KyuSaeng FM in Seoul

Where to start! Well I guess I will start with getting the tickets. The first night, my co-worker came over to help me get them since it is near impossible for foreigners to buy anything online in Korea! Unfortunately she got here 30 minutes too late! I cried that whole night and the whole next day! The next Monday they had round two for the second fanmeeting. I called at 5:59p.m. knowing the tickets went on sale at 6:00pm. I waited for ten minutes then the guy came on the phone and said that the english line was busy-to call back in ten minutes-I said no-I missed getting tickets last time because they sold out before I could get them. I told him he speaks english well enough so he should help me! It just so happened at that time my hair dresser walked up to my school to see me. Usually by this time-I am gone AND he never comes by to see me. As soon as I saw him-I handed him the phone and said "here you are Korean-you talk to this guy and get me these tickets!" I need to add that this is more than just my hairdresser-him and his wife are also very good friends of mine. He got the tickets then gave me a hug and left. That weekend-MinnieMe and I made our weekly trip to Jaksal (leaders chicken place) to eat. On our way home, we decided to make Christmas presents for all the guys that work at Jaksal and the girls that work at Royal Avenue (including JungMin, Hyun Joong, and of course I had to make one for YoungSaeng!) We spent each night sewing and preparing stockings-it was so much fun!





Fast forwaard to FM weekend!
MinnieMe and I went to Seoul as soon as I finished work. I get to the bus station and she already had our tickets and a snack for me since I hadnt eaten all day! We finally get to Seoul and have to wait for 30 in line in the cold for a taxi. We get to our hotel with no problems , finishing preparing the stockings for jaksal and go to dinner to give the stockings to the guys there. Before we got there i called the boss and told him we were coming. When we arrived, he was outside waiting for us and already had a table set. We ate for a little while and gave them their gifts but left early because their were some men next to us smoking (YUCK!) and it was blowing into our faces. So we took the rest back to the hotel



The next morning we got up and took the 15 minute taxi ride to Royal Avenue. We got there 15 minutes after they opened. I felt so bad for my friend that works there because the entire store was flooded. Apparently some time in the night the coffee machine hose busted and she was working by herself. I offered to help her mop it up but the other employees were coming in to help. We stayed there for about 1 1/2 hrs, then lunch and off to see my man!!!! It took a stressful 45 minute subway ride then another 10 minute taxi ride to get to the university for the FM. The taxi driver had no idea where it was! We finally get there and then have to figure out how to get to the top of the mountain where the FM was being held. We asked some students and they took us up the esculator to heaven! Literally-it stopped at the top of a mountain! Then Finally I saw the sign (on the ground with an arrow). We get to the ticket booth, i give them my information and then they told me they dont have any tickets for me! I was so stressed at this point I yelled "What, WHERE THE HELL ARE MY TICKETS????" MinnieMe was so embarrassed she just walked away! We finally line up and 5 minutes later go into the hall.

The fanmeeting!

All the stress of the weekend disappeared the moment I saw YoungSaeng walk out on stage! They had a question and answer session which i could not understand a word of because it was all in korean-but i didnt care as long as i could see YoungSaengs beautiful smile and hear his gentle voice. He then sung "Im sorry I love you" followed by Kyu's "Never Let You Go". OMG, Kyu came out of his shell and got downright sexy! I was shocked! Then they played rock, paper, scissors and YS won so he got to choose to make a sandwhich or kimbap. He chose to make a sandwhich and i think he called it a well being sandwich but it was anything but because he put alot of bread and mayo on there! Kyu made kimbap and cut it and carefully put it in a bowl. Then they drew three tickets for fans to come up and try the food the guys made. There was a girl from Korea, a girl from the phillippines, and an older woman from Japan. They all said that YS sandwich was better, so he got to make a special drink for Kyu. They brought a table out with several drinks on it and YS got to mix them for Kyu. First he smelled each one to see what it was. When he got to a light yellow liquid-he couldnt figure out the smell so he drank some! He made the most hilarious/adorable face because it was straight lemon juice. After the drinks they talked some more and showed a video of their vacation with Steven Lee. It was so cute-even though there were alot more cuts and pics of KyuJong than there were of YoungSaeng :(. Then the best part!!!!! The room went dark and Young Saeng came up through the stage wearing a shiny silver shirt and tight black pants singing Rains song love story. He came down the stairs, started dancing with the microphone and shyly tore off the silver shirt. He then put the top layer of his shirt behind his neck, lifted the bottom layer slightly to show a little of his tummy and rolled his hips. After seeing this, I was near heart-failure and MinnieMe was next to me doing cat calls since I didnt have the breath or energy to do it myself! As was the case earlier, Kyu came up thru the audience after YS, singing "WussUp!"
He finished then YS and the MC sat down to talk a little while-saying that Kyu was taking a shower-which made the audience go wild at the thought! Then Kyu came out and they talked about YS playing baseball and Kyu going to Lotte World-then they showed a video of it. Next was another drawing for gifts from the guys. A girl 2 seats in front of me was chosen-I was so sad but they did get a good shot of my sign I made for YoungSaeng:


They then showed another video of all five guys together-at which point KyuJong Seemed to become very emotional. Then YS/KJ sung Wings of The World together as a duet. It just didnt seem right that it wasnt all five singing it tho! Then it was over! Now time to shop! Unfortunately I didnt have any money so I settled for a KyuSaeng calendar and a file folder:



We were also given a nice poster of them together, a KJ banner, YoungSaeng banners and flags. We also bought KyuJong, JungMin and YoungSaeng lightsticks. Now we had a dilema-do we go all the way back to our hotel in Jamsil, or do we take our friends offer to go to the 2nd FM at 7pm. We listened to voice of reason and went back to the hotel-only to find out the next day that JungMin was at the second one! MinnieMe was so angry with herself for convincing me not to go to the 2nd one~her punishment is that she now has to wait another month to see JungMin!

Time to say goodbye!
We took the long subway ride back to Jamsil and went back to the hotel to order a pizza for dinner. We were going to go sing, but we were both exhausted so we decided to stay in. As usual though-MinnieMe and I were the female version of Tom-N-Jerry and stayed up laughing and (play)fighting all night! We got up early the next day to head back to Cheonan.
We were both so sad-but more good things are coming soon: January=Park JungMin!



biggest disappointment: security was so strict where i was that i couldnt get any pics during the FM!

Kim Hyun Joong-MK finale

Ok, Ill skip the boring details like what time I got the train and what I ate and go straight to the fanmeeting. I will say God was with me and got me there safely with no inconveniences. When I finally found the DOM Art center-there were two ticket lines-one for Koreans and one for foreigners. I was nervous because the first email I got from Keyeast said that after I transfer the payment they would send a second email with confirmation and final details-but no second email. I was somewhat relieved after talking to others in line and found out they didn’t get a second email either. I was also nervous because I was the very last person in line. As I was waiting, I saw a short man wearing jeans, red t-shirt, white jacket and white hat walk by and immediately recognized him as the man who played KHJ’s father-but no one else noticed him. I finally got my ticket and got to my seat 10 minutes before the show started. Also while waiting, a Korean girl that I met went to the KHJ perfect booth and got me a gift set. It was a box with his picture on the outside, an electric candle, rice cake with his name stamped on it, bottle of water and cell phone cleaner. Once inside I found my seat-section 2 seat 139 (10 rows from the stage-slightly to the left of center stage.) The show started with the indy band from the show singing the theme song-then a female MC came out dressed in their high school uniform. She said some things in Korean then said hana, dul, set KIM HYUN JOONG!! He came up out of the stage singing “One More Time”. He looked really sharp dressed in a black suit but it was obvious that he was exhausted-he had really big bags under his eyes and he looked too thin. After he sung, him and the MC chatted a little then they brought some of the cast on-Im sorry I don’t know their real names but their characters were: BSJ’s father, EunJo, Oh HaNi’s 2 friends, Bong JoonGu (he was so hot—I was surprised!), and Oh HaNi!! They talked a while-from what I could tell they talked about what it was like working with KHJ. Then they brought out a cake to celebrate the finale of the show. Then they had a question/comment session with KHJ. They brought out a big box with questions/ comments from fans. He chose four to discuss then chose the fan he liked the best for a gift. One girl wrote that because of him, she lost 30 kg. This really touched him and he chose her. She got a signed white jogging suit, tennis shoes and a hug from him (so jealous!!! Must work harder to lose weight!! FIGHTING!!!!) Then he sung “Please be Nice To Me” I was a little disappointed because he didn’t take off his shirt-but he did walk in front of my section and lift his shirt to give us a sneak peek!!! After that the band did another song and then they had a 20 minute intermission. When the intermission finished we watched the MK finale-I’m so sad it’s over but like the way it ended! Then he came on stage again singing “Gomapta”. During the song they showed a photo slide show of him throughout the filming-mostly shots of him yawning and trying to find somewhere to sleep or eat really fast. Then it was over!!

My thoughts on recent SS501 news

Why I love SS501--Because of You
Because of you-I have new friends around the world
Because of you-I want to be healthy
Because of you-I followed my dream to learn piano
Because of you-I want to sing
Because of you-I want to dance
Because of you-I feel young
Because of you-I laugh and cry (at the same time!)
Because of you-I have developed new vocabulary like 4D!
Because of you-I don't want to leave Korea
Because of you-I faced my fears to be in crowded situations
Because of you-I realized how much I love photography
Because of you-I have gone all day without eating
Because of you-I started taking better care of my skin
Because of you-I became interested in fashion
Because of You-I have traveled to places I have never thought of going to
Because of you-I spend WAY too much money
Because of you-I have lost a lot of sleep because chatting with my new friends
Because of you-I have learned to use public transportation-in Seoul of all places!
Because of you-I have come to love Ukiss, Kara and Rainbow-groups that I would have not known otherwise
Because of you-I have learned about five of the most beautiful men on the face of this earth




This morning my faith in SS501 was shaken when I read the news that Kim Hyun Joong had left DSP to sign with KeyEast. My initial thoughts were-traitor, selfish ambition, and what was going to happen to my precious Young Saeng? Fortunately, I had to go to work immediately after reading the news so I have had all day to process the information. Here are my current thoughts:

1) DSP has done a terrible job of managing their careers over the past five years. Most of their events have been unorganized or changed at the last minute-not to mention all of the delayed mini album releases and the lack of a second full album after 5 years. So I feel this is a good move for him in order to grow as an entertainer. He has already proven that he can succeed as a solo artist through his many ad endorsements, BOF, and WGM. I would hope that all the guys would move to another agency that would help them develop to their fullest potential as artist. I am very thankful to Hyun Joong because thru him I got to know all five wonderful men that make up SS501!

2) SS501 as a group- the best scenerio possible now would be that all five guys sign with a different agency that would help them grow. They are older now and more mature and developed in their individual talents and interest. To continue this best scenerio-is that they would remain a group while with other agencies and persueing their individual talents. The second best would be that the other four would continue as a quartet and Young Saeng as the leader. This scenerio though is like a hand without a thumb-the hand can still function but would not be as productive as it would if all five fingers where present- and a stand in would not do the trick either because he would always be viewed as the unwanted step brother. While I don't think Hyun Joong is as talented as the others-he is the best looking and most recognizable so they need him to continue. Best scenerio three would be that they each have their own thriving careers. I would be happy with all three scenerios as long as all five are actively visible and remain loyal to TS and as approachable as they are now.

3) Individual careers-I think they can all do well with individual careers. I am not worried about Hyun Joong, Jung Min, or Hyung Joon as far as solo careers go--my biggest concern is for Young Saeng and Kyu Jong. Here is what I think would be good for each member as solo artist:
Hyun Joong-I think he should stick to modeling-that is where he shines the most. I feel he is an ok actor and singer, but an outstanding dancer and model. I know his first love is music-but maybe that is not the best direction for him. He would also be wonderful as the host of a variety talk show-with his 4D personality and off the wall comments-that would be one amazing show!

Young Saeng-obviously he is the most talented singer in the group. He should continue to grow and develop as a singer and songwriter. The songs he has written for SS501 (It's not love and Forever) have become great hits. Also he is very talented in doing voice imitations. I would love to see him have his own animation where he provides the voice for the main character. I would also love to see him writing, composing, and producing songs for other upcoming artist. The only thing holding YoungSaeng back is himself. His lack of self confidence and sh personality is his stumbling block. He has come so far in the past year to overcome both of these- and has proven that he is every bit as sexy, 4D, and capable as Hyun Joong. I would love to see him star in a drama also-I believe in him!

Kyu Jong--like Young Saeng, Kyu Jong has come along way in overcoming his shyness. He also gives Hyun Joong a run for the money in the best looking in the group category!! I feel that Kyu Jong is a much stronger actor than Hyun Joong and love to see him star in a serious role in a drama or big screen movie. I really enjoyed watching him in SETI-but that was child's play-I want to see him shine! Like Hyun Joong-I dont think a solo music career would be best for Kyu Jong. He needs to be seen more than heard! Please dont get me wrong-I think all five are excellent singers and dancers and together they have amazing harmony, but individually I think some of them would do better in other areas.

Jung Min-his first love has always been acting and while he is not bad-his new found passion for fashion would be much better for him. He has a good thing going with Royal Avenue. He is also one of the stronger performers with his singing and dancing. With his personality he would do well in any direction he takes.

Hyung Joon- as most of you know-Hyung Joon is my least favorite member-but I still love him none the less. I love listening to him on music high the few times I saw it on youtube and wish I had a radio so I could listen to it all the time (since I am usually up at 2AM anyway!) Like YoungSaeng-I think Hyung Joon is a wonderful song writer/composer. I have fallen in love with every song of his that I know he has written (Hey G, Is it Me-JungMin solo, Girls-I especially love the song Girls, I wish I could find the full version somewhere to buy!) He should continue with DJing and songwriting. I also really loved watching him in ProGamer. I think he would do well as a Variety Show host--maybe him and JungMin together or him and Hyun Joong together-that would be so cool! Better yet, all five of them have a show together--but we are talking about seperate careers. HyungJoon needs to have a seperate career- out of Hyun Joongs spotlight-otherwise he will always wonder what if.

My hope is that they will continue on as a group together forever like BonJovi, Aerosmith, Kiss, or the Rolling Stones. These groups have managed to have personal lives and careers while maintaining their idol status as a group for decades. As a person-I sometimes want to give up and not believe their words anymore because several of the rumors going around lately have come true (Destination delay and KHJ going solo), but as a true Triple S I choose to believe in them and trust that whatever decisions they make will be for the best. Their love and loyalty to their fans has been tested and proven time and time again-now it is time for us Triple S to show how strong we are and how much loyalty we have for them. Whether together or a part-they will always be Five forever as one in our hearts. Be strong Triple S-do not be moved by rumors!

Weekend-04172010

My friend came down Friday night from Daejeon-which is about 3 hrs. north of where I live. Yesterday (Saturday) we went on a bus tour of my city-Gyeongju (the first capital of Korea-also known as Korea's open-air museum!). It took us to a park where the original royal family used to go for celebrations, then to the cemetary/park where the royal family is burried. They have excavated the largest one and have turned it into a museum-you can go inside and see replica's of the items that were found in the tomb as well as a glass inclosed area showing were the body was and how it was layed out. Then we went to the oldest astronomical observatory in Asia and Gyeongju national forest. Next they took us to a traditional Korean restaurant/ buffet. The food was so good! After that, we took a 30 minute bus ride up into the mountains to Seokgurum grotto. This place had been forgotten for several hundreds of years until one day a mail man was walking along a path and saw a hole in the grass. He looked through the hole and found the grotto/temple in the mountain- Buddha and other statues fully intact. After spending an hour there, we took the 2.5 km drive halfway down the mountain to Bulguksa Temple-the oldest and most famous temple in Korea. The natural grounds of the place are amazing and the detail in the architecture is so elaborate that it is beyond description. Finally we took the bus back to the train station. We decided to go ahead and get Anoria's train ticket for Sunday--good idea! There was one ticket left! We then went to dinner (hot dogs! Real Korean-huh!) and went to the Rice Cake and Soju festival at the park across the street from my apartment. Apparently this is a big deal-and is the reason there were no more train tickets!! At the festival we watched the Miss GyeongSangpukdo (my province) Padgeant. We missed the first part where they had a few famous Kpop groups (they were girl groups that i didnt know) singing but got to see the traditional dress fashion show and crowning. I wish i thought to take pictures-the dresses and hair styles were so ellaborate and beautiful! In between the fashion show and crowning they had a group come out and play traditional instruments fused together with modern techno music accompanied by a group of extreme dancers (break dancing-to the most difficult degree). Then another group of dancers came out and performed traditional dancing--next the two groups had a dance off! It was so intense and exciting! Today (Sunday) we went to Silla Mellinium Park. This park showcases the different villages during the Sila Dynasty-which ruled Korea for a millenium. It is also where my 2 favorite Korean dramas were filmed: Boys Over Flowers and Queen SeonDuk. The real Queen SeonDuk was the first of three queens that ruled over Korea during the Silla Dynasty. She had many accomplishments during her reign, but her reign was also filled with violence and bloodshed. She died at the young age of 36. While there we got to see a demonstration on how the elite Silla army called the Hwarang trained. The show included sword fighting, martial arts, archery and trick horseback riding. At the park, there is are three different shows: The Secret of the Legendary Ark, Art of the Hwarang, and Tears of the Queen about a love affair between queen Seonduk and a baekjae general. They also have 10 different craft centers where you can make and buy things-which is where I made the mailbox and sign and necklace last time I went! It was fun and I am exhausted, but now I am going to go over to the festival again as I heard there is supposed to be a big Kpop concert at 730 with a lot of top name groups performing! Annyeong!!! (good bye!)

My friend came down Friday night from Daejeon-which is about 3 hrs. north of where I live. Yesterday (Saturday) we went on a bus tour of my city-Gyeongju (the first capital of Korea-also known as Korea's open-air museum!). It took us to a park where the original royal family used to go for celebrations, then to the cemetary/park where the royal family is burried. They have excavated the largest one and have turned it into a museum-you can go inside and see replica's of the items that were found in the tomb as well as a glass inclosed area showing were the body was and how it was layed out. Then we went to the oldest astronomical observatory in Asia and Gyeongju national forest. Next they took us to a traditional Korean restaurant/ buffet. The food was so good! After that, we took a 30 minute bus ride up into the mountains to Seokgurum grotto. This place had been forgotten for several hundreds of years until one day a mail man was walking along a path and saw a hole in the grass. He looked through the hole and found the grotto/temple in the mountain- Buddha and other statues fully intact. After spending an hour there, we took the 2.5 km drive halfway down the mountain to Bulguksa Temple-the oldest and most famous temple in Korea. The natural grounds of the place are amazing and the detail in the architecture is so elaborate that it is beyond description. Finally we took the bus back to the train station. We decided to go ahead and get Anoria's train ticket for Sunday--good idea! There was one ticket left! We then went to dinner (hot dogs! Real Korean-huh!) and went to the Rice Cake and Soju festival at the park across the street from my apartment. Apparently this is a big deal-and is the reason there were no more train tickets!! At the festival we watched the Miss GyeongSangpukdo (my province) Padgeant. We missed the first part where they had a few famous Kpop groups (they were girl groups that i didnt know) singing but got to see the traditional dress fashion show and crowning. I wish i thought to take pictures-the dresses and hair styles were so ellaborate and beautiful! In between the fashion show and crowning they had a group come out and play traditional instruments fused together with modern techno music accompanied by a group of extreme dancers (break dancing-to the most difficult degree). Then another group of dancers came out and performed traditional dancing--next the two groups had a dance off! It was so intense and exciting! Today (Sunday) we went to Silla Mellinium Park. This park showcases the different villages during the Sila Dynasty-which ruled Korea for a millenium. It is also where my 2 favorite Korean dramas were filmed: Boys Over Flowers and Queen SeonDuk. The real Queen SeonDuk was the first of three queens that ruled over Korea during the Silla Dynasty. She had many accomplishments during her reign, but her reign was also filled with violence and bloodshed. She died at the young age of 36. While there we got to see a demonstration on how the elite Silla army called the Hwarang trained. The show included sword fighting, martial arts, archery and trick horseback riding. At the park, there is are three different shows: The Secret of the Legendary Ark, Art of the Hwarang, and Tears of the Queen about a love affair between queen Seonduk and a baekjae general. They also have 10 different craft centers where you can make and buy things-which is where I made the mailbox and sign and necklace last time I went! It was fun and I am exhausted, but now I am going to go over to the festival again as I heard there is supposed to be a big Kpop concert at 730 with a lot of top name groups performing! Annyeong!!! (good bye!)

The Peaville Zoo

I am happy to report that people have been writing me complaining that my blog has been dead lately. The problem is that no money=no life so I have not had anything to write about! So, since I am sick and can't sleep, I decided to write a nyquil induced fanfic based on REAL conversations with my friends. AGAIN-I am not a real writer-and this is nyquil and sleep deprived induced! Those that know me will immediately recognize the main characters and animals-those that don't-sorry! Please leave comments with suggestions to the ending of the story!

The Peaville Zoo
Once upon a time in the town of Peaville in the country of Greeanland there was a small zoo. The zoo consisted of only five animals: a turtle, a horse, a gorilla, an otter, and a dog. This zoo was a very happy and energetic place that attracted much attention to this small island-as each of the animals were the most beautiful of there breeds. It was cared for with much love by four beautiful ladies: Sen, Jel, Shel and Ming. They each had a special animal that they cared for day in and day out. One day, a passing ship carrying a junior animals claiming to be super visited the island and enticed 2 of the zookeepers to come for a closer look. These new animals performed all kinds of new tricks and stole the hearts of Sen and Jel. They decided they were bored with their animals and took off after these new animals-chasing them across the deep blue sea. Jel was especially hypnotized by a special cat in this lot.-so off they went-chasing a fantasy and forgetting what they had at home. Now this caused a new problem-because that meant that Ming and Shel were left behind to care for all of the animals alone, but they took on this task boldly. It wasn’t easy-for all five of the animals –as most animals do-had very unique personalities. The turtle was cute, but he had an inferiority complex and always complained that the other animals were picking on him. He was always envious of the dog who led the animals. The horse was proud, arrogant and moody-he was always bossing the others around, but he was a very handsome horse and one couldn’t help but love him. Now the gorilla was the quiet lovable sort. He was very friendly and had a problem keeping his hands off of all the other animals-but everyone thought it was sweet, so they didn’t complain-in fact, they secretly wished it was them he was hugging. The otter was the most adorable and lovable of all-he was quiet but he had a smile and voice that could melt the most evil of hearts. He was also envious of the dog and tried to imitate him and pretend he was a bad otter-but everybody could see right through him, but they let him keep on playing because it was just so cute. The dog was a very special case indeed. He required a lot of attention because even though he was the leader, his brain was quite empty, in fact many even said he was an alien in disguise. He, like the others was very lovable and turned heads everywhere he went with his handler-Ming. Ming and Shel managed things well, until one day the gorilla got sick and Shel had to leave Ming alone while she tended to her precious gorilla (a very precious gorilla indeed!) Ming was heartbroken. She called and called to the others to return and even sent others after them, but they would not return. They simply said “you are doing a good job, we will return some day-keep our animals safe, warm and happy until then.” Ming had no idea what to do, her precious dog was demanding more and more attention causing the other animals to start abandoning their regular duties as well. The turtle met a new group of friends and started playing games with them-he even melted the heart of the beast who was their leader, and no one could break him! The horse took an interest in the fashions for other animals and began working with them and performing tricks for others. The gorilla was sick as stated earlier and everybody was concerned for him but knew he was in great hands with Shel. The otter became even quieter and only appeared on demand. In despair, Ming called all of the residents in Peaville for help, but they were all busy looking after their own animals and taking exams. Finally one day, a new comer named Katie came on to the island. She was nothing special but had heard of and fallen in love with the animals there at the zoo. She desperately wanted to be part of their lives. Katie heard Ming’s cry for help and agreed to take on the responsibility of caring for the otter and horse in Jel and Sen’s absence. This was a huge relief for Ming as her alien dog was demanding more and more attention-even going as far as taking her hat from her, running with it, then giving it back! News of Katies arrival reached Jel and Sen and while it comforted them to know that their otter and horse would be cared for with great love –as much as they cared for their precious animals-it also gave them much concern. “Would the animals love her more than they loved us?”


To be continued….

weekend from heaven and hell-SS501 encore in Seoul

This weekend had a totally different feel than my weekend two weeks ago in Bangkok. :( I guess I will start with Friday night. I was so keyed up about the concerts that i could not go to bed. I finally went at three-but did not fall asleep until 5-then i had to get up at six--now I know how ss501 feels !

Saturday 02/27/2010: I got up on time but took to long to get ready and ended missing the bus so I had to pay $35 more to take the train to Seoul. Fortunately a dear friend had loaned me the money. My trip to Seoul was uneventful fortunately. I was hungry so i went to Bennigans to eat lunch. I didnt eat breakfast and didnt know when I would be able to eat again, but again I was so keyed up that I couldnt eat! So I then made my way to the subway station-completely forgetting that it was a holiday weekend-I was surprised by how crowded the subway station was. I got my subway/bus card and made it to my train no problems. I did great all the way to the last two stops before i had to get off-even made transfers correctly. Two stops before Olympic Park-the tracks forked and I kept getting on and off the wrong train-3 times. Finally I met 2 korean girls who were also going to the SS501 concert and they said they would help me. While we were talking, 4 girls from HongKong Triple S showed up-they also had taken the wrong train so the 7 of us stayed together until we got to the concert. We then decided to eat lunch. I had brought the rest of my sandwich to finish later. I wanted something to drink so i went into GS 25 and decided to use the ATM machine in there. The machine charged me for taking the money but did not give me the money. So after explaining to five workers what had happened, they called the machine owner who said for me to try it again-this time it worked but i was still out the $20 from the first try! I then went to eat and go find my spot in line. Then I noticed a tent that said Luggage check. I was so happy because I had been carrying around my bags all day and was tired so I decided to check them. Since it was warm and i had on a spring jacket I decided to also give them my heavy coat and purse. Since I was in standing zone C I didnt want to be bothered with them. So then I went to get in line. I was so happy that i was first but them remembered that last year they lined us up in order by ticket number so i didnt really worry about it. I stood there for two hours only to find out that i was standing in the wrong line. Again remembering last time i didnt worry that i had to be in the other line that was twice as long as the one i was in already-so I moved. While I was in line, a TV crew asked me where I was from and asked if they could interview me about SS501-so even though I was exhausted I said ok! After the interview I saw Liezle-one of the fans I met in Thailand. I was so happy to see her. I had been so lonely all day standing by myself so it was so nice to see a familiar face. If you remember, I had checked my coat and purse, well at this point it got really cold and started to rain-and you guessed it-my umbrella was in my purse! So then they start trying to line us up by ticket number but because there were so many foreigners there that did not understand-they gave up trying! Finally I got into the concert area. Once inside I made my way to the back part of the stage where i knew JungMin, Kyu Jong, and Hyun Joong stood alot. I found myself standing next to a 64 year old Korean woman who lives in the Czech Republic-but came to Korea just for the concerts because she loves leader Hyun Joong! We talked about the parody subs videos for DejaVu. When they started singing the song and Baby Joon sang the part "in my eyes" we both looked at each other and started laughing so hard!

The concert--They must have spent a fortune on pyrotechnics for this thing because it seems there were more than usual! When the intro music started playing sparks traveled along a wire across the ceiling to form a star, then the curtain fell and there they were-the five angels that stole my heart!!!! They did their standard hits DeJa Vu (opener) ASCFU, 4 chance, and Unlock
Then they did a little bit of talking and Kyu started picking on Baby! Then Baby Joon had his solo stage. He came out looking sharp in a blue suit with a black shirt. He sang a beautiful song that I had never heard before then, he sung a song he wrote aboout on twitter called Girls, Girls, Girls You Know. I didnt understand when I read it on Twitter-but when I heard it-I instantly loved it. That was when I accepted the fact that Baby Joon is just as awesome as the others! Then it was our Beautiful Kyu Jong's turn!!! He came out in white pants, white trench coat, white/silver top hat, and white cane to sing Never let you go. When the song finished, they kept flashing "Wuss UP" on the screen. Then the showed a slide show of Kyu pictures. They were so adorable-sad, funny, KYUte, sweet-very emotional-then he popped out of the stage and started singing "Wuss Up". They all then came on stage and did a few songs I didnt know plus because Im stupid. Then they showed a very disturbing video of Jungmin-that looked like he attacked a girl in a crime of passion and then was rubbing her blood on his lips. He then came on stage and started singing "If you Can" joined on the Duet by Kara's Gyuri. He then sung a song called Kiss-which I had never heard before but apparently the other foreigners around me knew it quite well! He was joined by Kara dancing with him. Then Kara performed their songs Lupin and Mister. All five guys returned to the stage to do UR Man-then Young Saeng showed his special solo that was very different. He sung a really cool song that mixed several different types of music into one song-rap, hiphop, dance--I absolutely loved it surprisingly! I think the rap and monologue in it was in english-not to sure! Then a live orchestra was on stage and he started directing them. He then threw the conductors stick and started singing the hard rock version of Find. When he yelled "guitar" during the guitar solo-it looked like leader was the one doing the guitar solo-again not to sure but it looked like it and others around me said the same thing. The only thing I remember next is seeing the sexy shower video of leader. I guess I have seen it so many times now that it doesnt drive me as crazy as it use to. Then leader came out riding the same red/black motorcycle on stage that he rode in the video. He then did his super hot dance to the intro of please be nice to me and started singing. He was wearing his usual black jacket and a shiny gold button down shirt. I guess the were going thru to many ripped t-shirts so they decided to use a button down shirt with velcro-or so it appeared! He didnt take his shirt off all the way but opened it all the way-which to me is sexier because it is more teasing! They then did all the songs from Rebirth. During one costume change-JungMin was rushing so fast that he put his clothes on inside out! During Green Peas-many cute things happened:
1) Kyu seemed to be worried about doing the count down so he was trying to get JungMin to do it and JungMin kept saying no you are going to do it.
2) In the middle of the song bubbles were blown onto the stage and Kyu just got up from where he was sitting and started chasing bubbles
3) When they first set down-JungMin had a stuffed horse that sat inside his jacket on his lap then when he got up and started walking around the stage-he started teasing girls in the audience with it. I dont know if he actually gave it to anybody or not.

Other cute/interesting moments:
1) during Because Im stupid, leader was standing right in front of me. They seemed to be having problems with their sound. Girls kept screaming his name and he gave a slight smile and half wave. He looked a little annoyed because he couldnt hear the others to know when it was his part. At the end of the song he turned around and gave a big smile and good wave.
2) during the encore part of the show, somebody threw a blow up Zebra on stage and JungMin put it between his legs and rode it around the stage.
3) Our shy prince YoungSaeng-is shy no more. Also during the encore portion-he went up on the back part of the stage where the most people could see him and ripped off his shirt then baby Joon yelled in the Mic "ooooh Sexy!"
4) during the concert I screamed so hard that I could taste blood in my mouth--I dont think that is normal!!!

AFTER THE CONCERT:
I went to get my stuff-no problem! Then I go to get a taxi. I was tired and my feet were killing me-so instead of trying to get one at the taxi stand, I walked down a little ways-a trick I learned here in Gyeongju at the train station-my apartment is to close to the station for them so they refuse to take me so i have to walk down a little. I get a taxi-get in and tel the driver where I need to go-he takes me back to the taxi stand and tells me to get out-that he doesnt know where my hotel is. I stand there for 1/2 an hr in the cold and another driver helps on his phone to find a way to my hotel-since apparently nobody has ever heard of it even though it is a really big busy hotel in the area-Jamsil Tourist Hotel. one and a half hrs and 11 taxi's later I finally get in one-call the hotel and give the phone to the driver. Some of the taxis said no they wouldnt take me but some pulled over then when i started walking to it they would take off again. Close to midnight I get to my hotel and I am starving and of course there are no open restaurants in the area so I walk 2 blocks down the street to a convenient store to get some water and triangle kimbap-remember all I had eaten was the sandwich from bennigans in the morning. I eat and go to bed-finally at 2 AM.

Sunday 2/28/2010 I wake up at 7AM with a migraine headache and my feet hurt so bad that I couldn't even walk to the bathroom!. Thank God I remembered to bring my headache medicine with me. I took three pills and went back to sleep. I woke back up at 10 and started to get ready. The hotel had my favorite kind of shower-that was the best damn shower I had in a loooooong time!!!! I check out and head to Olympic park. Again I dont know when I will eat so I go eat first. I go to Burger King but get irritated because as much as I love Korea-Koreans do not know the meaning of "get in line and wait your turn!!!" so I just say screw it and go somewhere else (I really wanted BK since we dont have them here is Gyeongju :( !!) I go to Quizno's instead and find gold: a turkey sandwich and Arizona Green Tea with lemon and honey!!! I am happy again!!! Two rarities in Korea that I love! I then start walking to Olympic park and fall and bust my knee! Nobody bothers to see if I am alright-they just keep on walking and staring. By this point I am ready to say forget it-I am not going to the second concert! I decide to go anyway-nothing is going to keep me from seeing my precious SS501 boys!!! I go thru the same procedure as saturday-get ticket-get wristband-store bags-get in line. Again I am first-and alone! I try calling my friends but my phone was dying and I needed to save some battery for the Green Peas event and then to call my friend Lindsey to let her know when I will get to Cheonan. So I stand there-alone, exhausted and in a lot of pain. At this point I notice something trickling down my leg. I lift my pant leg and my knee is bleeding and really swollen from falling! I go get it cleaned up and get back in line. Sunday they decide to line us up in order but dont make us stay out in the cold as long. Im lad because on top of everything else I had a sore throat, slight fever and started coughing-oh I cant afford to be sick!!!! Inside I try talking to a few people but no one will talk to me-so again I am very lonely. The conert starts ans is basically the same as Saturday but there were a few changes:
1) JungMin sang my favorite song "Only Me" (my other favorite songs are Saengies song "Its not love" and "4 Chance" , "fighter" and "Deja Vu")
2) After his solo-JungMin introduced the new girl group Rainbow. The introduction was so cute!!!! They sung their song Gossip Girl (which I really liked) and an english song that i know but dont know the title.
3) Everybody already knows this part-but right before Green Peas leader started talking and started crying so hard that he couldnt talk and although i couldnt understand a word they were saying -I started crying also. The camera then panned to baby Joon and he was also crying pretty hard. Although JungMin claims to be a strong man and not cry-him and Young Saeng were tearing up also! JungMin-you are never to old to cry and some girls find it sexy-as long as it is not done to often. Then they sang Green Peas and at the set time everybody turned off their light sticks and help up their cell phones. It looked really cool and the guys noticed and asked about it after the song. Then Kyu started talking and he started sobbing.
4) When JungMin was introducing himself as "sexy Charisma" he got tongue tied and couldnt say it.
5) After Green Peas we all sung Happy birthday to Kyu Jong and they brought out a big cake. Then the fun began-The water guns! Leader tackled Baby Joon to the ground, tried to rip his shirt off and poured a 2 liter bottle of water on him! This happened right in front of where I was standing-I was laughing so hard! Then they tried to get Kyu and he ran away. Min started chasing him and sid on the water. He finally got Kyu to come back and all four picked Kyu up and dunked him in a tub of water then gave him a shower!!!
6) some of the male dancers were dressed in yellow strapless sundresses with a lot of make up on and "I <3 id="SPELLING_ERROR_99" class="blsp-spelling-error">parasal and was walking on stage and did a face plant on the floor-ouch made me think about my poor knee!
7) Some girls next to me had a blow up giraffe and tried to give it to Min during because Im stupid. He started to take then hesitated, gave his beautiful smile and and shook his finger no. They later threw it on stage and one of the dancers picked it up and was playing with it.

AFTER THE CONCERT

I got my stuff and some cash and went to get another taxi. I thought about taking the subway back to the train station but was afraid I would miss the last train so I opted to take a taxi-thinking it would cost maybe 20,000 won-BIG MISTAKE! The driver picked up me and two other passengers. He dropped them off in Dondaemun and charged them 40,000 won then he took me the rest of the way to the train station and charged me 60,000 won! I got there at 9:27 so I was able to catch the 9:40 KTX to Cheonan-Asan station. I called and told Lindsey then my phone died! I got to Cheonan and we decided to take the subway to her home in Dujeong Dong because we are both broke. She just returned from Canada and because my hagwan is having such financial difficulties-I have only been working part time for the last 2 months. The subway was only 900 won then a 20 minute walk to her apartment. I was so hungry and of course there was no kimbap nara on the way so we stopped to get a pizza-Lindseys idea because I was so depressed. She calls it one of my "happy foods" along with soda, SoJu, SamGypSal, and chocolate!!! One of these days I am going to get the chance to tell leader and Saengie that I want to drink Soju with them. I think Lindsey can match leader--I can do about half of what she does! We didnt get to have our triple S night while I was there (triple S night =Soju, Samgypsal, and Singing) mostly because we are both broke and we both gave up SoJu for lent (along with coffee, juice, chocolate milk, and soda's). My mom said she is giving up sex for lent!!! I told her that you need to give up something you have regularly not something that is easy to avoid!!!! Anyway.... off subject! I got to bed around 1130. By bed I mean Lindseys old torn up ghetto couch-but it is really comfortable to sleep on. I tossed and turned all night because my legs were hurting so bad.

Monday: 3/1/2010 Lindseys alarm on her phone startled me a wake at 9AM. I was so exhausted that i couldnt move-last thing I remember is her saying she is going to take a shower. Sometime later I was thinking wow she sure is taking a long shower-I wish she would hurry so I can pee! Then I get a text message-its from Lindsey! She had taken her shower, got dressed, gone to the doctor and was now at physical therapy-I had no clue she had left. The shower I was hearing was the rain outside! I must have been sleeping hard! She told me to be ready by 1130 because Grace "Unnie" was taking us to a jimjilbang. I had never been before because I didnt like the idea of sitting in a room with a bunch of naked women-naked men-ok, but not other naked women! Then I got to thinking how the heat would be good for my knee and back (some of you may remember I hurt my back just before Persona BangKok) so I said I would go. It was different than I expected-great even! They give you shorts and a t-shirt to put on and they have different rooms with different temperatures. I found the hottest room I could find and went to sleep. You may remember I loved the heat in Bangkok and cried when I came back to Korea because it was so cold. After the Jimjilbang we met my friends YuNa and YoungSuk for dinner at Kimbap nara (one of my fav places to eat--cheap, fast, and tasty!!!) Then I started worrying about my dog "Baby" (yes he is named after Hyung Joon-actually all 5: Young "baby" Kyu Min Hyun-but I just call him baby!) so I decided to go home so I could check on him. As my weekend has been so unlucky so far-it continued-I missed the last bus by 15 minutes and the last train by 5 minutes. I went back to Lindseys and was asleep by 9:30.

Tuesday: I got up at 630 to catch the 745 train to Gyeongju. While waiting I met a kid that has been here a week and lost his passport so he was going to seoul from Daegu. He asked a lady if he was in Seoul and she said yes-he saw me and I told him he was in Cheonan. He went to get another ticket and came back. I found out that he was from near my home. I am from florida and he is from Mississippi. We talked for a while and I helped him map out his subway route in seoul using my map on my cell phone. We then went on our seperate trains that left at the same time. I got to DongDaegu and was hungry so I went to Dunkin Donuts-I needed something cheap and fast. I only had 6,000 won so I used two and put the other four in my pocket-thank God I did. When I got to Gyeongju, my bag tipped over and my wallet and gatorade fell out. I saw the gatorade fall out but not the wallet. I got off the train and went to get some cash from the ATM and no wallet! I instantly went into panic mode because my id, atm card and my friend JungYoun's id was in there (I had to use her id in order to get the concert tickets-since I am a foreigner I can not use most korean websites-especially to buy stuff--thankfully one of my students called DSP and they created an acct for me to use the ss501 website!) I used my last 4000 won to get a taxi home. I was so happy to see my messy apartment and my dog-especially my dog. I was so worried about him. I dont like leaving him that long by himself-usually I dont but since I had no money or time to arrange a babysitter I had to. Two hours later I started my new part time job. On M-W-F I work at one hagwan and Tu/Th I work at another. It was pretty good but a very long day. My fourth class is all girls and all SS501 fans-especially Min, leader, and Saengie-so guess which class is now my fav. class! After work I went back to the train station and they had found my wallet. I got it, went to the ATM and withdrew my last 10,000 won from my Korean bank acct. and my last $10 from US bank acct! Hopefully I can make it last until the tenth when I get paid again. I will be eating a lot of ramyeon and kimbap for the next two weeks ! HEHEHEHE! My mom says I need to open up a special bank acct just for SS501 events and merchandise!!!

SS501 Concert in Thailand

02/18/2010--This past week i got to follow a dream of mine! I followed a singing group to another country for a concert and really play the fangirl to the hilt!

Wednesday 02/10/2010 I arrived in Bangkok at 1215AM. I was so happy when I stepped into the Thailand heat. When I left Korea it was 27 degrees and when i arrived in Thailand it was 85 glorious degrees! I love Korea, but it is way too cold for me! I quickly went thru immigration, got my luggage, and proceeded to find a taxi to my hotel. I followed the signs to the taxi stand where i found five lines. I made my way to the front of the line and a lady at the counter wrote down my information and signaled to a driver. She gave him my information and he took my luggage to his car. When we got in the car-we negotiated a flat rate of 450baht. We drove for about 45 minutes and he did not know where the hotel was. Finally he stopped and got directions. We finally arrived and i went to check in. The staff seemed to move very slowly and could not find my reservation even though it was sitting right in front of them. Finally after another half hour, i got to my room-this was at Best Western Mayfair suites. I didnt really care because i was very tired and was only staying there for one night-and it was cheap-you get what you pay for!

Thursday- 02/11/2010 I slept until 1115AM and checked out of my hotel. Now I went to Prince Palace Hotel-this was a totally different experience! Again the taxi driver couldnt find the hotel!! We were driving around and i looked up to see three towers that said "Prince Palace Hotel!" So we found the hotel and a bell man told me i was dropped off at the wrong spot, so he drove me to the front and checked in my luggage. I walked into the hotel and a really nice man dressed in a nice suit and wearing a hotel name tag escorted me to the 11th floor to check in. He informed me that my suite was not ready and asked me to wait 10 minutes. Exactly ten minutes later he found me and directed me to my room in tower C on the 21st floor. I got to my room and was shocked--it was bigger than my apt in Korea! It took me a little while to figure out how to turn on everything and not set off the burglar alarm! You have to insert your key card into a slot on the wall and then close the door. The lights will then automatically come on. I explored my room. I had a kitchen, bathroom with a tub, dining room, living room, and bedroom with a california king sized bed-just for me!!! I then ordered room service and prepared the gift bags for my triple S friends: Diana (Indonesia), Ling (Singapore), Christina-Xiaochu (Singapore), Lia (Indonesia), and Nan (Thailand). The rest of the day i just relaxed in my room until around 8pm. I then took a taxi to my friend Lings hotel-Dusit Thani. This is also the same hotel that SS501 and the girl group 4 Minute were staying at. I called Ling's room, but she was still out shopping so i sat in the bar and had a few drinks and snacks. Finally at 1030, Ling and her friend Tony showed up. We went shopping again and came back to the hotel and went to the lobby to welcome SS501. I was talking to Ling then turned around and was right in front of Kim Hyun Joong! Right behind him was Kim Kyu Jong and Park Jung Min. As we were taking pics of them entering-JungMin was videoing us. I was so excited-i really thought that i would not see them that night. I then met Lings other friends: Jennifer, Linda, Spring, and Shirley. So then i went back to my hotel and tried to go to sleep. I finally went at 430 AM!

Friday 02/11/2010 I met the others at KFC in Siam Paragon at 12 o clock. We ate lunch then went to find the location of the fan meeting and press conference. The press conference was not until 430 but when we got there at 1230 it was already packed with fans. We then went to check out the fan meeting. You had to pre register for this-which my friends had done already! We stood in line for 2 hrs. waiting to sign in and get our entry number. Originally it was just supposed to be a signing for a photobook, then it was a photobook or poster signing, then it ended up being a handshake. As soon as we signed in-we headed to the press conference. One of my friends said she needed to buy something and told me to come with her. We went into the store and our other friend was waiting for us with press passes. We entered the press area and waited for the press con to begin. Finally there they were! SS501 entered the stage looking like beautiful angels dressed in head to toe white suits. I was in heaven. As soon as the press con ended-my friend yelled for us to move and we ran from the first floor courtyard to the fourth floor-how we stayed together-I had no idea! We were taken to a small room where we had to leave our bags and cameras. We then stood in line in another room to meet the boys. We could not choose-we had to go to the first available-which for me was my precious Kyu Jong! When I got to the front of the line-Kyu Jong and Young Saeng kinda looked at each other and both had a look of terror on their face like "oh no-who is she going to?" Finally I went up to Kyu Jong and I completely forgot how to speak-I couldnt say anything in English or Korean! I then managed to grab his hand in both of mine and say "hello it is so nice to finally meet you-good luck with the concert tomorrow night" I felt so babo (stupid!) Then we all regrouped and went shopping. We went to Tony Moly's to have pics taken with KHJ cutouts and posters then we went to two stores that sold only ss501 stuff! Then it was dinner and back to the hotel!

Saturday: 02/13/2010 I got up at 915am and went to the hotel spa for a massage and facial. I needed it sooooo much! Then I ate lunch and went to meet my friends at Dusit Thani. We were standing in the lobby and again here comes Kim Hyun Joong followed by Kyu Jong and JungMin then Young saeng-again I didnt see baby joon. We all piled into taxis and went to the concert arena. When we arrived, we decided to divide and conqour. Jennifer bought our t-shirts, Diana bought the other stuff, and Me/Linda went around collecting all the free stuff. After that Diana changed clothes so that her, me, and ling were all wearing the same shirt. Then Diana and I went on a mission to find TS Thailand 3 Kim Cafe. We finally found it. One of there members is really sick and had to have a kidney transplant. Her body rejected the kidney so she is still in the hospital and could not come to the concert. She loves Kim Hyun Joong so i made her a gift bag of KHJ stuff from Korea. I had received her message and posted it on the official SS501 website in english and Korean and the other members printed letters to hand out to people asking them to try to get it to KHJ. He got the message and called her at the hospital before the concert-encouraging her to get better and promised to send her a DVD of the concert. The next day she also received a gift box from him that had a stuffed bunny and card in it. I am so proud of him! The concert was wonderful-no surprise there! At the end they came out with water bottles and water cannons and started spraying each other and the audience. 3 of the guys got me with there water bottles then JungMin stood in front of me and drenched me with a water canon-it was so much fun-I didnt want it to end. The concert ended early though because the boys had to catch a plane back to Korea that same night.

Sunday-02/14/2010 I checked out of my hotel at 630 am and went to Dusit Thani hotel to meet my friends. I was so sad thinking that all the boys were already gone. When my friends came down, they told me that JungMin was still there-so that made me happy! We ate breakfast then went to a theme park called Dream World. It was alot of fun! I got my roller coaster fix! I have been saying for the last year that i want to ride roller coasters with Kim Hyun Joong. I talked Spring into riding one with me and she was wearing a Kim Hyun Joong button-so technically i got my wish! KEKEKEKE! That night we went back to the hotel and watched madagascar 2 and went shopping. I left for the airport at 10 pm. It was a madhouse in there! I finally got checked in and went thru security. I got to my gate 30 minutes before time to board. I got on the plane and found that i was with several members from SS501s dance team and crew. I didnt talk to them, but the laughed really hard when they saw my personna bangkok shirt!

Monday-02/15/2010 I arrived in Incheon at 830am. I cried when i saw snow on the ground! Especially since before i went to bangkok-i left my coat at my friend Julies house!!!!! I got my stuff and went to the bus. I was so proud of myself-it ws my first time leaving the airport by myself. I took a bus to cheonan and met my friends at outback for lunch. Monday and Tuesday I stayed with them and had a lot of fun. Wednesday i came back home to start my boring life again.

Happy New Year 2010!

Happy New Year everybody-I hope this year brings everybody's hopes and dreams to reality. This has been the most fun and most interesting new years eve and new years day that I have ever had! It started yesterday when my boss and her family took me to a spa. Spa's in Korea are different than spa's in america. You dont go for facials or massages or bady wraps, but rather it is a system of large swimming pools that have different temperature water and different stations with massage jets to massage different parts of your body. I did all the stations inside, then decided to swim in the lazy river which flowed outside. The water was really hot-but dont stand up or you might freeze! Then I met up with my boss and her husband and we went to the outdoor hot spring spa. It is similar to the indoor spa. After that I decided to try the egg spa. This is a room outside shaped like an egg with small tubs of hot spring water in varying degrees. I opted to stay in the warmest one which was a toasty 129.3 degrees. Unfortunately I stayed in there too long and got dizzy from the smell of the water, no food all day, and the heat. I went back outside and my swim cap started to get ice crystals on it. The handrail to go into the outdoor spa was alreadu frozen solid with icesickles hanging from it! I decided it was time to call it quits and went to get dressed and get a drink to cool my body and raise my sugar. An hour later my boss and her family called it quits. After we left the spa, they took me too a really nice buffet dinner at one of the five star resorts near by. Then we did my favorite korean pasttime-we went to the singing room and sang until midnight. I had no idea that after a few beers my boss's husband could be so entertaining!! Then we went home for a few hours. At four we got up and went to the beach to watch the sunrise. It is a 45 minute drive to the beach but there was so much traffic that it took us 4 hrs! It was so cold that as soon as the sun began to appear-we got back into the car and drove to a local 7/11 to get some rameon for breakfast! Because I was so cold and it was so hot-that was the best rameon I have ever had! Then we went to Dorothy's (my boss) parents house for lunch to celebrate the new year and her older brothers birthday. As soon as the whole family was there-the elders of the family (dorothy's parents) sat down on the floor. The rest of us-their children, in-laws, grandchildren and me-got down on our hands and knees and bowed before them to show our respect. We then sat down and her father called us one by one according to age and gave us each 5$ for showing our respects to them! I heard that this is a big money maker for kids because every adult they bow too is supposed to give them $5. I am glad they didnt bow to me because the only money I had was the $5 the elder Mr. Kim gave me! After the bowing, it was time for lunch! The children sat around one table on the floor, the women at another table in the kitchen, and the men at a table on the floor next to the children. Dorothy's father invited me to sit with him and the men. We had crab legs, dried shark, rice, kimchi, spicy cucumbers, seaweed soup, champagne, soju, and rice punch. Soju is korean whiskey. Rice punch is the water from boiled rice mixed with ALOT of sugar! The elder Mr. Kim put a newspaper over my legs so that I wouldnt get my clothes dirty and then each of the men took turns opening crab legs for me and serving my food and drinks. We then went seperate ways. The younger grandchildren( ages 10-15) went to play on the computer while the older grandchildren (ages 16-21) and I went for a walk downtown. The oldest granddaughter (her name is YouYoung) -who speaks the best english of all the grandkids came up to me and said "Katrina unnie we eye shopping go come you with?"-translation: "Older sister Katrina, we are going window shopping, would you like to come with us?" I went with them but was so tired because i had gone 30 hrs without sleep! So YouYoung took me back to the apartment and I went in Dorothy's parents room and slept for 4 hrs! I didnt feel so bad when I found out that all of the other adults did also! Then we woke up and came home!