[CLOSED] Aegyo Adventures Christmas Giveaway!

Hi guys! Long time no post.

I went on a bit of a hiatus without any formal warning; sorry about that. The timing of the start of this blog wasn't the greatest, between school, my two jobs, university applications, & finals, I didn't have much time to get new posts in. Although rest assured, from now on, I will have a new post up every week! (Same goes for my beauty/advice blog, if you're interested.)

To make up for my lack of updates & just because I was in the Christmas spirit, I am doing a late Christmas Giveaway!! Woooh! I was honestly hoping to get this out before Christmas, but my package didn't come in until Christmas Eve. Nonetheless, here it is!

If you follow me on Tumblr, Gurupop, or Instagram, you would know that I recently bought both the Chinese & Korean versions of EXO's Miracles In December album. (If you're interested in the other kpop purchases I made, I have a link for my social media on the upper right hand corner.) What I didn't announce is that I order a second set of the albums that I am giving away!

Miracles In December (Chinese Version is red. Korean Version is white.)

So let me show you what you will be getting along with the albums.

Like most albums, it comes with a photo book filled with cute pictures of the members along with the lyrics of the songs.

You also get two stand up, cardboard snow globes, one in each album, with one of the members inside it. I got Luhan & Lay inside mine. I hope you get your favorite members inside yours!

The back of globe also has a message from the member inside. If you're like me who unfortunately can't read Mandarin or Korean, I've seen the translations floating around Tumblr. & As you can see, there's a little flap to stand it up.

 

 & Lastly, you will also be getting these Vixx photo cards. There are five cards with a picture on both sides. The package will be coming with four sets of the same photos.

Side 1

Side 2

Now you're probably wondering, "How do I win this giveaway?" The rules are super simple!

1. You must be living in the United States. (For those of you living internationally, don't fret because I will be doing an international giveaway some time in the future.)
2. Follow this blog.
3. Comment down below & let me know which 3 members you wish you had under your Christmas tree! (For me, I wish I had Chanyeol, Kai, & Luhan for my Christmas presents!)

I will pick the winner of the giveaway on Saturday, January 11th, & announce who won on Monday, January 13th.

P.S. If you are under 18, please make sure it is okay with your parents that you enter this giveaway because I will be needing your address to send out the prize.

Good luck to all of you! & Once again, thanks for reading! :)

MV Breakdown! Taeyang - Ringa Linga

Hey guys! It's been so long since my last post, & so much has happened since then! (& I'm talking about within the Kpop world.)

This is my first MV, music video (just in case you didn't know), breakdown & I'm quite ecstatic to have it be about Taeyang's comeback song, Ringa Linga.

Just a quick fact about myself, Taeyang was the first Kpop artist I was introduced to. At the time, I didn't even know he was a Korean idol star, I just admired him for his skills as a dancer in the Wedding Dress MV. My friend was a fan of Movement Lifestyle, & since Shaun Evaristo, founder of Movement Lifestyle, did the choreography for the music video, she showed me his work. Who would have thought that a couple years later I'd be so engrossed with this industry?!

Enough about me, let's move on...

Taeyang's first solo album & EP was released in 2008, Hot, & his first full-length solo album was released in 2010, Solar. Now, three years later, he's back at it with a different feel from his Naman Barabwa & Wedding Dress days. Shedding his soulful, loving, & sweet R&B days, his latest single, Ringa Linga, hits us with a strong hip-hop vibe that meshes well with his R&B style vocals.

Now the question here is: what concept is he going for?! Every time an artist or group has a comeback, they almost always have a new concept, or theme, they're promoting. I'll have to admit that, at first, I couldn't come up with a single idea on what in the world the central theme of his comeback was..

In fact, I was somewhat disappointed in his new look.. Other than his beautiful, beautiful chocolate bar abs (& yes, I just compared his abs to a chocolate bar. You'd be lying if you didn't admit they were good enough to eat. Mhm. You think about that for a second.), I wasn't too fond of this new look. We all miss the fohawk -- cause for most, but not all, the braids are just not cutting it. & Of course, we all know how much of a sweetheart he is; his first kiss was due to the Wedding Dress MV! Who doesn't miss his creeping into our hearts, marry me love songs?!

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Now, don't get me wrong, change is good. Seeing all the members grow & evolve over the years has been a pleasure for all the fans. I will never be an unsupportive fan just because of 180 degree turn in his image, that would just make me someone not even worth calling a fan.

Getting back to the music video, I couldn't come up with any ideas on my own. After watching the making of the music video, Taeyang mentions that the video is filled with people of all different races and cultures that just come together to enjoy the music, which is what his video is about.

If we get into the lyrics, it's mainly about having a good time & partying together, being free. What I found really intriguing about his lyrics is the allusion referencing Miley Cyrus' We Can't Stop -- "It's our party we can do what we want to." Whether or not this was intentional, it's still quite interesting since both songs are about enjoying the night & not really caring what others have to say. The only thing that still has me a little hesitant about the song is the lyrics "ladies bump bump bump shake shake that thing for me." Coming from a culture where vulgarity, not to say that these words are vulgar in the least -- I've heard much worse, & sexual innuendos are predominant in today's hip-hop/rap music, the lyrics itself was not the surprise. What took me aback was the fact that they were coming from our sweet Taeyang. Granted, it's a new look & new vibe, but it's just not something I'm used to hearing from him. The girls dancing around him in the video didn't help either.. (Like girl! Back up off my man! Just kidding.)

The overall song has an awesome beat, & it kind of reminded me of EDM, electronic dance music, the way it started off very subtle then the beat drops. For me personally, I had to listen to it a couple of times before it finally grew on me. The black light & underground party scene also added to that EDM vibe. The R&B break down during the bridge of the song was a nice touch cause it showed off his specific style of singing & brought back a bit of his old style that we're used to. & Of course, I have to point out the Winner boys, formerly known as Team A, & GD's special appearances in the video. The song itself doesn't fit GD's style, but the setting they had them in -- the car with the crazy lights in the background, as if they were traveling through time & space -- definitely fit the crazy image that GD is just amazing at pulling off.

Even though it has a its own separate video, I have to praise Parris Goebel for her work on the choreography. Everything was hard-hitting & on point! The varying angles & the way the choreography meshed with the beat & the vocal style of the song was extremely impressive. A sincere thank you for giving him those body rolls, as well! My favorite part of the choreography is the slight simplicity of the chorus, although not everyone will be able to do it with as much swagger as Taeyang or his dancers, it's still something that other's can do & will surely be quite catchy.

Whether or not I can claim this song as one of my favorites for the year is still a question in the air. The beat & concept are definitely fun & something that their fans who have grown with them can relate to. The biggest impression this song has left on me is the great work with the choreography. Taeyang has always had impressive moves in his videos & is known for being an excellent dancer, but this just took him to a whole other level.

WIN: Who Is Next - Final Battle "The WINNER is..."

There's a part of me that almost didn't want to write this week's review because I felt so upset over the results... & That's just because of my own personal bias.. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy for Team A, a sincere congratulations to them. It's just that, as a fan of Team B, I'm sure most of us were hoping that they would be the winners or there would be a twist of events & he'd debut both of them. It's kind of funny that I was still hoping 'til the very end, even after they announced the winner, that YG would change his mind, especially since in the last post I told you guys it probably wouldn't happen..

But nonetheless, I will still write my review of their performances. It might not be as long as they usually are because I feel like that last battle wasn't even about perfection, but seeing both teams enjoy their final stage & leaving without any regrets.

Same Track, Different Arrangement:

First off, Teddy's composition was marvelous! It's such a fun & energetic track. :D

Team A - 

Starting out with their lyrics, it's basically about letting loose & letting go. I believe their original intention was to have a concept about a boy who is looked at as a fool, a pabo, & later on you realize that he's actually really cool -- just another boy. I personally related to this song because I've been so stressed lately. In their lyrics they say, "Today I'm going crazy. I'm going crazy. I can't cope with this tonight," my life story right there. -.- This is the perfect song to shake your worries off & just say, "F*** it! I'm going to have some fun tonight."

Their performance was on point as well. Taehyun, I don't know if it was the hair, but he was wild & out! Everyone seemed to enjoy the stage! The little dance Seunghoon choreographed was so fun & simple as well that I found myself doing it in my seat as I watched. Even Jinwoo was fun to watch; he's had the most growth out of the 11 trainees, in my opinion.

The only slight critique I would have is that I heard Taehyun's voice crack twice, but it didn't seem like anyone else cared. Their performance as a whole made up for that.

Team B -

Team B's concept was simple, all of us single people need some love too! Oh, the single life.. Not that I'm complaining, like they said, "I'm ok."

Onto the performance, it was a very fun & cute performance. I think what makes Team B a bit more charming than Team A, to me, is that they're cuter, cute as in adorable. They have that look that you can't help but love them. This stage showed that off perfectly! They always bring this energy to the stage, it's like kids playing. Again, that might also come from the fact that they're younger than Team A.

I really liked the dance Bobby came up with & how they decided to make it easy & silly. It requires a little more effort to grasp than Team A's dance, but it's really not that difficult. I could see it as a popular dance craze one day.

Overall: I liked both performances, as always. At first, I preferred Team B's stage, but watching it a second time around & looking at the over all content, I thought Team A had a better performance & arrangement. Their stage was more fun & the song was a very nice stress-reliever that can really lift up your spirits.

Dance Battle:

Team A -

This performance surprised me because Team A's choreography isn't usually all too intricate, but this was different. Seunghoon really worked with the varying beats & piano. It reminded of a lot of Movement Lifestyle's dancers' work. The floor work was executed very well & cleanly. Taehyun's windmill was really impressive because I didn't even know he could do that. Seunghoon's circle formation also added more texture to the choreography. The emotion shined through, as well, with this piece.

Team B -

Oh these boys... This was definitely a different side of Team B, & that's exactly what they were going for. I usually call them very cute & charming, but they obviously wanted us to see that they are more than a cute face.

This was such a strong routine! First off, the song choice was perfect. GD's Shake the World was a strong, confident song to open with. I liked how they matched the clicks of the gun sound effects, to a T I might add, in the beginning & went straight into the acrobatics, from Yunhyeong & Donghyuk's flips to Jinhwan's death drop. Their choreography was so smooth & precise that it matched the cockiness of the song perfectly. Their transition from Shake the World to Turn Up the Music flowed very well.

During Turn Up the Music, I really liked how they used their hats to cover their faces. It highlighted their choreography a lot more because you didn't focus on their face as much & went really well with the slow motion feel of the choreography. The rest of the routine was more about having fun & showing off, just look at those hip thrusts. They were bringing it! This song choice was also great because it was so fun & energetic.

This is, by far, my favorite routine Team B has come up with. They're really talented dancers. & If it isn't obvious, this was my favorite dance out of the two.

Self-Composed Song:

Team A -

We can't deny what a talented composer Kang Seungyoon is. This is another up beat song to get your spirits up & make you feel better. Seungyoon, Mino, & Seunghoon's lyrics, which I believe they usually are the writers, were so poetic. Their diction makes the song pleasing to the ear & adds to its overall meaning.

Their overall performance was very fun; it was like a concert. I especially enjoyed their little shoulder dance move during the first chorus, very cute. My only concern was, again, Taehyun because he seemed a tad bit out of breath.

Team B -

This final stage from Team B was, honestly, none like I've ever seen. They were so sincere in everything they put out, from their lyrics to the actual performance. Just listening to the lyrics is heart-wrenching. In the beginning, Bobby talks about his mom, how he misses her & the promises he made to her. B.I talked about the weight of having not only his life, but the future of his other team members on his shoulders. The whole song discussed their dreams, worries, & just leaving this final stage with no regrets.

Seeing B.I step out in the very center, on the extended stage, with all the lights only on him & rapping without any music or beat, just him, was so powerful. You could feel the raw emotion. It was saddening to see him fall to his knees, almost in tears, on that stage. They really put them selves out there.

Overall: Both songs were well written & well executed. The main reason why I have to pick Climax over Go Up is because that song & performance really touched my heart & hit home for me. If you can reach an audience member's soul with your song, it's a winner.

At the end of the day, Team B will be the winner in mine & other fans' hearts.

Nonetheless, Team A put in a lot of work, blood, sweat, & tears, as well, & it's nice that their hard work has paid off. So I tip my hat to Team A, aka WINNER.

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As for Team B, the stage will be yours one day. Until that day, we'll be waiting.

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G-Dragon - KCON 2013 Interview

It’s pretty late & it’s nothing terribly special, but my gift to you guys for reading all my posts. It means a lot to me. :)

Please like, subscribe, favorite, & follow this blog & my other sns! Thank you!

WIN: Who Is Next - Episode 9 "Aegyo Adventure's Thoughts"

Another week & a just a single step away from finding out who will be the WINNER.

This week's episode didn't involve any performances & didn't showcase too much of their preparations for the fierce & final battle to come. This week we got to see more of the members themselves & their thoughts on the situation they're in. Because of this, my own thoughts may not be as organized as they usually would be, but this is probably the much awaited post on how I feel about the whole program, in general, & who my heart goes out to.

First, & foremost, I have officially decided that I am rooting for Team B to debut. I know there's a lot of controversy among the fans saying that we shouldn't even pick a single team we want to debut; we should basically protest & hope for an ot11. As much as I would LOVE for that to happen, realistically speaking, that's probably not how things are going to go down. If this is the way YG is going to handle who debuts, we have to at least provide as much support to one of them because we all can agree that both deserve to debut, no matter who it is.

Considering how well Team A did in the last battle & how the voting results turned out for the first round, I did expect them to win in the most recent week's voting results. The fact that the margin between the winners & losers in the voting results decreased even more so than the week before, not even by a point difference: 50.26 to 49.74, shows the growing popularity of Team B. Also, Seungyoon & Seunghoon, already being quite well-known, has given Team A a very slight advantage. But hey, all is fair in love & war. (I will be putting more effort into voting for the next round since I wasn't that active last week. Different time zone problems... -.-)

It was very cute & humbling that neither of the teams expected to have that many fans show up to their high-touch. Most people hate the survival program YG has come up with, but it was a very smart publicity tactic, just look at how many of us are keeping tabs on them, & they're still trainees. The only part that surprised me during their high-touch event was when Seungyoon introduced himself as the leader. I understood that he was going to take over since Minho was injured, but I didn't think they meant permanently. It seems like that's still a sore spot for Minho considering that he introduced himself as the former leader before Seungyoon... :x Haha B.I's introduction, giving the fans a second to cheer even more before he spoke, showed what a natural leader & artist he is. I definitely see him making a name for himself, whether it be with YG or another company.

Many of the fans were shaking with astonishment & joy after being able to meet their soon-to-be idols. Girl, I would've done the same thing! Haha I especially loved Taehyun & Seunghoon's flustered reactions to the fan that gave them a full fledged bow. Seunghoon introducing himself as the "baby hip-hop lion" was too cute because I can totally picture him as such. Taehyun also made me fall for him even more by showing how caring he was as he told the fans to "be careful" as they were leaving the event. What a sweet boy. ( ^ - ^ )

In terms of their challenges for the final battle, it is evident that they're putting a lot of effort into this finale round. Team A's idea to come up with three songs, since they couldn't come to a consensus, & then send them to Yang Hyun Suk for the final decision was a productive choice because it'll make the decision making faster & gain the approval of the CEO. I personally liked Taehyun's funky song, but I thought Seungyoon's explanation for the tempo of his song matching a heartbeat was very deep & sincere. & Poor Mino... Hahaha I sympathize with his pain from losing all his data after the computer shut down, but his song sounded far to aggravated. x)

Team B, on the other hand, let B.I & Bobby handle the general foundation of the song. From what I've heard of the melody & beat so far, I really like it. It's a sound we haven't heard from them yet, a slower, more R&B feel. I'm also very, very excited to hear their lyrics because they are putting their own stories into it, their lives & struggles as trainees. They want their final stage to be memorable & by sharing their stories this one last time, they're sure to leave an impression. I know they've been through a lot so I'm extremely excited for its outcome.

At the end of the day, this program isn't merely to be cruel, as most people would judge, but it has taught them how to compose their own songs. Just as YG had said, win or lose, they have this capability to take with them.

Dancing wise, I have always preferred Team B's style just because it's more intricate & enjoyable. They make it into a dance you'd want to get up & learn. (If I only was good at hip-hop... Haha) & Lately they've been working on more tricks for their routines, as well, which makes it even more entertaining. As always they're working on their accuracy & cleanliness, which as a dancer, I sincerely appreciate. But I am anticipating Team A's choreography because Seunghoon's concept sounds very interesting & has a bit of a storyline to it; I'm also a sucker for work with a message or a story. I'm also quite intrigued in how their song fits into their concept because it sounded like a different version of Rihanna's Please Don't Stop the Music.

WARNING: The following gifs may make you lightheaded... From how sexy they are... Hahaha

I have no idea why these boys decided they wanted to do this, to appear more manly I guess, but my feels could not handle it when I watched this part of the episode. As their noona, & not even by much -- Jinhwan is only two months younger than me (in Western aging standards) -- so I'm not really much of a pedonoona, I found it terribly wrong to be enticed by them.. & If you're a noona fan facing the same problems as me, please comment your sympathy pains down below. ( T - T ) Hahaha But they chose their winners well. :x

Presenting the maknae on the inside, but a real man on the outside... Kim Donghyuk!

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& Of course, the man with the West Side swagger… Bobby!

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Aigoo, these children...

After seeing them be so charismatic, I was appalled when Donghyuk went to visit his dad. I understood that he hadn't visited him in a long while, just like the other trainees, but that was a surprise I did not expect.. For those of you that don't know, Donghyuk's father passed away when he was about 8 years old. I don't really have much to comment on that & I feel as though I shouldn't because that should remain a private, as private as reality tv can get, moment between him & his dad. <3

The final challenge for the two teams is to create different arrangements for a track titled "Just Another Boy," that both teams will have, produced by Teddy. From the little preview we received, I really liked the beat of the track, no surprise coming from Teddy. Team A has decided to go with the concept: from a fool to Mr. Cool, which is good. I'm not terribly impressed by it, but they could do a lot with that & just blow me away. So, as always, I'm looking forward to their stage. Team B decided to go with the theme of being single & alone. First of all, I don't know why they were trippin' about being alone. It wasn't anything dramatic, but I just thought it was funny that that thought came to mind for them. Haha I did like B.I's quote for their concept, "There's nothing bad about being single at all. But in the end, I'm just a boy who needs love. Just another boy." 

Overall, in terms of the upcoming battle, it seems like Team A is more efficient with getting their work done, which has been an advantage for them. At the same time, I am eager to see what Team B has prepared because they're adding a lot more elements that we haven't seen from them all season. I look forward to seeing both of their stages.

My thoughts on this entire program aren't as negative as others may be. If you look at how much all the members improved, grew, & changed, it wouldn't have happened without the show. They've also bonded much more, even as a whole, despite the competition. It has also provided a ton of publicity & a strong fan base for whoever is to debut. 

Just like everyone else though, I am hoping & praying that the losing team will not be disband. Seunghoon mentioned that they've become such a YG family that he couldn't see any of them promoting for another company. My hopes were that the losing team would be picked up by another company, such as JYP, just so that their talents would not go to waste. The fact that they all feel so bonded & loyal to YG makes the idea of either of them losing even worse. I can't say whether or not I believe YG will go through with his word because as cruel as he comes across, he's a smart man. I don't know if there would be enough fans that would be upset with the disbandment, but I think it could be a factor in his decision.

My heart is torn & goes out to both teams. We'll just have to wait & see what happens...

Until then, thank you for reading!