “I Can See Your Voice” on “Mnet” in Korea. His performance on the show was great and a big success, it became the turning point in his life, since that time, he started appearing on other shows on TV such as “Knowing Bros,” “Happy Together” and “Radio Star” among others. He also became an advertising model, and he actively participated in brand ambassador positions. Among the best performances of Hwang Chi Yeul include a Chinese version of BIGBANG‘s “Bang Bang Bang,” and Wang Lee Hom‘s “Change Me” among others.
Image of singer Hwang Chi-yeul performing on the fourth season of “I Am A Singer” in China.
The 33-year-old, Hwang Chi Yeul proved that age is just a number as he did not only show his sleek dance moves throughout the “GOKpop” Malaysia concert but also the cute and sexy side of him at his fan meeting on the 21st of January at Arena of Stars, Genting Highlands.
—-Beverly Wang
Aliife is the first French pop band that draws its identity from Asian pop which is characterized by dynamic sounds. Nonetheless, the band gathers influence from worldwide pop music as well. Regardless of the fact that Aliife might enjoy presenting their music of the South Korean origin, popular K-pop, or Japanese J-pop which has a more colorful flavor, the band’s inspiration is drawn from the jolly morning electro or R&B rhythms. The Aliife band has four members consisting of one girl named Dorelie, and three boys named Bkey, Kyyron and Murphy. The four members met in 2010 to cooperatively realize the project of Aliife; all the four members had passion in dance and music ever since they were young.
Kyyron, one of the band members whose real name is Etienne Kai Krill is originally from Ho Chi Minh in Vietnam. At the age of three, Kyyron arrived in France where he grew up, together with his childhood friends; he started rapping at age of twelve. In 2011, Kyyron was spotted by “NegusWorld,” he joined the group Aliife as a rapper and leader of the band. In 2012, he cooperatively worked with Bkey, Murphy and Dorelie to release “4Life.” Bkay’s hometown is Toulouse, among the people who inspire him musically include Chris Brown, Usher, Trey Songz, Neyo and Bruno Mars among others. Hong Kong is Murphy’s home town while Dorelie’s hometown is Reunion.
The first music video single released by Aliife was called “Peace & Love.’ This single had a cheesy message and melody which was so much influenced by Korean pop. The current success of the group is inspired by hard work, team work and collaboration. The group is very dedicated to the success of their music career. Aliife is not just a group; rather, it is a dream come true. This dream has been made concrete by four years of investment from the four young and talented artists. In 2016, the group had a real race with the release of its single named “TLM.” Some of the unique features of this single include its saturation with the K-pop universe while retaining its French musical identity.
—-Beverly Wang
Born with the name, Juan Carlos Ozuna Rosado, from Puerto Rico, Ozuna is a Reggaeton and Trap singer. The name Ozuna is a common Spanish surname, which this singer chose as his stage name. His launch to fame took place via Youtube with the music video, No Quiere Enamorarse Remix. Of Dominican descent, Ozuna was born on March 13, 1992 in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Signing his first recording contract in 2014, Ozuna has been in the music industry for quite some time. He has been writing songs since he was 12 years old. His first hit song, Si No Te Quiere (If He Doesn’t Love You), gained for him popularity across Latin America and was a hit on the radio. His very first album debuted much later in 2017, entitled Odisea and contains 16 tracks.
Reggaeton is a music genre with roots from Puerto Rico back in the 1990s, while Trap music is a sub-genre of dance music now slowly gaining popularity with origins from the South Americas. Trap music also dates back to the 1990s, and is an evolved form of Southern hip hop. Ozuna is a singer and songwriter who has become popular with this type of music. With a propensity for containing explicit sexual meaning, Ozuna’s lyrics, on the other hand, refrain from objectifying women as sex objects.
During the early part of 2016, Ozuna collaborated with other artists, DJ Luian, Mambo Kingz, De La Ghetto, Arcάngel and Anuel AA for the single, La Ocasion (The Occasion). His appearance for this single became a hit and reached top number 22 on the Hot Latin Songs chart. Thereafter, other released songs and remixes of Ozuna made it to the Billboard charts, the highest of which, Dile Que Tú Me Quieres (Tell Them That You Love Me), made it to number 13. The latter song is his most popular single to date.
In 2017, the single Te Vas (You Leave), part of his debut album, Odisea, reached 400 million views in YouTube. This song has become Ozuna’s most popular one on social media. With this list of songs that have reached fame and made Ozuna remarkably successful, the music industry has come to recognize this singer as one of the best Reggaeton artists of his generation.
He had continued numerous collaborations, as well. Apart from his stint with Daddy Yankee for No Quiere Enamorarse Remix, which made him famous, they had another partnership for La Rompe Corazones (The Heartbreaker). In terms of awards, Ozuna has received the recognition as Best Breakthrough Artist at the Premios Juventud (Youth Awards for Spanish-speaking celebrities) for 2017. Today, he is as a successful and popular artist across Latin America.
—-Im Malixi
SNUPER (which means “Higher than Super”) is a Korean boy band formed by Widmay Entertainment in the year of 2015, as the first pop group from the label.
The six members of SNUPER who are called Suhyun, Sang-il, Taewoong, Woosung, Sangho and Sebin made their officially debut on November 16, 2015 with their first single, “Shall We Dance.”
All the members are born and raised in Korea, except Taewoong who was born in Japan. He’s also worked as a child actor, prior to joining SNUPER.
Since debut, the group enjoyed a moderate success as a band; they were especially well charted in Japan by reaching No. 2 on the Oricon daily chart.
SNUPER is also well-known for their exclusive events and fan meetings. Their fan club is named Swing, and it is evident from this interview that the members really care for their fans.
We would like to thank the boys for the great interview and wish them all the luck with their career.
Would you all like to introduce yourselves, please?
Taewoong: This is Taewoong and I am the leader of the group.
Sang-il: Hello, my name is Sang-il and I am the vocalist of SNUPER.
Suhyun: Hello! I am the oldest member of the group and a vocalist.
Woosung: This is Woosung, the jewel of SNUPER! I love you all!
Sangho: My name is Sangho and I’m a vocalist in SNUPER.
Sebin: Hello! I am the rapper of this group. I was born in 1996 and my full name is Jang Sebin.
How was each of you become a member of SNUPER?
Taewoong: I started off as a child actor and when I watched other idol groups perform and wanted to be one myself.
Sang-il: I was working at a restaurant and luckily I was casted on the spot.
Suhyun: I always enjoyed performing in front of the family and naturally wanted to become a singer.
Woosung: I was introduced into the group by Taewoong.
Sangho: I started dancing since I was in High school and enjoyed being on stage that got me dreaming of doing it professionally.
Sebin: I decided that I wanted to pursue this career because I loved to sing and perform on stage.
Do you have any specialties or special interests in anything?
Taewoong: My specialty is speaking Japanese and rap making. My hobbies are traveling and acting.
Sang-il: I love to sing, but I also love drawing cars since I wanted to be a designer.
Suhyun: Composing was always an interest that I’ve had and I’ve also done DJing since I was young so interest in music has come naturally for me I think.
Woosung: My specialty is speaking. And my interests these days are Overwatch, Pocket monster and bowling.
Sangho: Nowadays, I like to look up and listen to songs. Since the weather is cooled down, I tend to listed to calmer songs.
Sebin: I am into badminton and tennis. My specialty is Taekwondo.
Which SNUPER song is your favorite?
Taewoong: I think it has to be “Shall We Dance” which was our first single.
Sang-il: There is song called, “Polaroid” and I have special affection for it because I led the song.
Suhyun: Our current single, Yuseong is my favorite.
Woosung: “Angel” is a great song that boosts my energy.
Sangho: ”Shall We Dance” is my favorite because since it’s our single I think I have a special affection for the track.
Sebin: For me, “Shall We Dance” is my favorite as well. If it wasn’t for that song, we wouldn’t be where we are today. So that track is precious for us.
Who do you respect and admire the most?
Taewoong: I respect Bang Hyung-sik sunbaenim, because I admire how he does music, acting and everything else so well.
Sang-il: I would say I respect my mother the most.
Suhyun: I respect both of my parents.
Woosung: My parents are the ones I admire, because they raised me so I could come this far.
Sangho: Taemin Sunbaenim from SHINee.
Do you have any color preference?
Taewoong: I don’t really have any colors that I dislike particularly but I like white, black and red.
Suhyun: I like colors blue and black. I dislike yellow.
Woosung: I like red, black and white. I don’t have colors that I hate.
Sangho: I like red. I don’t have color I hate but green is probably the color that I least find it attractive.
Sebin: I don’t have any colors I don’t like. Orange, mint and red are the colors I like.
Tell us what you like and don’t like to eat or drink.
Taewoong: I like meat and sushi.
Sang-il: I like to eat gopchang, and I dislike rice with peas.
Suhyun: I like to eat burgers, pizza and chicken. I dislike sundae, seonji and sujeong-gwa.
Sangho: I like tteok-bbokki, pasta and chicken. I don’t like to eat paprika.
Sebin: I like any type of food except burdock.
Have you had time to go to the cinemas lately? Have you read any interesting books or been to a musical that you’d recommend?
Taewoong: “Josee, The Tiger and The Fish” is a movie that I watched recently. It featured the unique side of Japan and the story concerning love was impressive.
I recently read a book that can be translated as “A Book Is An Axe.” I learned that Humanities have a big impact on creativity, and decided that I should read more books on Humanities.
And I wasn’t able to see this musical recently, but I am a big fan of the musical Lion King. With the African prairie as the stage, the artsy effects were the best for a great musical.
Suhyun: I love to go to the cinemas to watch great movies. But my all-time favorite movie is “Begin Again.” Please watch it when you have the time. The music and everything is fabulous.
Woosung: The book I read is, “Visual Intelligence” by Amy E. Herman. It’s based on people’s perception. I think it would be very helpful for its readers. This book enabled me to look around my atmosphere rather than to just move forward.
Sangho: I watched “My Annoying Brother” on the plane. It features actor Jo Jeong-suk and D.O. and it was very entertaining.
Sebin: I read a book called, “Murder Case Without The Criminal” by Higashino Geigo. It’s a mystery novel which is extremely captivating.
Please recommend us a song that you like and or listen to frequently.
Taewoong: Mac Miller’s “Dang!” You’ll be able to start the day in a good mood if you listen to it.
Sang-il: Rain’s “Bad Guy” is a great performance song.
Suhyun: Childish Gambino’s “Sober” would be the song that’s been my favorite for a long time.
Woosung: I would recommend you to listen to Yoon Jongshin’s “Do You Like It” because it expresses the weaker side of the males very well.
Sangho: Park Won – “All Of My Life.”
Sebin: Justin Bieber’s “Sorry.”
Do you have any habits that you want to get rid of?
Taewoong: Sometimes, I can’t organize my sentences when I speak; so I want to be able to reduce unnecessary words that come up.
Sang-il: I have a habit of opening my mouth too wide when I sing, so I want to fix that.
Suhyun: I am always grateful to my parents, but I tend to speak to them coldly sometimes. I think I need to learn how to speak to them more warmly in the future.
Woosung: I don’t have any habits.
Sangho: I want to fix the habit of getting up late in the mornings.
Sebin: I want to change the way I get tired out every time I feel tense or nervous.
Do you have episodes that you had to go through that were difficult or funny?
Taewoong: When I was rapping a bit of pollen got into my mouth. Fortunately, I was able to keep rapping but the taste of the pollen was just too much.
Sang-il: When we were promoting the single, “Back-Hug,” I was suffering from a cold that lasted about two months. I really went through a hard time.
Suhyun: One time we were performing, my inner piece fell out and it practically got wrapped around my neck. I was relieved because the camera didn’t catch it.
Woosung: During a performance, I got very nervous when pollen got into my mouth. The camera had caught it and it went on air.
Sangho: I usually only wear one piece of the inner ears; one in one ear and the other which I put behind my shoulder. One time, I was performing and I forgot about putting one ear piece over my shoulder. It got twisted around my neck and then over my head so I couldn’t see very well. Luckily, it was Taewoong’s part to rap so I turned around and got myself fixed. Thankfully, the incident wasn’t seen on air.
Where would you most want to perform?
Taewoong: We would perform anywhere we are asked to but I would especially like to perform in the States.
Sang-il: We want to perform in New York.
Suhyun: The SNUPER members want to perform anywhere that our fans want us to perform.
Woosung: New York, Washington and L.A for the American Dream!
Sangho: If given the chance, we would like to perform in all countries to promote ourselves.
Sebin: America, Malaysia, Dubai and China.
What are your plans and hopes for the future? Could you leave a message for your fans as well? Thank you very much for the interview.
Taewoong: Half a year has already gone past so quickly. I would like to wish the members and our fan club the best time this year. Love you, Swing!
Sang-il: We will work hard to make this year a very meaningful one.
Suhyun: We’ve been working hard non-stop since our debut and we are in hope that more people will notice us as a group. We also thank our fan club for their support and we will work to do you proud. Love you!
Woosung: We want to become a group that is loved all over the world. I would like to be with our members forever!
Sangho: Our goal is to promote ourselves to those who do not know us yet and to be able to mature as artists. There isn’t much left of 2017 now, I hope that the members of SNUPER, our family and our fan club Swing would end the year well without any difficulties. Thanks for always being there, friends!!! Let’s stay in love forever~
Sebin: I want to spend the last days of 2017 with the SNUPER members and Swing!!! We love our fans!!!!! Heart and kisses…
—- J.Chung.
GBoySWAG, also known as DJ Goo Goo, is a Taiwanese artist. A former member of bands before launching his solo career in 2016, he depicts the Taiwanese electronic pop-music. Aside from being a drummer to his former bands, Da Bones, 88balaz, he was most popularly known for being the DJ of Magic Power, a band whose other members included Gaga, Tingting, LeiBao, Kaikai, and AXiang. Magic Power was known for showcasing music that are upbeat and dance-worthy. Announcing the band’s break from the music industry back in 2016, allowed GBoySWAG to try a solo career with his first album, Make It Real.
Born on April 28, 1984, his real name is Lu Gouwei, which translated in English is “Grover”, and has the nickname, “Bulging”. He was born in Taipei, Republic of China. He speaks Mandarin, English and Japanese, and has a Major in Mathematics from Fu Jen Catholic University. Being able to play quite a number of music instruments, such as drums, piano, guitar and, of course, DJ turntables, he also does vocals, raps and dances.
His music and vocals have been described by Taiwan Beats, an online platform promoting Taiwan pop music, as having achieved a “right balance between art and business of the music industry”. Venturing solo, GBoySwag was able to create more natural grooves for his song, but chose to remain upbeat in order to keep to music that can be danced to. He, however, aimed for a less band-sounding type of music. Through continued collaboration with other artists, like Dizparity, who also come from an electronic music production genre, GBoySwag was able to boost his music into a more modern and fashionable way. In-keeping with the title of his first solo album, he did “make it real”.
GBoySwag had 4 albums with his former band, Magic Power, the first of which was launched in December 2009, entitled Magic Power. Presently, he has 1 solo album, Make it Real, with its launching single, Uh-Huh, a simple reply made commonly by the young generation, which GBoySwag gave further meaning thru his lyrics and music video.
He has appeared in numerous small and medium-sized concerts to large-scale concerts, especially with the band Magic Power. He was the voice-over for “Robin”/Dick Grayson, in Taiwan’s release of the movie, Lego Batman Movie, in February 2017. To date, he has received a number of awards, including the Excellent Newcomer Award from the 16th Singapore Golden Melody Awards in 2010, the Most Popular New Artist award from Hito Music Awards, and the Best Electronic Music Newcomer from MTV Global Chinese Music Festival, both in 2017.
—-lm Malixi
The Year of the Ox is a rap duo which has Korean roots; it is made up of two hip hop artists whose origin is Virginia, U.S.A; these artists are Lyricks and JL. Both John Lee whose stage name is ‘JL’ and Rick Lee whose stage name is ‘Lyricks’ are Korean-American rappers. These two artists personify the Ox traits which include strong observance of traditions, strength, and family loyalty. Lyricks and JL are popular for their diligence, dependability, strength and determination. These essential traits emanate from their music sound, which combines hardcore with an even flow of lyrics. Lyricks and JL remained committed to their passion in music for more than ten years before ultimately resolving to anything which resembles a break. Their performance style confirms their ability to deliver in music; they glide over beats in an exact emcee style, equipped with killer flows and delivery that is crisp and a captivating manner of storytelling. Coming from the 90’s The Year Of The OX maintained the boom-bap torch alive.
The Year of The OX group prides itself in its verses which are well thought out and often summarize empowerment messages for people in every level of life. This sheds light on the struggles that an average individual goes through. Among the songs released by Lyricks and JL include the “Seven Rings” which was released in 2016 and drew millions of views on YouTube. “Stampede” and ‘Ep Vox’ also succeeded remarkably in the online platform, this success has earned the group a loyal and increasing group of followers in the underground rap world. Notably, Year Of The Ox song “Jet Lag” has been selected as one of the songs to be included in the “NBA LIVE 18” videogame which is set to tip off in September. The group brings passion to their live shows; this proudly represents the values of the hard-working rappers. Despite the fact that Lyricks and JL demonstrate the characteristics of strength and family loyalty, research indicates that they, “the Ox” can get stubborn with their ideals and they are quick to snap on any person who might intrude upon tradition. According to the two rappers, it takes so much courage and determination to pursue one’s passion, they therefore advise that the truly creative innovators who leave their mark on the world are those with the confidence to stray from the pack and break out of the box that society tries to cram them in.
The first image below shows onstage performance during the ‘Korean Music Festival’ at Central Park on the 26th of June 2017.
Tem5ive, a shortened name for Five System, is an all-Filipina K-pop group. Though all of the girls are Filipinos and originate from the Philippines, they have decided to break into the Korean music industry and internationally. The group is made up of 5 girls, who made their career debut in November 2016. Sarah, Rayna, Robie, Jyrrah and Katy make up Tem5ive. The group debuted with their music video, “Miracle.”
Let’s get to know the members of the group, beginning with their team leader, Sarah. She is a 24-year old graduate of Bachelor of Science in Hotel and Restaurant Manager. Her musical skills include singing, dancing and playing the drums. She is from Quezon City, Philippines.
Robbie, who is the main rapper and visual artist of the team, comes from Taguig City, Philippines. She is also 24 years old. Aside from rapping, she sings and dances. She graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Nursing.
The maknae, defined as youngest, of the group is Jyrrah. Despite being the youngest at 22 years old, she is the lead vocal of Tem5ive. A graduate of Bachelor of Science in Tourism Management, Jyrrah also plays the guitar.
Katy, the dancing ace and also a rapper for the group, loves to cook. She has been the designated chef for the group. She is 25 years old and the eldest among the five.
Lastly, there is Rayna, another vocal for the group. Also 24 years old, she stands tall at 5 feet, 6 inches, similar to their team leader, Sarah. Her motto is: “If you can dream it, you can do it.”
“Touching People’s Heart Emotionally and Mentally” is the group’s offered meaning for their name, Tem5ive. They also declared through their YouTube channel that their aim is to be the “happy virus”. The members, having been to Christian schools, can be seen as expressing their hope, faith and dreams in their website, which had reference to Bible verses.
After the launch of their music video, Miracle, the group has then worked at getting a stable fan base via many shows and fan meets in Korea. They hope to be recognized as a serious group that would standout like other girl-groups. They work at their own dance steps and own brand of music. “We just want to be true to ourselves… We don’t see our profession as work, but as a passion.”, as they have expressed in their website, www.tem5ive.com. The group is under JW Entertainment, and have yet to release their next single as of date.
—-lm Malixi
In 2003, Park Shin Hye stared in her first K-Drama titled “Stairway to Heaven” where she played the teen version of the lead roll, which catapulted her on to becoming a household name. Her first movie roll was a horror film “Evil Twin” in 2007, then “Cyrano Agency” in 2010, believed to be a slow starter, became her movie role that garnered her a “Most Popular Actress” nomination from Baeksang Arts Awards.
Although we do not know much, if anything about her off-screen life as she is a private person, Shin Hye truly blossomed with fans during her K-Drama roll with such actors as Lee Hong Gi lead singer with FTIsland and CNBlue’s Jung Yong-hwa in “You’re Beautiful” in 2009. Her acting skills were well received during this roll as she played two parts. “The Heirs” in 2013, “Pinocchio” in 2014 and “Doctors” in 2016 brought her to the forefront even more. And, if you know anything about her, the scripts keep coming, the latest being “Silent Witness”, a crime thriller movie with Choi Min Sik to be in theaters sometime this year. Being honored by the Prime Minister at the Korean Popular Culture Awards for her contribution to Hallyu along with many other awards have been a humbling experience.
Park Shin Hye does not feel that her singing voice is a strong, entertaining one, yet her fans seem to disagree as her OST singles such as “Story” for “The Heirs” soundtrack and “Love Is Like Snow” for “Pinocchio” are well received by the K-Drama viewers as well as her fans that attend her meet and greet tours.
Being a strong supporter of social issues, Park Shin Hye has been a long time Philanthropist and became the spokesperson for such agencies as Korea Food for the Hungry International’s Philanthropy Club in 2006 and enjoys working with other charities such as the non-profit “Good Friends Save Children”. In 2013, Shin Hye reached out her hands to help 1,000 children of Ghana by constructing a library, playground and additional needs center. The facility is named Shin Hye Center. But, it does not stop there as she is now developing a second “Shin Hye Center” in the Philippines opening soon.
With her face on many a magazine cover, cosmetic and clothing brand model, Park Shin Hye will continue being an ambassador for Hallyu and for social awareness for many years to come.
—-Denise Coley
Photo credit: Ye Ryu
Lotte World Tower is a 123-floored skyscraper located in Seoul, Korea.
This tower opened to the public on April 3rd of 2017 and is the tallest building – not just in Asia – but out of all the OECD countries. It currently holds the title of being the 5th tallest building in the world.
It took approximately 13 years to plan the site, it gained final approval to start construction by the Korean government in 2010 and the frame assembly was observed at the construction site just a year later.
On March 17, 2016, prior to the final phase of the exterior construction, the roof structure was completed. The roof structures were constructed with steel that are 12 meters high which weighs 20 tons. The counterparts were made of metal panels and the structure itself is 120 meters high.
Approximately 3,000 tons of steel parts, a high-precision 64t tower crane GPS alignment systems and highly skilled technicians were used to construct the structure of the roof. The structure is engineered to endure earthquakes up to a magnitude of 9 under the Richter magnitude scale.
The Lotte World Tower has a shopping mall (floors 1–12), offices (14–38), residences (42–71), a luxury hotel (76–101), private office (105–114), and public access floors (117–123).
The tower celebrated its official opening with fireworks on the April 2nd of 2017.
J.Chung.
How Seo Taji and Boys changed the
World of Korean pop during the 90s
Seo Taiji and Boys (서태지와 아이들) is an extremely successful Korean pop/rock group, active from 1992 to 1996.
I prepared this article especially because this year would mark their 25th anniversary.
Seo Taiji and Boys are very much credited for changing the Korean pop music industry as they came across MIDI technology by incorporating rap, rock and techno into their music to create art and sounds that was never heard before.
Their first three albums sold over 1.6 million copies; the fourth album selling close to two million copies.
1992: Their debut
After the breakup of the heavy metal rock band, “Sinawe” in 1991, Seo Taiji formed the group “Seo Taiji and Boys” with Yang Hyun-suk and Lee Juno as dancers and back-up vocalists. Seo Taiji was in charge of the lead vocals and song writing, while the Yang and Lee took over the choreography.
The trio debuted on MBC’s talent show on April 11, 1992 with “Nan Arayo” (난 알아요, “I Know”) their self-titled debut album which was back then so addictive with its new jack swing beat, rap lyrics and catchy chorus, it quickly took over the Korean pop music scene like a whirlwind. One appearance on T.V basically changed their lives overnight.
Later in the year of 1992, Seo Taiji and Boys won their first Golden Disc Award for their debut single, “Nan Arayo.”
Retirement
Seo Taiji and Boys retired from Korea’s pop music scene in January 1996 during their golden era. Lee later stated that Seo Taiji made the decision to withdraw himself while recording their fourth album. The group splitting up caused a lot of havoc and grief for their fans, to say the least.
The compilation album, “Goodbye Best Album” was released the same year.
Seo Taiji moved to America soon after, while Lee Juno and Yang Hyun-suk established record labels straight after their retirement. Yang Hyun-suk was successful in making YG Entertainment, within a decade it has become one of the three biggest record companies in the country.
Seo Taiji returned to music two years later from America with a very successful solo album and held many gigs in Korea.
In 2014, Seo was asked about a possible reunion with the boys, he then revealed that the members had talked about it often.
He added, “If we get back together now, I worry we might disappoint, so I am not confident. I lack more and more confidence as I get older. I don’t think I’d be able to dance as fiercely as I had in the past.”
Random facts about Seo Taiji and boys
*Seo Taiji’s real name is Hyunchul Chung.
*Seo Taiji was an evident leader who wrote all the songs but is the youngest.
*Their first single “Nan Arayo” charted at the top for 17 weeks.
*Rolling Stone named it number 36 on its list of the 50 Greatest Boy Band Songs of All Time.
*Lee Juno is currently sentenced to jail for fraud and indecent assault.
* All four of Seo Taiji and Boys’ albums were included in Kyunghyang Shinmun’s Top 100 Pop Albums
*All three members are currently married with children.
– J.Chung.
France is probably the country in Europe which has the most K-pop fans. Last month, BTS was named the most popular K-Pop group in France.
La Monde reported that several French students missed their graduation test, the Baccalauréat, just to see the group.
We got in touch with Paris is our Seoul, which is a rapidly growing YouTube channel for French people which covers the diverse topic of Kpop.
Hope our readers will enjoy this interview and a big thank you goes to the crew at Paris is our Seoul!
*Could you introduce yourself and your website?
Paris is our Seoul is originally a YouTube channel created in September 2015 by a group of three friends sharing the same passion for South Korean’s culture.
Introducing the Korean world to the French and international community is what pushed us to create Paris is our Seoul.
The concept of our channel and website is to make people discover South Korean’s culture through music, fashion, cinema, food and more!
*What made you become interested in the topic you cover and how did you start your website?
At the beginning, doing videos was just us having fun. We wanted to show to people who don’t have any bases in Asian culture. We uploaded videos on YouTube and received great response. People liked the fact that the reactions we film are spontaneous and not planned.
*What makes Paris is our Seoul unique from other pages or websites?
Being versatile is our great point. People tend to like our videos because we don’t film only reactions. We also do vlogs, interviews, events that are happening in Paris or Korea, collaborations with other YouTubers and a lot more! We try to cover all of Korean’s culture and French’s culture. We sub our videos in English which seems to be appreciated by our foreign subscribers and also try to be fun when we can ahah!
*What do you like most about Asian culture?
Sarah: I love all cultures but Asian culture is very beautiful. Asian history is interesting. They seem to be really honorable and proud people.
Inaya: The thing I like the most about Asian culture is that it’s unique and kind of secretive. You might think it’s weird at the first sight, but actually when you finally see its real beauty and understand it, that’s when you become obsessed with it! And you can’t get out!
Julia: I’ve always been fascinated by the Asian culture in general. I really like Asian food mostly Korean dishes. Currently I enjoy listening to Kpop and Korean Hip Hop and also watching Korean dramas. But I first discovered the Asian culture via Manga like 7 years ago.
*Who are your favorite celebrities?
Sarah: My favorite celebrity is SHINee which is a Kpop group of 5 boys. They are a source of inspiration for me and I became more comfortable with Korean language and culture by watching the shows they are in. They are so close to each other, very talented and fashionable. They also can dance, sing, act, and they are particularly nice. They are such an inspiration for me.
Inaya: The one group who caught my heart since 2014 is BTS. Even now I’m living the fangirl life at almost 21 years old because of them! I like everything about them, even their flaws ahah! Can’t describe what or why, it’s just indescribable. The heart wants what it wants.
Julia: For the solo artists, my favorites are Zico, Dean and the rapper Bewhy.
But my favorite groups are GOT7 for their close relationship with each other and their funny side which makes them enjoyable to watch and BTS, for their amazing songs and performances.
*Which Asian country do you like to travel to the most?
Sarah: I like the Korean culture more and so I like to travel there. I discover Korea by watching dramas. I found this country special, and Korea is for me a unique place. The juxtaposition between the modern and the traditional is striking.
Inaya: I’ve only been to Korea and we plan to go back this year too. It’s another world. It has its imperfection like every country but I can’t describe how peaceful I felt when I was there. I think it’s Asia’s magic and I wanna feel this again. Otherwise, I really wanna try all of Japan, Singapore… Actually I want to visit all of Asia because I want to see every hidden secret place of this continent.
Julia: I think the Asian country that I would like to visit the most is Japan because of their eccentric and original culture and their fashion style sometime out of the ordinary.
Like in South Korea their tradition blends perfectly with modernity and new technologies in their daily lives.
*How do you research news to post about?
When some events are announced in Europe or Paris, we just write articles and film videos about it since we know it will get interest from our followers and subscribers. We are also in contact with the Korean Cultural Center which sends us invitations to some events, so we cover them.
*What are your goals for this year?
We want to offer good work to our readers and subscribers, to make our channel grow and to take more initiatives for this goal to fulfill. Since we are very passionate about it, we want to make others feel it through the videos and articles that we do. We also want to be closer with all people who follow our adventures, the old and hopefully new ones.
Thank you for the interview.
— J. Chung
As my plane took off from LAX, I felt a wave of emotions. What was I thinking? Did I just make the biggest mistake of my life? I had just quit my job and sold most of my possessions. I was now heading to the other side of the world. Next stop: Seoul, South Korea.
I had no experience as a teacher. My only qualification was a shiny visa sticker in my passport that claimed I was an “English Teacher”. After all, English was my mother tongue. How hard could it be to teach others about it? Obviously Korean Immigration had faith in me.
Fast forward a week after arriving in Seoul, and I now have the title ‘Teacher’ after my first name (Paul Teacher, though it sounds more like ‘Poor Teachu’). I’m teaching at a hagwon; a for-profit academy that Korean students are shuttled to after their public school classes. Hagwons are ferociously competitive. The owners are often money hungry people who have no knowledge of education or how to run a business. Their main priority is keeping their main consumer happy: the Korean mother. If she’s not happy, she will simply send her child to one of the other ubiquitous hagwons. My main priority as a teacher was to keep the kids happy, so their mom was satisfied.
My first day, I was placed in front of a classroom with 20 elementary school students. They had been assigned English names by their former instructor. Attendance went something like: “Tiger? Obama? Where is Peter Pan today? Sick? Ok. Is Britney Spears here today?”)
I had no clue how to run a class. I watched the minute hand on the clock tick away, patiently waiting for the class to be over. The first few days were filled with questions regarding my life as a foreigner. The kids seemed especially intrigued by my arm hair. They would use any excuse they could find to touch it. This became especially troublesome the day “fur” was a vocabulary word in class.
Over the coming weeks, I began to find my groove. Students started to respond to the lessons. I put extra effort into making engaging lesson plans. I created a ton of visual aids. I researched early childhood education, as well as teaching English as a Foreign Language. I quickly became a favorite of students, the administration, and most importantly: the Korean mothers. I was showered with praise and gifts. The school found themselves obtaining new students.
My white face was plastered on flyers all over the neighborhood. I realized that hagwons tend to love young, white teachers. Not only are they more naïve to the dealings of the system, but the mothers love to show that their child is taught by a ‘real American’. If you’re blonde hair and blue eyed, you will be revered by hagwon owners. I quickly realized that I wasn’t really a teacher. I was more of a marketing tool. A foreign mascot, if you may.
Teaching Korean kids became something I enjoyed. The students were bright, inquisitive, and diligent. However, it was clear that they were overworked. By the time they came to my class, some of these kids had been studying for 12 hours already (public school, and then various other hagwons including math, piano, and Tae Kwon Do). I needed to balance actually teaching them something, and entertaining them so they would stay awake.
The 12 months that I was a teacher at a hagwon were some of the most challenging, yet also rewarding, days of my life. I made great friends there, as well as priceless memories. However, dealing with shady hagwon owners ultimately burned me when the owner skipped town, leaving the entire staff without paychecks. I’m personally still owed about $5000. This isn’t uncommon in Korea, but stories like this are becoming less common.
Eight years later, I’m still in Korea. I’m now a lead instructor and Program Coordinator at a small college in downtown Seoul. I have improved my credentials, and no longer worry about Korean mothers, or dishonest hagwon owners. I often wonder what happened to those young kids I taught way back when: Tiger, Obama, and Britney Spears. They are probably entering university soon. Perhaps I will cross paths with them again, as they start their education to become lawyers, doctors, or even English majors. We can share a laugh as we reminisce about the time we shared a hagwon classroom and sang the alphabet song.
—-Paul Henderson